The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-12-06

1t is til. opinion of persons with whom we
have conrersed that Clinton Waters was the
perpetrator of the diGholical act, but there
was not sufficient evidence to cause his ar
rest.
HIS DARK AND DESPERATE DEEDS.
Having descended from this kind Of stock
it is no wonder that Msdiord inherited Il bad
disposition. Frequently, during his hoy
hood and youth, lie gave evidence OF that
obtuseness of intellect and inherent devil
shness that finally brought him To the gal
lows. | pom one occasion, when he was
quite small, he quarrclel with q white boy
who lived with the ecntlcman who en-
ploysd him, and inflicted some ugly wounds
| upon his back with a pocket knife; or, rs the
medical man, who related the occurrence
to US, said, Nearly cut out his backbone.
He once, it is said, killed 4 mule belonging
TO gentleman III Sassafras Neck, for whom
he worked, by stabbing it with hay fork.
| The occurrence was witnessed by the Ecn-
tleman's little son, whom Msdford bribsCi
to secrecy, by giving him a few pennies,
which he happened to have in his posses
sion. Upon another occasion he stood hay
! fork, rrongs uppermost, III q funnel i'll 4
! gentlenan's barn, with the expectation hat
| \ fellow workman, whose business it was 10
throw hay down the funnel and who wa;
in the habit of jumping down upon it, would
alisht upon the dangerous implement and
! he killed. This diabolical and corardiy at
! tempt, it is said, was very nearly being sue
! cessfu. Many other stories of similar at
| tempts and adventures have been told by
| persons in Sassafras Neck. who were taml-
lar with the early life of this desperate young
man, whose character was So had. and whose
disposition wasso quarrslSomr, that he seems
to have inspired many OF those who knew
/ him best with so much dread that they SCI
! dom int-rIered with him. This was not the
case with the overserr of Mr. John Lock-
: wood, who, we have been informed, gave
! him
| \ SOUND THRASIfINt;
:. few months before the murder Of Whaley,
which inspired Mediord with so much re-
| sprct for him, that he could not be induced
! " Win WI. i-t' c't .tllcl 'Nti
seer left his employ. His mother, who has
/ long been member of the coored Method
ist Church, seems always to have manifested
much interest in his welfare, and has long
sought to effect q reformation in his cIlarsc-
ter.
A short time before the murder of Whalny
occurred, Mcdford was nIiTcl up in row
between some colored people near Cecilton,
in which one of them was wounded by Il
pistol shot. pom this occasion he was,
with difficulty, restrained from shooting one
of the other colored men, though he had
Joined the cuiorrd Mcthotlist Church only 4
few weeks before. His mother being in
formed of this row, and meeting with him
a few nights afterwards, hesought him with
all the energy and pathoS she could COM
maud to restrain his bad passions and lead
hcttcr life; but her entreaties were Of 80
avail, and the murder Of the inottensivr
Whaley occurred the very next morning
after this interview. Jenkins Whaley, who
was much older than Waters, and cams to
Sassafras Neck from krmt comfy, Dcla-
ware, is said to have been an unusually
quiet and wcli-dsposrd man. He and Wat
ers wers friends and cronies, and he pro-
cured the job OF corn husking for Waters
from Mr.. Enoch Ricard a few days before
the murder occurred The facts, in refer
ence to the murder, are briefly rs follows:
THE KILLING OF JENKINS WHALEY
Waters, Whaley, and four others, were
husking corn in the same row Of shocks in
Mr. Hicsrd's feld-that gentleman being
present, huskins and experimenting the
work,-when Waters and an old coored
man quarreled; Waters alleging that tic
old man, who had finished his shock before
Waters had finished his, when he advanced
along the row Of shocks, had taken the one
which rightfully belonged TO him. Some
how, Whaley became involved III the quar-
rel; and Waters, As usual, gave way 10 his
dcvilish temper, and, after war of words
and some showing and pushing had taken
place between them, Waters started 10 the
hedge, which surrounded the field, and
jerked stake out of it. evidently for the
purpose of armiag himself with it and re-
newing the ARRAY; but upon Strikn. the
ground with one end of it, the stake broke
in pieces. Fooled in this effort to procure a
club, he bethought himself of a more cffcc-
tive weapon, and started at once for the
house of Sarah Wilson. where he boarded,
which was about three-quarterS of mile
from the corn field, to get his pistol. He
was in a great rage when he reached! he
house, and asseveratcd, in :! very perelnp-
tory manner, that he would shoot Whaley
Mrs. Wilson tried hard Ia prevent him from
returning, and, in order to do So, finally
closed the door; but her efforts were Ena-
railin., and he h;lstensd back tG tie corn
field armed with the pistol and haYn. a
stone in each hand, which he threw al
Whaley, who, tiereupon, raised mp and ad-
vanced u few steps towards his assailant
who fired two shots at him from his re-
volver, the last one of which penetrated his
heart and caused his death almost immed-
ately afterwards.
FLIGHT AND ARREST.
Waters manifested some anxiety for his
safety after the death of Whaley, and soon
afief ven. tG Queen ttnne's county. where
he obtained empioynsns. lis was ,-4I,aw 81
by two or three Of the residents of Sassafras
Neck, who were actuat"d by a desire to
bring him to justice. They overlook him
while driving along the road, in company
with his employer. Waters immcdiataiy
recognized ti!e.... s...u .-a1:As 'rs EtEo,i.
jumped over a fence by loo roadside, i'll or
der to make his escape, when those who
were after him tired two loads of shot at
him, which wounded him severely, but not
dangerously, and he succeeded in reaching
4 woods and Guiding his pursuers. On the
second light after this happened, which was
about the s,th OF Aoy emfer; 1873, he s2ugHl
shelter in the barn of his employer, ann.
being found there the next morning, was
locked up in an outbuilding for II time, and
subsequently taken into the custody of the
Sheriff of Queen Anne's county, who con-
fined him in the Jail At Ccntreville. Shortly
after his incarceration there, he was brought
to Elkton by Sheriff Boulder, ard was in
dicted fer murder in the FIST dcgre- 1T tie