In the late summer of 1908, the quiet town of Clinton, Mississippi, was rocked by a brazen crime that would expose a breach of public trust and end in tragedy. Postal Inspector Charles Fitzgerald arrived in Clinton to conduct a routine audit of the local post office's accounts. During his inspection, he uncovered a significant shortfall of $476, a considerable sum at the time.
His investigation pointed to the deputy postmaster, William Sorsby, as the individual responsible for the missing funds.
Sorsby, a man from a well-regarded local family, was desperate to avoid the consequences of his actions. He repeatedly implored Fitzgerald to conceal the embezzlement, promising to repay the full amount. However, Fitzgerald, a man dedicated to his duty, refused to be swayed. He was determined to report the financial discrepancy to his superiors, upholding the integrity of the postal service.
The morning of September 23, 1908, marked a fateful encounter between the two men. As Fitzgerald prepared to board a train back to Jackson to file his report, Sorsby made one last, desperate plea at the railroad station. When it became clear that the inspector would not yield, Sorsby, in a shocking act of violence, drew a weapon and shot Fitzgerald as he was boarding the train. The wounded inspector was rushed to a sanitorium in Jackson, but his injuries proved to be fatal, and he succumbed to them three hours later.
The swift hand of justice fell upon William Sorsby. He was promptly arrested, and the legal proceedings that followed resulted in a conviction for the murder of Charles Fitzgerald. The court sentenced him to life in prison for his crime. However, Sorsby's story did not end there. In a turn of events that added another layer to the already sensational case, he managed to escape from the notorious Parchman Penitentiary on January 3, 1919. He remained a fugitive for 17 months before being apprehended in Wichita, Kansas. In a final, unexpected twist, despite his conviction and escape, William Sorsby was granted a pardon by Governor Henry L. Whitfield in September 1925.
