The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-01-19
TIE MURDER or A C0NJURER
NOW COLONEL WOMAN FREED HER
SELF FROM a SPELL.
a Crime that was the OGspring Of Gross
superstitton-One OF tho Queer Notions
Prevalent among the Ianorans Negroes.

There has lust closed at Elkton, Cecil
County, Md, q trial which in somo respects is
one Of the most remarkable IN the criminal an
nails OF this State. The caso referred to is that
OF Jane Tillcr. negro woman, who was tried
before Judges Wickes and Stump last week, on
tho charge Of killing an old negro man named
Robinson. at Bunker Hill in the Second Dis
trict of Cecil County in September last From
tho evidence. 1t appears that an cnmity had OK
sted between the deceased and tho woman
Tiller for some tmo owing 10 the belief on tho
part Of the woman that the old man was - con-
juror" and had laid her under " spoil" The
woman had been nm invalid fr some time, and
was subject to commissions. which she ascribed
10 Robinson's malicious spells.
Tho old man himself appears not TO have
been avcrso to being thought conjuror by the
ignorant and supcrstiti0us colOred people in
his neighborhood for we are told that in the
presence Of several persons he pretended 10
practise the arts Of n magician. and openly
boasted that nc could put people under the
ground" &c. Tho testimony adduced on the
trial throws curious light on tho gross super
stition Of the negroes In remote rural neigh
borhooda. A number Of the Witnesses sworc
that they believed in spells. and il seems that
Jane Tior was under tho imp cssion that the
old man Robinson had buried a hottie " To in
lure her. According To the common beliei. M
long as the bottle remained buried the person
would be- vi, and II the bottle werc MT finally
unenrthed tho Vietim would die. At,ug under
this belief and beng told that the only way 20
FREQ herself Of the SPELL II she failed to fnd the
bottle. was to III the coniurer Jane decided To
shoot the old man Robinson. Accordingly she
obtained a pistol. went to store in the neigh
horhood where Robinson was and deliberately
On the trial George Nokcs. colored testified
! saw Robiusun Tor the first time on the day OF
the shooting. VI 4 him near the store ut Bunker
Iii and he accompanicd nc 10 my home. lie
told me he hal Oua been slave IN tins county
and had belonged to the late Gen. t9rinan; aud
that about fty yrnrs ago he WAS sold Tor 81 100
He had been iiviug In Georgia and had come
North to sno some ot Lis children, who he sup
posed waro living in one OF the New England
States. He seemed To he u weak old man While
W. Wee sitting together at thcdnpr Of my house
Mrs. Tilcr came up and asked Robinson about
some bottle shc had boon informed he had said
she buried Tor the purpose OF tnJuring ono OF
her nelehbors, lie told her to bring those who
hntiniormed her to him and he would face them.
She rot angry. and told me to get M out OF the
way. saw that she had pistol in her hand. Mira.
| in he'll in three days. hut can put you in he'll
| in tire" hours. She also called him =. II.
went out OF the door toward her. and | heard
| tue report OF tho pistol Icing inside t!c
house, ! iii not see the shot fred. The old
| Tillrr and told her she ought not to have shot
| him. She replied that She could not help II;
| The OIL man remained nj my house. and died
| about o'clock the next morning.
| The witness further testified That Robinson
| had magnet with wi irh lc raised buried treas
urcs that he also had number ot roots. a May
| apple. and couiuring bug. Robinson told wit.
| ness tia, h. WIS a Doctor Witness believed
! that IL one buried bottles containing poison,
| and persons to whom one wished evil walked
! over them. they would be poisoned. He believed
II TO Zoe in the power Of ono person to put spells
Annie Howard. colored. testified; Mrs. Tincr
| AMI We're in the store ut Buna"r Hi ut the
! time the old man WIS there. Sleh-kvd mo who
! he was. She had previously told Ice that an old
| man had passed through the place three w"rks
/ before uii circulated tales ttout her told her
| il was the same man. Sho then asked him about
the reports. and he said, Go awny from me;
| want no fuss with any OF YOU Ms Ttler said
| to me rs she len the store and Passed my house.
