The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1910-02-24
SORSBY MUST SERVE LIFE SEN
TENCE.
Supreme Court This Morning affirmed
the Decision of the Loser Court.

The supreme court today affirmed the
life sentence of William A. Sorsby, slayer
of Postofice Inspector, Charles Fitzgerald
thus bringing to close one of the most
noted tragedies in the history of the state
Inspector Fitzgerald was assinated
on the depot platform at Clinton, ten
miles west of this city, on the afternoon
Of Sept. 29th, 1908, shortly after he had
checked up the books of the postofice and
found that Sorsby, who was serving as
deputy postmaster, was several hundred
dollars short in his accounts.
Sorsby belongs to one of the foremost
families in the state. His mother-in-law,
Mrs. Cabaniss, was postmistress of the
village. The assassin escaped after the
shooting, remained at large several months,
and was finally found concealed in a
garnet within stones throw of the scene
of the tragedy.
Tie lower court trial held nearly a
year ago lasted two weeks and was
memorable legal battle in which the
defense set up the plea of insanity.
Special Justice ]. S. Sexton delivered
the decision of the court. No written
opinion was handed down, but Justice
Sexton gave comprehensive review of
the tragedy, and in conclusion declared
that the verdict of the lower court was
just in every respect, and the trial de-
void of reversible errors.
None of the relatives of Sorsby were
ir the court room when the decision
was rendered, although several of the
attorneys who took part in the long
and tedious trial were present and lis
tened to the review of the case with
keen interest.
The appeal was submitted several
days since without oral arguments, both
sides submitting lengthy briefs. Al
though the defense noted numerous excep-
tons during the trial, anly three of
these were urged with much earnestness
before the supreme court.
Among the members of the local
bar who watched the progress of the
lower court trial very closely it was a
foregone conslusion that the verdict
would be affirmed The record was
singularly free from reversible err
rors, and, in the public mind, there was
no element of doubt as to the character
Of punishment that should be melted out.
In fact life sentence instead of death sem
tence was distinct disappointment to the
friends and relatives of the murdered in
spector, who believed that Sorsby should
have been given the maximum penalty.
The details of the killing are so
fresh in the public mind that lengthy
review is not necessary. Sorsby shot
Inspector Fitzgerald without warning,
and fled from the scene to the home of
his mother-in-law where, shortly after
dark, friends spirited him away, and he
was kept in hiding by various devices
for period of several weeks Although
mortally wounded, Inspector Fitzgerald
boarded train for Jackson, and died
about four hours later in the Sanitarium.
The federal government assigned
several agents of the secret service
and postoffice inspectors to the case.
Private detectives and local authorities
also worked day and night, and they
were not long in reaching the conslusionI
that Sorsby was being kept in hiding, al
though numerous reports were circulated
to the effect that he had succeeded in
getting out of the state, and was probably