The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1891-08-29
MURDER IN CHESTERTOWN

One Colored Man Slabs Another Fatally,
As sequel to a row over a woman
William Adams. aged tweuty-io years
was sta bbed to the heat Oh the street 10
Chestertowu Saturday uight last, aud
died instantly. A jury of inquest on
Sunday morning elected from witnesses
that the stabbing was done by Tom
Thompson, colored, and was cold
blooded deed One OF the witnesses,
Eliza Chambers, colored, said she and
Thomas Landlord were going down town
together and were overtaken by Tom
Thompson, who asked, did you see a
man go down this way?" Eliza answer.
ed in the affirmative, and Thompson s
reply was, "Well, l am going to stab
him." using some very coarse language
said she ran to see what he was going
to do. The man he was after was Will
liam Adams The witness continued
tom ran up alongside of Adams and
struck him in the left breast with a
knife. l did not hear either of them
say anything, but saw Adams drop and
Thompson run up the street." The
woman companion, Thomas Landlord,
testified that he saw Thompson run past
him after the stabbing. He was still
uttering threats. Fanny Mitchell, COL
ored, testified to having seen Adams in
company with Thompson a short while
before the homicide, and saw them
separate. Thompson going up town and
Adams gong down town. Becky Med
ford, colored, said Adams had been
going to her house. Tom" she said,
"went to the house next to mine and
called for Kate and said, L understand
you have been going with this man, and
l am going to fix him to night" and
then walked on"
Constables Kelley and Jones, who
reached the scene of the tragedy soon
after the stabbing, found the man lying
on his side with a cigar one half smoked
between his fingers while his coat hung
over his left arm. He was about five
feet nine inches in height, and came
from Baltimore, although his parents
live in Salisbury. He had very little
money in his pockets, and hal been
picking peaches during the past two
weeks for Arthur Brown. Hs wasI but
little known here.
DR.. Dodd, who made a post-mortem
examination found that the third and
fourth ribe were cut clean in two, while
the walls Of the heart were pierced. The
victims death was instantaneous.
Tom Thompson, charged with the
homicide, has been living in Chestertown
all his life. He is about twenty.four
years old. six feet two inches tall, spare
build, quick, nervous movement, weighs
one hundred and seventy five pounds,
large boned and muscular, very black,
large eyes, with great deal of white,
large month, thick lips and very large
hams and feet. He quickly made his
escape from Chestertown and kilograms
were sent in all directions to secure his
arrest. So quietly was the stabbing
done that persons sitting outside on
porches fifty feet away did not know OF
1t. The moon was shining brightly and
most of the colored people were away
from the locality where the ARRAY took
place.
The ceroner's jury rendered the YER
dict that William Adams came to his
death from a knife in the hands of
Thomas Thompson.
Sunday morning Thompson went to
Smyrna, Del, where he engaged board
with Thomas Luhurb. lie became
Identified there and fled. A subsequent
search through the neighborhood by the
Smyrna police proved futile.