Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-03-17

TnUUL III VIUlLhIgUL
COMMITTEE NOTES
Captain w. s. Coburn, attorney for
Homer Pitts, driver of the death
car on the night Of Fred G. Thomp-
sons killing, and also attorney for
Edwin N. Shute, passenger with
Pitts in the car, and H. J. Norton,
who, with Pitts and Shute, Is held
as material witness, denied Tues
day that there is any significance in
the fact that he is also attorney for
the Ku Klub Khan. secret fraternal
order
When Captain Coburn was inform
ed of rumors placing significance on
the fact that he is attorney for the
khan as well for Pitts, Shute and
Norton, he made this statement:
You can say for me, first Of all,
that neither Mr.. Pitts nor Mr.. Shute
are members of the Ku Klux Khan. I
do not know as to Mr.. Norton. That
do represent. the Ku Klux Khan. 1
also represent several labor unions
and several other fraternal orders.
There is no more ground for connect
ing the Ku Klux Khan with this case
because I represent the Khan than
je ~ Nf
clients"
Rumors that led to Captain Co.
burns statement grew out of the
fact that j. c. Thomas, held for
Thompson's killing, claimed to have
received threatening letters, signed,
Eyes of 1000 Real Men," that he
declared he knew none of the men
who called for him at his Decatur
street store the night of the killing;
and that, when they took him to
Lakewood, they started to beat him,
according to his statement, because
Of alleged neglect of his wife. All
Of these circumstances have led TO
the declaration by Thomas lawyers
that he was the intended victim of
some secret orders vigilance COM
mittee.
Grand Jury Investigating
The Thompson Staying is now to be
investigated by the Fulton county
grand jury
A coroner's jury, holding an In
quest at the chapel of Harry G..
Poole Tuesday. reached a. verdict
that Thompson came to his death
from knife wounds inflicted by j. c..
Thomas, of 2S7 South Boulevard.
Thomas was held to the grand jury
on a charge OF murder. The jury
also recommended that three other
men be held to the grand jury as
material witnesses. They are HON.
er Pitts, who admitted he drove the
death car; Edwin N. Shute, owner
Of the Union Meat market on Ala
bama street, who admitted he was
Norton, proprietor of the Norton
Vulcanizing company, who took DIR.
Thomas H. Hancock to the road
where Thompson's dead body was
found. Thomas thinks Norton was
also a passenger in the death car,
but he is not sure Of this and Norton
denies it vigorously. All of the men
held ito the grand jury made bond
except Thomas, who is held with
out bond
ThonndE PROBABLE slayer
While the investigation of the
Thompson killing seems to have es-
tablished one fact clearly-that he
was cut to death by Thomas-the
circumstances are so mysterious that,
thus far, the causes leading up to
the fight have only been limited at
Thomas says ne never saw any OF
the men in the automobile until they
called TO rhim at his wiener stand
on Decatur street with the statement
that they were officers and Chief
Beavers wanted to see him.
Homer Pitts, while admitting he
drove the car, says he never saw
Thomas before the night Of the kill
him with the request that he, Pitts,
drive him and some friends; that
he did not know why they all went
to the wiener stand; that he simply
drove where Thompson directed him
another man were on the back seat
and seemed to be getting along ami
>cably; that the three got out on the
road near Lakewood; that they talked
in quarrelsome voices back Of the
car; that Thompson and his friend
suddenly jumped back in the car;
that some man leaped to the running
board slashing him on the arm with
a knife; that Thompson and his
friend jumped out again; and that
ne nlmSel1, De1ng .DaQly cut, Lnen
drove the car as fast as possibly to
a doctors. Shute, he says, was on
the front seat with him ALL the time.
Thomas denies part of this story.
He claims Pitts and Shute both got
out of the car and held him while
Thompson was about to beat him,
and that the cutting occurred in a
general free-for-all when he resisted.
Shute's Story
Shute confirms Thomas story in
part, confirms Pitts story in part,
and contradicts the stories Of both
of them in some details. He says
Pitts hailed him on the street while
he. Pitts, was driving along and
asked him to take a ride; that he
got in the front seat and stayed
there through the visit to Decatur
street, the drive to Lakewood and
the quarrel on the road, not know
ing what it was all about; and that,
as Pitts said, man jumped on the
running board and cut Pitts, and
they then drove away, leaving
Thomas and Thompson and the 9TH
err mysterious man on the road.
Both Pitts and Shute, it will be
seen, confirm Thomas story of the
visit to the Decatur street wiener
stand. They disagree with him only
about actual details of the fight
Where their own stories-the sto-
ries of Pitts and Shute-don't agree
is in reference to what happened