Jones County  Georgia 

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Table of Contents page: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/jones.htm
Georgia Table of Contents: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm

The Macon Daily Telegraph, Friday Morning, November 11, 1910, p. 7-A
JONES COUNTY FARMER IS SHOT BY DEPUTY
R.V. Smith Charges That Deputy Sheriff Norton of Macon Attacked Him Without Any Provocation` Whatever~
Shooting Occurred Four Miles From City ~
    Charging that while driving to his home in Jones County, about eight miles from Macon, he was stopped by Deputy Sheriff Norton and without the least provocation, shot through the leg.  R.V. Smith, a prominent and prosperous farmer, was brought to the city last night, and after the refusal of Jailer Roberts to lock him up in jail, was sent to the home of his sister, Mrs. O'Neal who lives in East Macon.  Mr. Smith stated to Telegraph reporter last night that he would swear out a warrant for the arrest of Officer Norton.
   According to the statement of Mr. Smith, he came to the city yesterday to dispose of several bales of cotton and late in the afternoon started to his home in Jones County.  He claims that when he was about four miles from the city, on the Cross Keys road, he noticed an automobile approaching from the rear and stopped his mules to one side of the road to permit the car to pass by.
   Instead of going by the automobile came to a sudden halt in front of the team Mr. Smith was driving and according to his story, a man whom he afterward learned was Deputy Norton climbed into the rear end of the wagon and shot him in the leg.
   According to information gained last night, Deputies Norton and Lavender had been summoned to round up a crowd of negroes who had shot at a dog belonging to Lamar Clay, in East Macon, and they succeeded in placing several of the negroes under arrest, loading them all into a wagon preparatory to bringing them back to the city, and then went on down the road in the automobile until the came upon Mr. Smith's wagon.
   Mr. Smith complained bitterly of the treatment that had been accorded him last night, stating that after he had been wounded he was placed under arrest and Deputy Norton tried to force him to return to town in the wagon with the crow of darkies, but upon the interception of Deputy Lavender, he was allowed to return in the automobile with the two officers and Lamar Clay, Jr., who accompanied the officers in their pursuit of the negroes.

The Macon Telegraph, Sunday Morning, November 13, 1910, p. 5-A
WARRANT ISSUED FOR ARREST OF NORTON
Bibb County Deputy Sheriff Who Shot Jones County Farmer, Is Charged Shooting With Intent To Kill~
Efforts To Locate Him Yesterday Failed~
    Where is Deputy Sheriff Will Norton?  Since Friday morning efforts to locate the missing deputy who last Thursday night shot R.V. Smith, a well-known Jones County farmer, have failed.  Repeated inquiries at the sheriff's office have been met by the statement that Norton had not been there and his whereabouts were unknown.  
   Yesterday Deputy Sheriff Charles Roberts, of Jones County, was sent to Macon by Sheriff Brooks to serve a warrant for the arrest of Deputy Norton, charging him with shooting with intent to kill, but up to last night the deputy had failed to locate Norton.
   Several stories of the affair of last Thursday night have been published, but Mr. Smith, the man who was shot, made his first positive declaration yesterday to a representative of The Telegraph.  He charges that Norton shot at him five times and also struck him over the head with a pistol, despite the fact that he had done absolutely nothing to warrant the attack.  
   Mr. Smith's state of the shooting follows:
	"I was returning from the gin and was on my way home.  When the automobile came up behind me, it frightened my mules and they started running down the road.  The auto with the man and driver followed me in the road, and when the auto drew near the man fired at me three times.  By this time I had stopped my mules and the man in the auto jumped out and shot at me two more times, the first shot missing, but the last shot struck me in the leg.  He then jumped in the wagon and hit me over the head several times with his fist.  I asked him not to kill me, and told him I had done nothing.  He then grabbed hold of the reins, and drove my wagon down the road a short distance, where the other two deputies were with the four negroes who had been arrested.  He took my mules out and tied them to a tree.  After this they put me in the wagon, but finally put me in the auto.  He said that he was going to bring me to the hospital but instead carried me to the jail.  Reaching the jail, Jailer Roberts, whom I know well, recognized me, and he refused to take me in, as he had no charge against me.  I was then taken over to East Macon with my relatives."
   Mr. Smith says he was shot without provocation, and that he intends prosecuting the man who shot him to the fullest extent of the law.  A warrant charging Deputy Norton with assault with intent to murder has been sworn out before Sheriff Brooks, of Jones County.
   Mr. Smith also said he was shot about 4:30 o'clock in the afternoon, when it was light enough to tell the difference between a white man and a negro.
   Mr. Smith says he believes if he had made any effort to resist his assailant, the man would have killed him.  He said when he reached the place where the other deputies were, with the negroes arrested, he tried to find out the name of the man who had shot him, but they refused to tell him.  He said he did not know the name of the man who had shot him until he reached the jail.

