Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-10-26
WHO MURDERED DIR. HILL.
Trial Of Those Suspected Begun ut Ches
town, Md.

When the court at Chestertown, Nd, was
called to order yesterday for the trial Of the
negroes charged with the murder Of DR.. Hill
on April % the room crowded. After call
ing the ENTHUSIASTICALLY seventy in all-the
court directed Sheriff Plummer to bring in the
prisoners charged with the murder Of DR..
James H. Hill, warning the sheriff to uso every
precaution and have sufficient guards to pro-
tect the prisoners and save all trouble that
might arise. The prisoners were promptly
brought in. No difficulty was experienced in
bringing the murderers from the Jail into the
court room, and everybody showed q DISPOSE
ton to avoid all troutle, and that the prisoners
should have q fair and speedy trial As soon as
they were seated DR.. Samuel G. Fisher. clerk,
read the indictment against Joshua Baynard,
Louis j. Benson, Henry HURT, Moses Brown,
Frisby Comegys, Charles Brooks, Fletcher
Williams. Charles 8. Emory and John Bolts.
To the query as to whether they were guilty
or not, they all replied mot guilty." and elected
! to be tried by the court.
States Attorney William NJ. Stay stated to the
court that owing to the weak and feeble con-
dition Of Mrs. DIR. Hill he had a paper written
by her, setting forth all that she knew about
the matter, and as the defense bad consented
that the paper should be read instead of calling
Mrs. Hill into court, he asked permission that
1t be read, which was granted.
MRS. HILLS STATEMENT.
Mrs. Hill stated that the doctor left home
about 10 o'clock on Saturday night. She first
heard the noise of the dog cart returning about
3oclock in the morning, and he did not
come into the house. she donned q wrapper
and started in search of him, and found him in
the bottom Of the cart. Sine was unable to get
him out and called for assistance from
neighbors
| The first witness called was John P. Ahern
the telegraph and railroad agent at Wilmington,
and the next door neighbor of DR.. Hills He
was aroused about $50 o'clock on Sunday
morning by Mrs. Hill calling to him from her
yard that the doctor was lying unconscious in
his dog cart, and to come and get him out;
| found the doctor, as stated. in the bottom of
the dog cart, with his head between the shaft
and the iron support. He was still breathing,
and his tongue was hanging out, but the doc
tors body was quite stiff 1t required con-
siderable effort to get him out, and he and
| Squire johnson had to send for another person
to assist. DIR. Hill lived until 1926 o'clock the
following day. His right foot, which was
| beating against the wheel was very much LAGER
| atcd and the shoe and stocking had been torn
| off,
Squire VIM. NJ. Johnson stated he assisted in
taking DR.. Hill from the dog cart and that Mrs.
Hill stated she believed he had been murdered.
After taking DR.. Hill into the house he started
| to trace the murder up went in the direction Of
| Massey's and found tracks OF the doctor horse
and the heel of the doctors shoe. The shoe and
heel found on the road were shown and denti-
fed by MIR. Johnson. The sleeve button and
cuff OF the doctor were also shown, which had
been taken from one of the prisoners.
VIM. J. Porter assisted in carrying DR.. Hill
into the house and sending for the doctor.
THE BLOW THAT CAUSED DEATH
DR.. Litimer stated that he was sent for, and
described DIR. Hills condition when he reached
his bedside. He made post-m ortem, and said
it was clearly evident that death was caused by
conclusion of the brain. The cut in the throat
was made by a thrust upward. The blow on
the head was the immediate cause Of death, and
not the cut.
DR.. J. X. II. Jacobs testified that death was
caused BY conclusion from a blow on the head.
Charles E. Comegys stated that he lived on the
road leading from Millington to Massey's. a
farmer. and was called by others from his lawn
and notified that DR.. Hill had been murdered,
and found the heel of Dr. Hills shoe.
William ii. Price, the next witness, told Of
the search for track of the murderers at
Fords Hill. There evidence that a dog
cart had been stopped and footprints Of men
around the tracks, with the ground trampled
down; found spots of blood along the road to
Massey's at Rolphs gate met Fletcher Will
Jams and another man. Williams. one of the
men charged with murder, handed him a hat
which he hau found the night before. The
b
Witness told Williams he thought the hat WAS
Joe COburns. Mr.. Britton said he believed
the hat was DR.. Hills. and then Williams gave
the hat to witness.
Thomas NJ. BrItton testified substantially to
what Mr.. Price had said.
Adam F. Huey stated that several pools of
blood we're found back of his warehouse at Mas
seys the next morning, where the cart must
have stopped.
Prof. VIM p. Tonry, chemist of the Mary
4 Law fTv,rr- 4 Al
the shirt taken from Fletcher Williams by the
warden of the Baltimore city Jail. Found
some spots of blood on the shirt two spots on
the elbow of left sleeve, blood on right sleeve
and five small spots right waistband.
! Williams pants were also shown Blood
stains were in both pockets. The stains in the
left-hand pocket, he thought, we're from rag
or handkerchief. The coat of Charles Brooks
had no evidence of blood upon. it. The knife
of Fletcher Williams had blood stains both on
| the handle and blades.
| Harrison ". Wicker testified to getting the
clothing from Williams and delivering it to
| Prof. Tonry.
Bailif Kelly of Chestertown testified to get
ting the knife from Fletcher Williams.
Thomas j. T. Smith testified that he lived in
| Millington, and went out to find the shoe of Dr.
| Hills asked a colored boy along the road if he
had found shoe. and was told he had not but
| told him where a shoe was which had been
| found the night before.
John Reese, the boy who went for DR. Hill
| the Saturday night of the murder to visit Mr..
James Shaw's sick child. was called, but did not
remember seeing anything Of the men charged
| with the murder on the road.
W. &. Rolph swore that Joshua Baynard and
Charles Brooks lived with him. and that Brooks
stayed at'his house Saturday night. Williams
came down stairs with Brooks Sunday morn
| ing. and shortly afterward Frsby Comegvs also
passed through his place. Williams gave him a
hat Sunday morning and told him he thought it
was Joe Coburn's and witness sent Williams
with the hat to Coburn's, but he soon returned
and told witness that it was not Coburn's, but
| that it was DIR. Hills, who had been out that
way last night drunk and had lost his hat. Mr.
| ROlph showed a torn cuff found In the room
| where Williams. Brooks and Barnard slept
Saturday night, which Williams claimed he
| found Saturday night. 1t on Thursday
morning, while on the way to Millington, that
| Baynard showed evidence of breaking down.
and later made full confession.
! Augustine Hendrickson, the next witness, said
that Charlie Emery lived with him at the time
of the murder. but nothing new was gained
Henry S. Cook said Brooks, Brown, Baynard
| Hurt Comegys and Emery were at his store on
Saturday night and left about the same time
William Darrell testified that he saw Dr.
Hill leave Millington on Saturday night. and he
| followed soon afterward on his way home. At
Fords gate he saw crowd Of colored people,
who called to him. -
Carroll Carroll was at Cleveland meeting