The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-03-03
A TRAGEDY IN HARTWELL, GA,
Henry Hill, q Negro Prisoner, Kills Il. y.
SHELTON. the Jnilor. and Escapes Jail.
Frvm the Hart,reU {Ga.) Sun.

On the night OF the 23d ultimo, JUS
| after sunset, Mr.. Thomas v. Skelton, til,
jailor of Hart County, vent into the jai
to feed and water Henry Hill, alias Hou
ry Turner, colored, who was the onIy
occupant and who has been confined
therein for some months under charge
of burglary, preferred against him h,
the Grand Jury ut the last term of Har
Superior Court. Mr.. Shelton had ler
his store just about sunset, remarking tc
Mr.. j. L. Snipes, his copartner. that ht
was going to attend to the prisoner and
go home early, as his wife was In grea!
distress, having just heard or the death
Of her brother, Mr.. n. X. Sullivan, oI
Anderson. s. C. Mr.. Snipes thought
nothing strange of his not returning tc
the store, and Mira. Shelton, supposinp
that her husband was Mt the store. suf.
fered no great uneasiness. About eight
o'clock at night Mr.. Snipes needed kew
which Mr.. SHELTON had, and sent n note
up to Mr.. Skeletons requesting him to
send tho key, when 1t was ascertaineti
that Mr.. Shelton was not It home. This
caused considerable uneasiness, and after
search had been made at the various
stores In town. Mr.. Dobbins, the clork Of
Mr.. Shelton, and others, went to the juil
and found the outor door open. They
entered and ascended the stairway to the
Inner door which opens into the hall
fronting the cells. They found that open,
and just inside the hall door lay tho dead
body of poor Tom Shelton, his head hor-
ribly and cruelty mangled, and Henry
gone. Next morning Mr.. Allan McGee,
the Coroner, summoned an inquest, and
after hearing the evidence the jury rem
dered verdict, that Thomas W Shelton
was murdered by Henry Hill, alias Hem
ry Turner, and recommended that the
Governor offer reward of five hundred
dollars for his apprehension. The man-
nor in which the prisoner succeeded in
accomplishing his iellish scheme seems
to hat @ been as follows: During last fall
he attempted TO make his escape by burn
ing the Jail, but was detected before he
succeeded. After this he was put I'm an
other cell and chained until short time
hgo, he got to limping and complaining
SO much that MIR. Shelton, through his
Kindness of heart, removed tho chains
from ills limbs, but still kept him cum
fined in the cell. Tho chain vas left In
the cell fastened to the floor, which Hen.
ry succeeded in breaking off, the portion
OF the chain link where it was broken
being left us sharp as Il DULL pocket knife
There Is shall wicket or trap. door i'm
the cell largo enough for All ordinary man
to squeeze through, which Is used for
passing food, water, &c, into the cell
without opening the door (both the
wicket and cell door are made OF large
iron bars). The wicket is fastened Iy a
strong lock to large bolt staple driven
ten inches into the huge side timbers Of
the door. With tho piece of Chain he
went to work, and by degrees tetliousIy
cut out the wood across she inner franiinj.
of the cell door SO that he could drive out
the large staple, lock and ull, that con-
gressed he would fill the trench with
cotton and carefully smooth it over with
the li;ne that hud been put in his cell for
dlslniectinY purposes SO there would be
no danger OF being detected, hiding his
work from the outside OF the cell. Hav-
ing cut around the staple sufficiently, he
pushed il out and that enabled him to
crawl out OF the cell into tile hallway In
front OF the cells through the trap door.
He was then in position 70 plan fully his
purpose. He armed himself with pieces
or plank torn from his bunk, and from
likely that he took his position in the
corner of the hall between the door enter
ing the hall and the door OF the cell. the
one he occupied being the first one ON the
right as you enter, and quietly awaited
the approach of his victim. Mir. Shelton
bucket Of water i'll his hand, entered to
approach the cell door, and doubtless az
he took his nrst step into the hall re-
ceived the merciless blow OF the concealed
assass!n, whc. :!:-.:.t!:ng .iiiii with his
LEFT hand. dealt the blows with his right.
There were marks OIL the murdered mans
neck as If he had been chnked, and ten
distinct sashes ON his head, whicl, was
crushed most fearfully, and indications
showed that while MIR. Shelton was par
TALLY stunned by the first blow, he had
not met his death without q desperate
struggle, put lie could not cope with the
iniuriuteu negro, who has immense
strength. And there tho poor man lay In
death with his face resting in Il large i,ool
OF clotted gore. The staple that had beer
forced out to enable s,ie prisoner to open
the trap. had been carefully pushed
oacK ana no sort OF caution or prudence
coulu nave enabled MIR. SIX elton to detect
the terrible preparations OF the assassin
IL he had taken the prccautp,n to huve
peeped through the bars or the hall door
he would have seen the cell door fastened
Just as it usually was, and the form OF
the crouching murderer in the crrner
could not possibly be observed from the
outside OF the hall door. And thus with
out any means OF suspicion the poor
murdered man went right into the viii
lain's horrible clutches and violently
perished by his murderous hunds.
THE MURDERER,
Henry Hill, alias Henry Turner Is no.
t0Tiously desperate character. For the
last few years he has been addicted to
1I,l lt,.tv n,,l 1910
confined In the Hartwell jail under u
charge of larceny, and, In company with
Dan Burriss. succeeded fn escaping there
from. AT the last September term of
Hart Superior Cnurt the Grand Jury
found atrue bill against him for burglary,
ana under that Charge he has been con-
fined In Jail since. ~ short time after
said term. during the early part of last
November. he again attempted to escape
Jail by burning out, but was detected.
he Is about six feet two or three inches
high, dark. ginger-cako color, peck
marked, about IS years old, quick
spoken, walks erect, has double thumbs,
anu Is rather raw-buned. The citizens oi
tho town and community are terribly
shocked at the murder.
THE VICTIM,
Mr.. Thomas v. Shelton, the unsuspecting
jnilor who was mnHgled TO death 6y this
desperate sc0undrel, was ono of our best
citizens. he was noble, generous. up
right. Caristina gentleman, and faithful
ly discharged his duties In all the posi-
tinns OF life. =. He was 20 years Of age.
HIS death is II great loss tn our comniu-
nisy. lie .=as married t..!ce, an.! 5y HE
hrot wife leaves q little girl about 10 year,
oi age. Ahout three years ago lie mar
ried Miss Saitlee Sullivan, an estimable
lady and devoted wife, to whom the blow
IL rendered still more overwhelming, be-
cause she had lust received ne,ya Of the
death of O brother, which occurred dav