Mrs. Alma Petty Gatlin went to the Rev. Thomas F. Pardue, in Reidsville, N. C., to confess her sins. She told him that she had killed her father and was sorry. The Rev. Thomas F. Pardue accepted her confession and told the police. Mrs. Petty was tried for murdering her father; despite Thomas Pardue's testimony, which was admitted, the jury found Mrs. Petty not guilty. That was two weeks ago (TIME, March 5).
It has always been taken for granted by most people that the things they tell their confessors are twice-sealed secrets. Southern newspapers commented on the actions of the Rev....
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