! " My God am mad am going down and get
| my pistol and shoot the old man. She camc
back with the pistol and sat lwn ut my steps
| AMI talked about shooting hun. Saying she
Wished she Ia seyen-shoCter;. she would
| I'LL him 80 full Of balls that DIR. Wright would
never ind the place where the first one entered
| him ont. II Ls didn' I come ont soon She com
| planned bitterly of hi- traducing her character.
| Getting string from IN sic measured the old
mans tracks. 80 that size inight b. able To- trace
saving tsho; all r,gLt. When NoScs and Robin
| son 'amc out Of TIE store and started 10 tho
| formers house. size wont down the hill ahead
l ot them. At'crWnrl STE came back and told me
| dLin XIII him sic hnd another for him;
| When she came t. my house, sho said: - IL
| dou shoot that Old man to-day. So help ms
ODD. Sic take great dt9l To h.ts'li; Atrr
I tho old man tud boon shot heard the children
hal.oing aud laughing. PM saylng: lie .
! sutti he's shut!' When Mrs. Jiiirr came btck
a. uIy h0u-" she WIS laughing. and told me that
81" hal shot the Old man. He walked fee6ly and
John Howard lcolored) corroborAtcd tho tes-
/ tmonv 81 the former witness this Witc) to some
extent. Heard Mrs. Till"r say NJ She left tho
Will mark him" Saw Mrs. Tillcr nj hcr house
before the shooting aud she Appeared H. be
the roots. hngs, & .. in the old mans pocket
believe IN conJuring. Heard persons say the
For the defence a colorod woman named
Evans testified that she had heard Robinson say
DAYS. Was At Mrs. TtIlcr's hous" on one occa.
sion when she was sick. She talked 10 herself
aud tore the coverings Of her bed. | wiz, afraid
ot her. This was about two weeks before the
shooting.
Dr. Crawford testified: I have known Jane
Tll"r for several years. Knew her To- he fond
OF talking ahout supcrsutious practices Sho
often spoke 81 trieking or conlurng' ana has
told me- sne had once been cOnJurcd. Have
known the Tillers 10 buy almost yalueless bags
aud nay large sums Tor them suppose they
u7rd thrm supcrSutlously. saw Jane IN lail after
asked me il 1t wasn't better for her 10 do what
she did than 10 he sent lo torment Have r.
garded her rs person having firm iaith In
! conluring. Jane has related 10 me how she WAS
Spelled 10y wearing another womau's bonnet
Would say she was monomaniac ON the sub
Oihcr wl'nosses testified to tho strange be-
havior and the supersuuons OF ths prisoner.
JDhn cooling, laAef~l nav" hurn led the Wo,
man since she has been IN jail; she has had
spells; have seen her frothing ut the mouth
81" mas hAd dozen such spells IN one dhy
DIR. II. II. Mitchell Attended Mrs. Tiller in the
jail; saw her soon after she had been placed IA
| lail: she hnd "A CONFUSION and WIS suffering
from Intermittent fever; presume she had a
CONFUSION every tin" she had u chill.
Sheriff Boudei-Mhen Mrs. Tiller was
brought TO Jail she seemed to think "A spell had
been put on her. and would not take the medi-
cine pres eribcd Tor her because she thought II
would do her no good; have seen hcr frothing
az the mouth. and SUPPOSED she had Hts those
spells would last Tor sone time.
Louis Tller. colored, husband Of the prls-
oner. testified; ! have five children was MOI
al home when the shooting took place. Ny
wife Tor the past eleven years has been sick al
times; have often expected that She would die
During the past year she has frequently beer
sick; never knew her 10 have a III until | saw
her have one at the Jail Sha always tr"ate,
me kindly: always received mo Hftectionatch
when would return from my work. Previous
10 the shooting. however. she changed in thu
regard. At night sh" would speak ia her slerI
of persons being after her. 1n"Nrr &C uld til
what caused thrtrouhla. She often complained
; also Of her head being wrong, and said sh'
thought she WAS going crazy She believed II
spells, and had thought spells were pat ON her
lh'cvc in spells too. have been cured by
. them myself, | and u fortune teller cured ml
wife ON one occasion.
This evidence closed the casa While counse
for the defence was addressing the jury. thu
prisoner was seiz'd with spasm in court. nm,
| IL WIS some time before she WAS restored. Ih
taffa b.. al. lttta lt ptttl