On August 2, 1891, 10-year-old Florence Sutton was home with her mother in Lake Creek Township, Carolina. His mother would send Florence to a neighbor to get a gallon of cider. James Johnson would visit their home.
Florence would come across John on the road and he would attack her. He would sexually assault the girl and strangled her to death. She would be reported missing that night. A search would be done for Florence and James, knowing they wouldn't find her, joined the search.
James was suspected (I couldn't find a reason why) so he was being carefully watched. He would quickly bury Florence in the woods. He would place the young girl face down in her grave. He buried her in such a shallow grave her foot stuck out.
On August 4th John would flee. He would be soon caught in Parkersburg about 10 miles from where Florence was murdered. A Mr. Parker saw John pass his place. He recognized him as being a wanted man and pursued and caught him. John would first deny that it was him and then he would confess that it was and allegedly confessed to the crime and indicated that Florence's father Albert and another man Lawson Bryant was involved.
There were talks of lynching him in Parkersburg, but it did not happen. He would be handed over to Balden and placed under a strong guard. It was found and believed that Albert and Lawson were not involved in the murder, so John was the only one put to trial.
James would plea guilty and was sentenced to death. He would be executed on December 11, 1891, in Elizabethtown.
SOURCES:
Legal Executions in North Carolina and South Carolina pg 38
Wilmington Morning Star August 4, 1891
The Wilmington Morning Star August 5, 1891
Fayetteville Weekly Observer August 6, 1891
The Ashville Weekly Citizen August 13, 1891
Greensboro North State August 13, 1891
The Weekly Star August 14, 1891
The Roxboro Courier November 12, 1891
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