At the time of going to press, 2:30 Wednesday, the court in session here have succeeded in selecting only seven of the required 12 jurors for the trial of Mrs. Naomi Norris and Lawrence Tritt, who are being tried for the murder of William Norris, husband of the woman on trial.
A special venire of 50 men was ordered Monday by Judge Schenck from Henderson County, 43 of whom were excused for various reasons Tuesday evening; the majority of those being opposed to capital punishment.
Another venire of 50 from Henderson County was ordered Tuesday evening, to appear at 2:30 Wednesday afternoon, at which time the case will be resumed. The hearing of evidence is no expected to begin until Thursday morning.
The seven men already chosen are: J.F. Drake, D.E. Jones, J.L. Case, T.D. McCall, L.S. Justice, E.F. Mintz, and R.M. Jackson.
The grand jury returned a true bill against Tritt and Mrs. Norris shortly before noon, Monday after examining one State’s witness, the procedure taking less than 10 minutes. At the beginning of the hearing Tuesday afternoon, both Mrs. Norris and Tritt plead not guilty to the charge of murder in the first degree as charged by the prosecution.
An attempt to prove a joint conspiracy on the part of Tritt and Mrs. Norris will be made by Solicitor J. Will Pless and R.R. Fisher, prosecuting attorneys. The defense plea is not known, but it is expected that an insanity plea will be made for Tritt, and an effort to clear Mrs. Norris on the grounds of non-participant, by W.E. Breese and Coleman Galloway, attorneys for the defense.
A large number of witnesses are expected to be heard for both the defense and the prosecution, probably extending the trial through Friday and possibly part of Saturday. A record attendance has been noted through the past three days, the court room being packed at all times during the preliminary work of starting the Norris-Tritt trial.
The charge of murder in the first degree against Tritt and Mrs. Norris grew out of the killing of William Norris, which occurred at the Norris home about 2:30 o’clock Sunday morning, December 27.
Tritt is alleged to have confessed to the fatal shooting to Sheriff Sitton immediately following the killing, making it appear that his confession that he shot Norris in self-defense. Saying that Norris had threatened his life.
Mrs. Norris was arrested a few days later and charged with implicity in the killing. The evidence brought out at the preliminary hearing December 31 implicated her further. It is expected that evidence will be brought out at the trial now in progress, showing threats made by Mrs. Norris against her husband prior to the actual killing.
Among the witnesses to testify against the two prisoners will be the 12-year-old daughter of Mrs. Norris whose testimony will probably be a deciding factor in the case.
At the opening of the trial on Wednesday afternoon Mrs. Norris had lost to some extent the expression of indifference that was so prominent in her bearing when she appeared in the courtroom Tuesday, while Tritt remained stolidly silent-like in his pose, frequently glancing around the crowded room with a calm face.
From the front page of The Brevard News, Thursday, Jan. 28, 1926.
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92074063/1926-01-28/ed-1/seq-1/
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