The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1872-08-03
ARsan1 DRR.

aaf ooo's' IL.
. o,unday niht la2 he dwelling o
Mr.. alter ]. Gifith, esident of Ken
cour near He'd of sSafras. was free
and ,rned to he grosnl The famil,
had narrow esape fron tie flames. Mr.
Griff we feared mad liz feet burpe,
sever, and his wife was escued by oct
ting out of a sssond-stoF window. A
celorwoman and chlldrenalso narrowly
escan The rpdt is thatthe house wa.
fred proximit. y the pump, the handle
and skier of Wild had bea removed tc
prevewater fr'u being rocured to ex
tingui the hamss
Mr.riffith anla colored man, named
John aes, whonhe had hired as a farm,
hand, ad a misunderstanding Or quarre,
on saday, andthe colosd man was
dischasd. Suspion naturally pointed
to Jon as the i,endiary, and he and a
step severe arresd in thiscountv neal
the lin,nd taken efore Justice Bell at
Warwi. The oc.rrence Coated great
deal oftc;tement,and the country side
was CARED at Wrwick. everal other
coloreden were aested-nark you the
arrests IRE confinl sutirel! to color-but
all werenally relsed except Jones and
his step,u, who Is not reehed the years
and stat of mamod, ant whose name
we couloot ascerin, andGeorge simp-
son, whseems to a kindof scape-goat,
that posssing thunevitale distinction
of beineccu sed # any crime whose
author h. not bee identified. The bow.
Jones' sts-son apPrs to hive been alarm
| ed into msinga cdessionby the threats
and excitnen of Q crowd. The story
runs that,e satedhat his father-in- law,
| John Jons, cmped him to go with him
on sunda. niat tourn GrifIith's house.
Jones preareta vp of straw and pro-
| ceeded to be com premises, placed the
| straw insie oAhe satherboarding, where
a board hal ben lied off or was loose,
and setting fisto e straw ordered the
boy to wath lille house was fairly in
flames. The By sted that another man
assisted hi, sslfaer, but that George
Simpson, tie riou, was not the guilty
party. Wlet,e; thboy would not reveal
the name If tb trd party or did not
know the rpue aomplice, was not clear,
and we wers lablso get anything con-
elusive on thi oinin regard to his testi-
mony.
Justice Bell mnted Jones and Simp-
son on the % oMr. Griffith, and no
constable bel oithe ground James
L. Merritt wadeted Or requated-we
don't know wch-o take charge of the
prisoners and livethem into thscustody
of the Sheriff. on was handcufed and
his son-in-lawed surely with ;rope or
line, and placon hind seat O dou-
BILE carriage, 4 Sipson was stated in
front beside MMsitt, withot beng tied
or in any wayontd. This is one ac-
count. Anotr vaon is that simpson
was tied and lace with Jones on the
back seat, anthey taken alng as a
witness withc Big tied, seaad with
the driver. apyate Merritt started
with the tire priaers from Warwick
about sundowpn Mday evening. Moth
ing occurred Il theentered the darkest
part Of the rods thigh whichihe road
passes, betpn PIT Bridge and Back
Creek Millbposithe gate that opens
into Mr. Pr b pea,orchard. This was
about 81 dick. he horse vas here
stopped bHm The road sehing the
bride MGtt says fired pisbl at the
man and la MONT the carrige was
surroundeH ba of men, APPARENTLY
ten or a Den, anhimself seized and
dragged oun front In the melethe con-
tinued firshis reiver till it WIS emp
tied, the .ackinparty also ring
Strange nole apps to have ben hurt
by this finade. .erritt held oto the
carriage sFsand hhorse whicbecame
frightenedh ran nth the vehle into
the woods AT lethl finding himself
clear he jtRd inithe carriag' which
was now pty, therissners hang been
dragged of the nd part of tt wagon
or had jued out hen the attsk COM
menced, kould n tell which. Having
regained lseat, Mritt did nowait for
further deopment but put wlp to his
horse and'ove for,lkton withll posi-
BILE speed, irving itown aboutalcpast
ten o'cloc The Sriff was titled of
what had cured, I'd Merritt rired for
the night II satisfii with havg reach
ed safe qters 'aftehis perilol adven-
ture. AlNaminath of the criage in
the morg discoved two but holes
through ttop of tfvehicle, wch were
the only ices of ie previo, nights
rencountr
Sheriff omas ambiguity in White
started ey the me- mornin for the
scene of conflict Arrivi' on the
ground tn alightedrom thecarriage,
and tie # object lat arred Sheriff
Thomas was nero mantrung up
by a repe,und his lck to tllimb of
hickor!t. The rop was ped round
the strand mans bdy anacross his
breast annade fasto the tax of the
tree. In dying struggles tlrope had
cut into flesh, and he bandits which
remained his wrist had c into the
bone.
Deput!hite Immediately seeded to
Chesapes City andsumm;d Squire
Cristieldd a physician, al the news
becomin@blic, lare nunrs of citi-
zens repd to the sene ofe tragedy.
The woowas scould, buo traces of
the othewe PRISONS CO be found,
save onethe legs o Geo Simpsons
pants tooff perhals in scuffie.-
Merritt that not woreas spoken
by the p: who attaeed b
An inqu was heldon th,ody and
verdict iered of oath he manner
above std by partie, unldn. A box
was prod, the holy pla in it and
buried ole spot.
This 81 has earna the;le of the
clark bloody ground. Within a
hundred fifty yards of tree where
Jones wang, Russom wahrdered by
George His and Ben Bolt, 1869.
| T.