Jones County News
Gray, GA., Thursday, November 17, 1910, p. 1-A
R.V. SMITH SHOT BY DEPUTY SHERIFF
While returning from the gin house, on the Macon and
Plenitude road, to his home last Thursday afternoon, Mr.
R.V. Smith, a quiet, inoffensive and hardworking farmer
of this county was shot and beaten over the head by one
Will Norton, a Deputy Sheriff of Bibb County.

It appears that two or three white boys from Macon were
out on the above named road, a few miles from the city,
and some negroes in a wagon coming out from Macon shot at
the boy's dog and afterwards at the boys themselves.  The
facts were immediately reported to the boy's father who
sought the aid of the Sheriff.  Several Deputies were
hurried into an automobile and the race for the negroes
began.  They were finally overtaken and arrested.  On
that same road in his wagon was Mr. Smith, who as before
stated, was returning home from the gin.  The auto
frightened his mules and they ran a short distance before
they were stopped, the machine still following him.  He
was ordered by Norton to hold up his hands, but Mr. Smith
having violated no law, failed to do so when Norton began
to fire upon him.  One of the balls struck him in the leg
and he is seriously wounded.  After shooting him, the
officer jumped in the wagon and proceeded to beat Mr.
Smith over the head with his pistol.  He was arrested and
carried back to Macon and turned over to the jailor, Mr.
Jack Roberts, formerly of this county and who knew Mr.
Smith well, recognizing the fact that Mr. Smith had
violated no law refused to lock him up and he was allowed
to go his way.

Norton and his friends have given different reports about
the uncalled for attack - giving as the main excuse that
it was too dark to distinguish Mr. Smith from a negro and
it appears that he wanted to arrest every negro on the
road.

He had no warrant for the arrest of any one, and if he
had, he should have ascertained who he was arresting, and
his shooting and abusing this innocent man is
inexcusable. 

A warrant has been issued for Norton but he cannot be
found.  Deputy Sheriff Charlie Roberts was sent to Macon
last week to serve the warrant for the arrest of Norton,
charging him with shooting with intent to kill, but up to
now has failed to locate him.

Several stories of the disgraceful affair has been
published, but Mr. Smith the man, who was shot makes the
following positive declaration to the Macon Telegraph:
(See above Macon Telegraph article-verbatim through the
end of the article)
   
The Macon Daily Telegraph, Wednesday Morning, November 23, 1910, p. 8-A
MAY OFFER REWARD FOR DEPUTY NORTON
People of Jones County Much Wrought Up Over Shooting of R.V. Smith ~

Though Sheriff W.S. Brooks of Jones County and his
deputies have made a diligent search for Will Norton, who
shot R.V. Smith, one of the most prominent farmers of
Jones County, two weeks ago, their efforts have so far
proven fruitless, and the Bibb County deputy is still at
large.

The friend of Mr. Smith, it is understood will offer a
reward of $500 in a few days for the capture of Norton.
The people of Jones County are very much wrought up over
the affair, believing that Norton shot the popular farmer
without any provocation whatever. Mr. Smith is still
confined to his bed from the effect of the shot.


