Open Letter to Governor Corzine - 12/31/09

December 31, 2009

Erik B. Anderson
Hackettstown, NJ 07840

http://freejamestitus.blogspot.com

The Honorable Jon S. Corzine
Office of the Governor
PO Box 001
Trenton, NJ 08625

RE: Pardon Needed

Dear Governor Corzine:

I previously wrote to you on November 7, 2009 asking (demanding) a pardon for James Titus, who served more than seventeen years in New Jersey State Prison for the Hackettstown murder of Tillie Smith, which occurred in 1886. Not long after that, I received an application for executive clemency from the New Jersey State Parole Board. Unfortunately, the cover letter states: "In order to be eligible for Executive Clemency, an applicant must have been convicted of a criminal offense in New Jersey..." (emphasis added). This is unfortunate because James Titus died in 1952 at the age of 95 years old.

I called Carinne Rivers immediately. I left a message for her. She called me back very quickly, in my opinion. She was most helpful. She stated that no one has ever applied for a posthumous pardon in New Jersey before. I asked her to inquire about how to become the first person to obtain a posthumous pardon for someone in New Jersey.

Ms. Rivers called me back a few days later. She said I would need to speak to Lisa Puglisi, director of the Legal Unit. I immediately left a message for Ms. Puglisi. After about two weeks, I wrote a letter to her explaining the situation. I spoke to her on the phone yesterday. She said she spoke to someone on the "Governor's Council". She may have been referring to the Governor's Counsel, I am really not sure.

Now you are aware of the progress of the situation so far. I want a chance to apply for a pardon for this man. The whole thing was a case of mass hysteria. It was an outrageous rape and murder. It happened during the Victorian era. The prosecutor ran out of leads. Titus was a likely suspect, but his conviction was based on circumstantial evidence. His confession, most believe, was made later in order to avoid the death penalty. There is a ton of reasonable doubt, Governor Corzine.

Ms. Puglisi sounded like your Governor's Council (or Counsel) just told her, as a matter of fact, that, that in order to get a pardon, a convicted person has to apply for it himself and that's the way it goes. She is not in a position to change anything but you are. Surely, poor Janitor Titus cannot meet that requirement. In fact, his last remaining granddaughter died in 1997. I would like to apply for the pardon on his behalf. I am asking you to make a way to do that.

It is possible. It can be done. It has been done in other states. Lenny Bruce got a posthumous pardon in 2003. Other less famous cases are rare, but they do exist. Making it possible to apply for a posthumous pardon would not only benefit Janitor Titus. I believe it would benefit family members of deceased convicts and others in New Jersey interested in correcting mistakes made by the courts that deceased victims cannot fix themselves.

I am not asking that the standards required to obtain a posthumous pardon be any less rigorous than pardons for living persons. I am only asking that it be possible to submit evidence of injustice to your office when it really exists.

Thank you for your time.

God bless you in your future endeavors and have a happy new year.

Sincerely,



Erik B. Anderson
Independence Township, New Jersey
Established 1782

CC: State Senator Michael Doherty
Todd Petty, The Warren Reporter

Open Letter To Legal Unit Director, NJ State Parole Board

December 19, 2009

Erik B. Anderson

Hackettstown, NJ 07840

Lisa Puglisi, Director
Legal Unit
New Jersey State Parole Board
P.O. Box 862
Trenton, NJ 08625

RE: Posthumous Pardon

Dear Ms. Puglisi:

I spoke to Ms. Carinne Rivers at length about my wish to apply for a pardon not for myself, but for James Titus, who was convicted of the murder of Tillie Smith here in Hackettstown in 1887. Mr. Titus died in 1952, but the Tillie Smith story remains a "legend" in Hackettstown. I am a historian and a sociologist. I am working on my own book about this case, and I just feel that it is time to pardon this man. It is the only right thing to do.

James Titus was found guilty because of the public pressure on the people of Warren County because of the extreme nature of the crime. Tillie was also raped, and in Victorian times, the entire community was gripped by a kind of mass hysteria that young Janitor Titus, a man whose father committed suicide when he was fifteen and  might be considered "mentally ill" today, was powerless to defend himself against.

Anyway, there is much more to the story. I hope to write my own book about it someday. In the meantime, Ms. Rivers told me that no one has ever applied for a posthumous pardon in the State of New Jersey before. It appears that there is no formal way to do it, and she referred me to you.

Do you think that the New Jersey State Parole Board can create a method to apply for a posthumous pardon on its' own, or do you think a legislative solution from the Assembly and/or Senate would be needed? I am willing to do what it takes to ensure that it is at least possible to apply for a posthumous pardon. James Titus' last remaining family member, a grand-daughter, died in 1997, but I am sure that it is conceivable that someday someone else will want to apply for a posthumous pardon for their own family member or friend in New Jersey. Obviously, there is a need for a method to apply for a posthumous pardon in teh Executive Clemency Unit of the New Jersey State Parole Board.

I left one message on your telephone after Ms. Rivers told me she talked to you about it. That was about two weeks ago. I will call again. I do not wish to be a burden on your organization. I hope you can see how developing a method to apply for a posthumous pardon would be beneficial to the citizens of New Jersey now and on into the future.

Have a pleasant holiday season.

Warm Regards,


Erik B. Anderson

Warren Reporter Story - Free James Titus! - UPDATED

An image of James Titus,

who was convicted of the 1866(sic)

murder of Tillie Smith in Hackettstown.

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

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...


UPDATE!

This article was on NJ.com on December 6, 2009. I just discovered that it was printed on the front page of the Print Edition of the Warren Reporter (under the fold) on January 1, 2010! The title of the piece was shortened, the date of the crime was corrected and one or two other typoes were fixed.

I found this in the Hackettstown Historical Society already:

click on it for a better view

Not a bad way to start the new year!

We Received an Executive Clemency Application

At first I thought it was a mistake. I have never been convicted of a crime, so I can't apply for Executive Clemency. The second page advised me "IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY" to notify them of any address changes. It was scary to read that.

It was only after I was waiting on hold to speak to Ms. Rivers did I realize that the reason this was sent to me was probably because I wrote to the Governor about James Titus.

Click on Picture to see Larger Image

Unfortunately, Mr. Titus is not able to fill this application out himself. But, it is really great to have been heard, and to know that there is a formal procedure to get James Titus Pardoned for the heinous murder he did not commit 123 years ago.

I will keep this blog updated with my progress. Please do not forget to call the Governor before he finishes his term on January 19, 2010. That's more than a month, and it sounds like a lot of time, but as most of you probably know, it goes fast. Now is the time to Free James Titus!

Warm Regards,

Erik B. Anderson
Independence Township, New Jersey
Established 1782