Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-01-14
QUADRUPLE HANGING.
FOUR OF TIE MURDERERS OF DR. HILL
HANGED AT OHESIERI0WN, Nd.
All Of Them Protested Thar IaaOcsn'e-A borri-
Tying Scene at he Ez,cutoa--Ihe Crime iof
Which They We're Hanged

night. The streets OF the LITTLE city were
almost entirely deserted, except cy the
posse summoned a couple OF days ago oy
Sheriff Plummer Business during the
morning was almost entirely suspended.
The streets were crowded with slelgns and
other vehicles dlled with merry couples
VINO did not seem TO have thought for the
four miserable wretches confined IN the
damp basement cells or the jail.
at half past one o'clock TINS morning
Samuel j. Hill and Walter :. Hill, tue
father and Orotker OF DR.. j. ii. Hill, the
murdered man, were admitted TO the JAIL.
AN the prisoners were asleep, excepting
Brooks, who was praying tervently me
gentlemen walked directly 70 his cell.
Brooks, do you know mel' asked the old
gentleman II am DR.. HIPS father.
Your time is growing short and soon you
will meet my son before the bar OF GO0. 1
want YOU 10 tell the truth; why did you
Kill himn
Brooks began his ofJ-repeated tale, pro
testing his innocence. He called on Goa
10 strike him dead III he was not telling the
truth. He said he had nothing 20 DO Wita
the murder and had only seen Dr. till Tor
a few minutes in MiuingtOu on that fatal
Saturday night Then the Messrs Hill
went 10 the cells Of Williams, Brown ana
COmecvs in the order named, out with as
equally unsatisfactory results.
TIE DAY DAwNED CLoCDLESS.
The Rev. A. A. Murray, VINO had passed
the night in the JAIL, began ms religlCus
attentions % the prisoners az O'CLOCK.
The enthusiastic preacher began 20 pray
and sing with the prisoners, giving out the
hvmus line Oy line. Then be called sepa-
rately upon Brooks, C0megys' Williams
and Brown 90 pray Between each prayer
q hvmu was sung Comegys PRAYER was
TIE most affecting of aL A hearty break
fast was served 20 the prisoners.
shortly after II O'Clock the MEMBERS OF
the posse who were inside the lHI' tne re-
porters. aud the Witnesses allowed oy law
crowded into the corridor, where they
were Gdmouished Cv the sheriff 10 get
ready. Waterman StorSs opened the lour
doors and two deputies went into each coll
and handcuNsd aud p.nioled ITS occupant.
The Sheriff ordered the crowd no the cor
ridor 10 stand back and the short marca 20
the scaff0id was commenced.
Brooks led, WIKI COmegys next, followed
bv Williams alt Moses Brown. The
Sheriff was waiting oU The scaitold Tor the
men, and be silently uOuoDed eaca Oh them
10 his position. The heavy aWSWdr1
looking cotton ucCScS were soon arranged
about the uecss OF tue four men after the
faces and their legs bound az the ankles.
The SherT took a last look al the beam,
the ropes, the traps and finally az tue men
themselves.
The people waiting in the yard below
cou13 sec nothing SO effectively was toe
galI0ws boarded up They heard the
creaking Of tsa traps however, and waited
with bsted breath for tne noise Of the
lever I'm o minute 70 came. At l@.9J
O'Clock the bar controlling
THE TRIGGERS SLIPPED EASILY
along the creased surface. There was q
crash as the eight batteued trap doors teil
TO the ground. and four black bodies SHOT
Through tae holes. Four Of tho murterer5
OF Or. Hill had eVpiotei their crime.
As soon as the drop feu q shout Of eXul-
tati0u arose from the men, who crowded
into the Jail yard and surrounded the scat
fold. Williams aud Brown died almost
without a struggle, their necSS OtluS
broken. Brooks and COmesys went
through the most appalling cJntCrt.ons
Tue latter died f-om stranguiation and the
formers death was due 20 tue dlslO-
cation Of his neck. CCueGys, the
Youngest Of the QUar,atte, was
conscious for at least five minutes while
dangling from tue rope. he twisted MS
legs, struggled with tho handouts AMI
drew his knees TO his neck. Brooks went
through similar movements. lie died
hard. His frame swayed several minutes
aud when the crowd thought him dead DE
started the most desperate contentious.
His body wriggled Witain the straps about
him and his determined efforts 20 eeJ tae
handouts Off pleased he crowd Immensely
The old farmers who gathered about the
dying men laughed aud some Of them
cursed the negroes.
Williams dropped five feet and made no
effort 10 res so the inevitable. Moses Brown
also passed away without much outward
DrotestatiOu. The men died 20 from ten 10
eighteen minutes. The heart OF Williams
beat seven teen minutes although he acted
as though be died first. AT 2:5O the bodies
were cut down, placed IN pine collins az
once. and two express wagons conveyed
them 20 the pOtter's fold. After the exc
cution the people quietly dispersed
For cold-0loOded 0ac02rlJy the crime for
which these negroes were hung to-day has
seldom been eOua. ed In a civilized commu-
nifty. 70 reminds one of the atrocities COM
mitted by King Behanzin, IN Darkest Al
rica.
The scene Of the crime was lonely road;
the hour midnight Or. James III. htI,
man highly respected throughout the couu-
LLN. was Tue N.M.lNI II N AN as VA AAA9 81. cN ~
attend the wants of a suffering child. As
he approached q bridge NUMBER Of men
sprang out from behind the trees along the
road Two seized his horse. A blow from
behind knocked hiu from bis seat A he
fell bruta. hand seized him by the hair
and drawing his head back SO tnat the
throat was fully exposed, q 6een-e0sed
knife was drawn across the smooth, white
surface He was then stabbed IN the
breast. As tbs hand let go the hair, the
skull Of the unfortunate physician was
crushed with heavy stone.
The four negroes who were hung TO-DAY
were the principals in the assassination.
-Four boys. three OF whom were lo. and one
IS years az age, sided them. They are
Charles Emory, Henry HURT, Joshua Ben
son and Lewis Bra,uard On accouct of
their youth and because he believed an 0c-
totte hanging would he q bicmiSh on the
States escDtt hcOU, Governor Brown com
mutcd their sentence CO Imprisonment for
life
The causes which led TO the assassination
began several years ago. They originated
Ia a quarrel In which neither The negroes
nor DR. Hill were 10 any way Interested. y
negro named Tom CAMPBELL had row in
saloon one night and was pitched out, and
fell 70 the sidewalk dead. AT che cOrOner'S
Jury, Dr.. James Hlii reported that, so FAR
IS he could discover, there were no wounds
on the body 90 Campbell sufficient TO cause
death, aud siCned @ certificate 20 that et-
feet This certificate. which acquitted the
white man I'm the saloon. greatly incensed
the negroes against DR. Hill Some Of Them
vowed vengeance.
About IL o'clocS on the night Of April
%. DR. Sin started % make professional
visit 20 the sick ccld Of James Shaw,
about i've miles alvey. Mrs. Hill waited
antiously for bis return. Al o'clock she
hebrd the sound Of wheels in the yard
Dtessinc herself she went cut. The Sight
thkt met DER eeze nearly upset her reason.
THE horse was standing al the gate, and in
thd cart was the insensi0.e bC0v OF Dr.
Hill, bruised and bleeding. A groan es-