San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-01-13
Eight In the Boat, Four Down.

CHEsTERTOwN, Md, Jan. 13.-This is
the day fixed for Maryland's Octuple ex-
ecutiOn, and while only four will suffer
the death penalty, the story OF the crime
furnishes one Of the most remarkable tales
in American criminal history. 1t Is a
very simple matter for the people of Kent
county to trace the causes which led up
to the murder of DR.. Jones High Hill:
1t started In a quarrel in which none OF
the prisoners or DR.. Hill were interested
In the slightest. John and Joe Potts had
house built at Mllington last winter,
and just before it was completed they got
into a discussion in a saloon at Milling
ton, which was frequented by whites and
blacks. with the builder, a man named
Jones, as to turning the house over to
them. The builder said he would not do
so until all money due .on it had been
paid; otherwise he would put macha-
mics lien upon it. The Potts brothers de-
clared that this was contrary to the
agreement. One word led to another,
the lie was passed and the contractor
struck one of the Potts brothers. The
latter then left, saying they would raise
a crowd and clean out" the saloon. They
named Tom Campbell, Virginia impor-
tation with bad record. The latter
died in the midst of the btawl. Intense
excitement followed, la coroner's jury
empanneled, and a post norton held no
Campbell's sbody. DR.. James Heighe
Hill now appeared on the scene. He was
called upon to conduct the autopsy. He
reported that so far as he could discover
there were no wounds on the person OF
Campbell sufficient to cause death. The
remains were buried, nobody concerned
in the row was arrested for the murder,
and the matter seemed to be at rest until
some one of the citizens of Wilmington de-
cided to make more searching inveStl-
CATION. The body OF Campbell was eX-
humed and another post mortem made.
This time DR.. Todd. another physician
in MiIlington, assisted DR.. Hill. A second
time was the verdict of the physicians TO
the effect that none of the wounds re-
ceived in the brawl were OF a nature to
cause death The injuries were describ-
ed in detail, and the report was signed
both by DR.. Todd and DR.. Hill. The
death of Campbell, and the failure to ap..
prehend anybody for his murder, angered
the colored people, especially the Potts
faction, in fighting whose battles the big
desperate had lost his life. Up to the
night of April %, 1892, Charles Brooks,
Fletcher Williams, Moses Brown, Joshua
Brainard, Louis Benson, Henry HURT,
FriSby ComegyS and Charles 5. Emory
had no conpection with DIR. Hill in any
way which might have aroused their
hatred or enmity. On the other hand, he
had given them every reason for graft
tute by attending the families of some of
them, for which he was never paid. But
the person who circulated the stories
about DIR. HIPS suppression of facts at
the autopsy had fired the animal nature
in the three men, Brooks, Brown and
Williams with the idea that the death of
Campbell. the desperate, must be avenged
and that by the death of a white man.
To their Ignorant and brush minds DIR.
Hill was the proper man to suffer. So he
was elected to die. They waylaid and
killed him. This they themselves con-
fessed to. The Potts men, who IL Is be-
lieved melted the negroes to the commits
sion of the crime, were also arrested, but
acquitted. The day ofexecution was first
fixed at Dec. 80, but later all the men were
reprived to Jan. ID. Chestertown has had
only three executions within its incorpo-
rate limits within the memory of living
generations.