Evening journal., 1892-10-27
THEY KILLEDHILL.
Eight Negroes Must Hang
At ChestertOwn.
BRADSHAWs GRAPHIC TALE
He Recites How the Negroes
Foully Took Human Life.

No witnesses for the Defense Put Upon
the Stand As the Attorneys Satisfied
Themselves Upon Clearing John Potts.
Reading of Confessions of Prisoners
which Give All the circumstances Of
the Killing-The Careful Decision of a
Full Bench-Each is and All Are Guilty
of Murder in the First Degree and
Must Suffer Death on the Scafrold.
Awful Recital of the Man who Turned
States Evidence.
Special Despatch TO the Evening Journal.
CHEsTERTowN, Md, Oct. 27.-Before
an assemblage of spectators that com
pletely filled the Kent county Court
House today, full bench submitted the
following decision in the case of nine
negroes charged with the foul murder
of Dr. James Heighe Hill, near Milling
ton, on the night Of April 23:
The Judges Sentence.
THE court has carefully examined and
fully weighed all the evidence in the
case of the murder of DR.. James Heighe e
Hill and our verdict is that Joshua Balm
ard, Lewis Benson, Henry HURT, Moses
Brown, Frisby Comegys, Charles Brown,
Fletcher Williams and Charles Emory is
and are each and all guilty Of murder in
the first degree In the language of
the court each is and all are guilty of
murder in the first degree, and John
Potts is not guilty"
"There is no evidence shown where in
John Potts entered into a conspiracy or
took part in the murder therefore the
verdict in his case is not guilty"
The Murdered Man.
DR.. James Heighe Hill was a son Of
Samuel f. HILL who came to Kent
county from Odessa, Del, in 1857. with
his wife, who was Miss Hester Showaker,
of Philadelphia. Mr.. Hill bought the
Polk farm, near Locust Grove, and il
was there DR.. Hill was born and raised.
The doctor was named after DIR. James
Heighe. who, in his time, was one of the
most prominent physicians in the
upper part of Kent county
Young Hill was educated at the
public school at Locust Grove
and while still a schoolboy spent his
spare moments in the drug store of his
brother in.law, George M. Beatsen. He
concluded to study medicine and entered
the University of Pennsylvania at Phila
delphia. He graduated in 1885 at tn,
age Of twenty.three and practiced for &
while near his home. at head of Sassa
fras. 1t was there he met his wife
After year at this place DR.. Hill bought
Evans drug store at Millington, which
he conducted in connection with his
practice as physician. He had lived al
Millington about two years and a hal
before he got married. Dr. Hill was iv,
feet, six inches tall and weighed about
140 pounds He was a handsome
man, with dark hair and eyes
and wore slight mustach'
and close-cut English side whiskers. HI
would have been thirty years of age oI
the Goth of last May.
The trial came to a sudden end yester
day afternoon. The council for the pro
secution concluded for the State an,
submitted the case without argument
Messrs. James Alfred Pearce and Marioi
DeK. Smith, counsel for the defense
stated that they would not put any wit
nesses on the stand. They rested thei
case on the facts elected by the cross
examination OF the States witnesses an,
the statement Of states Attorney WI
liam NJ. Slav under oath that within tn
past two weeks the five boys, Joshu
Brainard, Louis Benson, Henry HURT
Frisby Comegys and Charles Emory, VIII
were indicted on the charge of havin
committed the murder had denied state
ments and confessions made previously
and also that the State had failed {
bring out sufficient testimony to impl
cate John Potts Mr.. Smith stated tha
otherwise he would have put the prison
ers on the stand to testify. The Stat
had intended to conduct the prosecutio
without having confessions read, but &
the suggestion of the court and by agre
ment of counsel for the defense it wa
decided to submit confessions
place Of examining over forty witnesse
Trying to ImpIicate Potts.
The states officers tried to show til
connection Of Potts with the murder
the testimony of witnesses who said tn,
saw him in Millington the night DR.. Hi
was killed, and that they saw him lool
ing in the window of Justice Johnson
Office with other colored men when d
Hill was attending the Cleveland meetin
The prosecution intended to back L
this testimony with other evidence Thu
Potts was in plot, conceived by himse
and others to Kill DIR. Hill in revenge f
the death of Thomas Campbell, colorel
who met hisd cath in a row in MillingtC
last Christmas Eve. DR., Hill made Il
post -mortem examination Of Campbt
and gave Certificate that Campbell
death may have been due to heart diseas
The testimony, however, was not su
ficiently strong and the states office
abandoned the project.
Confessions Brought in as Evidence
The testimony brought out by Il
state on the last day of the trial W
mostly in the nature of confessions. O
tanned in writing by Harrison '
Vic. ers, Of counsel for the prosecutio
and Detective James Nevins, of Phi
delphia. from Brown, Brainard, Comeg
Emory. Huritt and Benson while in j
here and in Baltimore shortly after I
murder was committed. The confessio
charge Brooks and Williams directly wi
having done the killing, and state th
others Of the indicted colored men we
present, but that Potts was not on t
Tko al, faocfnnc afafa fhot Tor,