The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-05-03
CONFESSES CRIME
TWENTY YEARS AGO
WRITES LETTER AND EXON.
EIIATES MAN WHO WAS
TRIED AND CON
kICTED.

BRISTOL, VA. May $.-in "a writ
ten confession of murder, received by
the editor II the Grayson Gazette,
of Independence. and by the mother
Of the allegsa murderer. Edwin j. Cox.
formerly Of Grayson county, has at
knuwledsed having Killed Grimsley
Haisty Of Grayson comfy In the win
ter Of 1890, and has thereby eXonerat-
ed Fields Anderson, who was t.iea,
convicted and sentenced t. he hang
ed.
The stigma If murder which has
hung over Anderson's head for 20
( years Will probably be cleared away.
/ Anderson. although sentenced 10
death, Is supposed to be living In the
West AS he was liberated by friends
from Jail d week before the date set
for the execution and made his es-
cape lie has never been apprehend-
Address Undccipherablc.
The letter was written, or at least
dated November ], 1910, but Was mot
mailed until .April Il. Tho postmark
| was too blurred to be deciphered.
I III the winter Of 1890 Halsey Was
! shot to death In a drunken quarrel,
! as it. then appeared, IN Allegheny
county, n. G.. Halsey. Fields Ander-
/ son ana EQNiH A. tsRA }ldd soht i4tAN
! North Carolina on pleasure trip.
Cox made his escape and WAS never
caught but Anderson was arrested
and Jailed al Spart y; .Gs Al tbs
I trial Of Anderson Witnesses swore
that he killed Halsey. Anderson was
convicted and sentenced te be hang
ed. His sriends feeling confident
that he was innocent. went to the
Sparta iail and liberated him one week
ahead of the date for the execution
| Anderson FASTENED away TO the West
| where he IL supposed 10 still reside.
! Mother Killed in Wreck.
fN" iris notfer. III company wlrh hei
brother. II. NJ. Jenkins, who now live!
I at Flatridge, in Grayson county start
ed for the. West to join her son. Thu
train cgf which she &gs riding rssae
wrecked and Mrs. Anderson wa
among the passengers who met death
That was early in the year lssl.
Cox's letter Of confession is as fol
. lows:
Editor Grayson Gazette, Indepen
dence. Va.
al have letter ! want YOU to prin
/ in YOUR paper. It's a letter that /
, worth the life OF friend. 1t Is
letter that ] have been going TO writ
I for twenty years but the way every
thing has come and gone ] have pu
. / IL off from time TO time. II ~ inns
Declare Anderson Innocent.
Dear Mother am writing 70
and r. V. Anderson a letter together
and am going TO have II printed i
! your county paper, This letter
10 state the whole truth in regar
Ia Fields Anderson leaving home
Fields swore the truth ON the stan
in the trial at Sparta, bur after q
they swcre his NE away from him
. That was awful news FOR me 10 hear.
- did not know what to do when
: got the news Of his sad trial, but
- made up my mind 10 write the trut
. about the scrap we got into with tha
!, miserable set that swore his life ava!
, Il had letter written and read
= to mall when | got the news tina
- Fields Anderson, my old friend. IA
!. been taken from the Jail and liberal
ed / then did not mail the iettel
;. ( LATER on I got the news mat Field
= mother lost her life while going !
/. / her son. No one can tell the awfi
g feeling and the awful thoughts ths
:: had fer the p9or mother. ana
!. was made doubfy sad to think that sh