The Macon Daily Telegraph, Saturday Morning, December 3,
1910, p. 1-A & 2-A   (Front Page) R. V. SMITH DIES,
NORTON FUGITIVE FROM JUSTICE 

Blood Poisoning Developed

Few Days Ago, and Victim Died Friday Morning at the
Hospital. Reward For Missing Deputy Sheriff $350 Warrant
Has Been Changed to Read Murder, Instead of Shooting With
Intent to Kill. Smith Funeral to Be Held This Afternoon

Unable to survive a pistol wound in his thigh, R.V.
Smith, the Jones County farmer, who was shot by Deputy
Sheriff W.B. Norton about a month ago on the Clinton
road, died at the Macon Hospital yesterday morning at 11
o'clock.  Mr. Smith had been at the hospital about ten
days, having been sent there when he developed blood
poison from an aseptic wound, caused by the leaden bullet
passing through his thigh.

The death of Mr Smith has aroused considerable feeling
among the farmers and people of Jones County, and several
of his friends, who were in the city yesterday, expressed
themselves freely about the shooting and Norton.

After the shooting Norton left the city and nothing has
been learned of his whereabouts.  He is now a fugitive
from justice with a reward of $350 for his capture.
Shortly after the shooting, relatives of Mr. Smith
offered $150 reward for Norton's arrest.  Yesterday it
was learned that John Smith, one of the sons of the Jones
County farmer, would increase this amount by adding
another $100.  With the reward of $100, which Governor
Brown will offer for the state the total reward for the
arrest of Norton will aggregate $350.

Deputy Sheriff Simpson made a statement yesterday about
the shooting telling of the call received over the phone
from Lamar Clay that some negroes had shot at his sons.
Deputy Sheriff Norton and Deputy Sheriff Lavender got in
an auto driven by a chauffeur, and went to the place.  He
said when they got to Lamar Clay's place, Mr. Clay and
one of his small sons got in the auto with them.  They
drove on down the road and after the little boy had
pointed out the negroes who had done the shooting, four
negroes were arrested and handcuffs placed on them.
Norton came to Mr. Simpson and said:  Wait here till I
come back."

"Leaving me and Deputy Lavender in charge of the
prisoners, he jumped in the auto and with the driver went
further down the road.  After Norton had gone about a
quarter of a miles I heard one shot fired, and after a
short interval, heard four more shots fired.  I heard Mr.
Smith scream and knew that some one had been shot.  It
was too dark at this time to be able to tell a white man
from a negro."

Simpson says when Mr. Smith was brought back to where he
and Lavender where, he had to flash his light in his face
to tell whether he was white or black.

Sheriff Robertson yesterday made a statement about the
affair.  He told of the message from Lamar Clay to send
some one to his place.  He said he was in the superior
court room at the time, but came down stairs afterward.
He said he cautioned Norton and told him not to let Lamar
Clay get him into trouble.  He cautioned him particularly
not to go over into Jones County.  He told Norton if the
negroes had shot at the boys to arrest them and bring
them back.

The next he heard from the deputies some one phoned him
at his office the next morning, telling him that Norton
had shot Mr. Smith, a Jones County farmer.  The Sheriff
stated that since the shooting he had not seen Norton,
and knew nothing of his whereabouts.

The warrant against Norton charging him with assault with
intent to murder, will be changed to murder.

Mr. Smith was 57 years old, and leaves a wife, Mrs.
Mollie Edward Smith, four sons, and two sisters, the
latter being Mrs. J.P. King and Mrs. T.J. Christian of
Macon.  Two brother, Messrs Jim and Sparks Smith, also
survive him.  The funeral will be held this afternoon at
3:30 o'clock at the family graveyard in Jones County.
Rev. J.P. Lee will officiate.  The funeral party will
leave the home of his sister, Mrs. J.P. King on Main
Street, this afternoon at 1:30 o'clock.

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