Local Man Leads Charge To Pardon Hackettstown Man Convicted of 1886 Murder

[Kire]

Hey Everybody-
This is the first news story about this. It's a local paper. A weekly.

Independence Township man leads charge to have Hackettstown man convicted of Tillie Smith murder pardoned -- nearly 150 years later
By Warren Reporter
December 06, 2009, 4:04PM

An image of James Titus,
who was convicted of the 1866 (sic)
murder of Tillie Smith in Hackettstown.

Story Written By Todd Petty

Regardless of whether you believe in ghosts, Hackettstown residents have been aware of the presence of Tillie Smith for well over a century. Murdered in 1866 (sic), Tillie’s name still elicits an impassioned reaction from local residents – it is a part of their dialogue, a part of their folklore, and a part of their history.

However, pieces of the story may still remain unwritten — there remains a specter of doubt regarding the involvement of James Titus, the man who was found guilty and sentenced to prison for seventeen years for Tillie’s murder.

One resident in particular from Independence Township, Erik Anderson, is determined to close the case once and for all. Anderson is working to have Titus pardoned for a crime that he does not believe that Titus ever committed.

“If you look at the case and if you read the trial documents, it’s really obvious that there is a ton of reasonable doubt,” Anderson said.

More: http://www.nj.com/warrenreporter/index.ssf/2009/12/post.html

This was officially my first real interview with a newspaper reporter. I was talking fast, as I am wont to do. I was talking really fast when I did a radio interview last month. Hey, what do you want? I have no experience. Check out the radio interview on the Free James Titus Myspace page. I wish people would add it to their Myspace Player, hopefully getting this thing viral.

There are two errors in this Warren Reporter Article. The year that Tillie Smith was murdered happened in 1886. People from Weird NJ still come to town to scare each other (and us). I call Hackettstown the heart of so-called Weird NJ. If you look at this case, it makes sense why we are inundated with paranormal investigators, especially in October.

The other error is I got my Bachelor's in Sociology from West Chester University (in Pennsylvania), not Westchester Society. I will be more careful when I speak out in the public next time, especially when I relate facts.

Apparently, no one has ever asked for a posthumous pardon for anybody in New Jersey. There is no procedure in place. I left a message for someone in the Legal Department of the Executive Clemency Divison of the New Jersey State Parole Board. I think I'm going to have to write a letter directly to her.

I hope they don't need new legislation just for this. Maybe they do. I don't know. Stay Tuned:

http://freejamestitus.blogspot.com

http://twitter.com/freejamestitus

http://www.myspace.com/freejamestitus

Warm Regards,


Erik B. Anderson
Independence Township, New Jersey
Established 1782