The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-08-10
MRS. SUTTON'S
LETTERS READ
Believes That Son Was
| Murdered.
UGLY CHARGES ARE FL0ATED
Refers to Marine Officers as "Low
Brutes".
In Communication To Navy Employc,
| Mrs. sutton Declares Son Was
Beaten To Death and Shot
Fired As blind.
ely CHARGES ARE FL0ATED

James N. Sutton, U. s. NJ. c.. In the
latter part Of 1907 who was declared
suicide by an earlier board of in
quiry. the judge advocate. Major Henry
Leonard. moved that the letters. read
at the closing Of the court on Satur-
day. when Mrs. sutton. the mother OF
the dead lieutenant. was on the stand.
be made public.
This motion was criticised by Hen
| ry e. Davis, counsel for Mrs. Sutton.
and supported by A. Il. Birney, coun-
sci for Lieutenant Adams.
Mrs. sutton had bitterly criticised
her examination and the reading of
these letters In secret on saturday. but
Mr.. Davis declared that the public
reading of the letters at this time
would be merely a catering to pru-
rient curiosity Major Leonard de-
clared the public In entitled to know
the contents OF the letters. The court
ruled that the motion OF the Judge
advocate be acceded to, and the rec
ord Of Saturdays session was read.
Mother Identifies Letters.
The reading showed that Mrs. SUIT
| ton Identified a number of letters as
having been written by her. The frst
OF these was to Harry M. Bwart, pay
masters ONCE. United States Marine
Corps. Washington, d, C.. and asked II
he was q friend Of her son, to whom
she could write to with confidence as
to his sympathy.
A second letter to Mr.. Swart gave
u version Of what occurred on the
night OF Lieutenant sutton's death and
also detailed numerous wounds on the
face and head which Mrs. Sutton wrote
had been inflicted upon her son. She
referred frequently to those who were
with Lieutenant sutton when he was
shot as wild beasts" In this letter
the name of Miss Mae Il. Stewart, of
Pittsburg. was mentioned. Mrs. SUIT
ton asked swartx to ind out from os-
terman and the others who were in
the automobile with sutton on the ia
tai night what had actually happened
preceding the shootinn.
A third letter to Swartz gave further
details OF what Mrs. sutton had. she
said. discovered. ana referred TO those
who were with her son. when he died
as Glow brutes." She referred to a
letter from her son in which he de-
scribed his fellow officers as '1ow cads''
and referred In words OF hitter criti-
cism to Lieutenants Adams. osterman
others.
Tells OF Her Grief.
This letter described the receipt OF
the news by her at her home OF her
sons death and said that shs felt at
that time that her son was with her.
Of his death which. she wrote. he de-
ciared, was dus to q shot fred by
Lieuteant Adams Mrs. Sutton wept
quietly while her own words as to her
sons death were being read.
After the reading OF the letters, the
reading of the record of Saturday
showed Mrs. Sutton TO have been asked
many questions as TO evidence in her
possession to support her contentious
She referred to letters received by
her from Miss Stewart. Professor Col
man and others and TO the record of
the first investigation as suff1cient evil
dence.
The reading OF the record concluded,
Mrs. Sutton was CROSS examined by
Mr.. Birney and said she had receiv-
ed the information relative to the
wounds she believed 20 have been suf-
tered by her son from the testimony at
the first investigation which she had
believed was given under oath.
Mr.. Birney was still cross examining
when recess was taken.
All the letters of Mrs. Sutton which
were ordered made public were ad-
dressed 10 0WdrtL anu aIIOKeIneF make
about 5000 words.
In the first one she wrote:
Would Write In Confidence.
'T want TO speak to you In conf
dence. but don't feel that can do so
until I hear from you and II you were
not Jlmmie's friend I will admire you
the more for you to say so than not
to be and make believe that you were.
These brutes that killed him are alive
and seemingly doing well while my
boy is dead 1ve months today. Tell me
can trust you and that you would
have liked Jimmie ana will write
you"
The second letter read. which was
read on April .. In evident answer to
Swartz, Mrs. Sutton says "that after
Jimmie was killed. Captain Mark and
Lieutenant Utley. took his keys and
went through his trunk ana every
thing. Can you tell Inc II they had a
right TO touch anything? To make It
more horrible, Utley was with Adams
and Osterman when Jimmie was kill
ed. I believe he engineered that fight,
that It was all planned"
Mrs. Sutton then described the meet
ing Of the officers at Carvel Hall the
night of the tragedy and laid empha-
sis upon the fact that while her SON
Coleman. OF the academy, Osterman
and Adams withdrew and had a talk.
Now, at 1 o'clock Sunday morning"
the letter continues. "Jimmie was
beaten to death. That shot was Aired
to hide the crime. His forehead was
crushed, nose broken. lip cut open,
teeth knocked out and an incision in
the head half an inch long. Just think
what my poor boys suffering must
have been as he was beaten to death
by those wild beasts. Good God, Mr..
Swartz. this was the work OF wild men
and this on their own sworn testi-
mony. and still they are walking the
streets today while my poor boy lies
in the grave stamped a suicide"
Refers to Auto Ride.
Referring TO the Inflated automobile
ride, Mrs. Sutton declared that II Jim
mie" had been himself. however, he
would not have asked them adams,
JJtley and Osterman) to ride with him.
Adams and Utley hated him, she de-
clared.
Mention Is also made of Lieutenants
Potts, sumner and Shearer, who were
in another automobile on the night Of
the tragedy. She speaks Of a money
transaction between her son and Shear
er and several times during her corre-