Evening journal., 1893-06-20
CONFESSED MURDER.
Courtney and Taylor Tell How
They Slew Captain Cooper.
AWFUL DEALS ISLAND TRAGEDY

ers Were BEING Carried Away by the
sheriT-Both Say They are Living in
Torment and Tell of Their Terrible
Deed.
DEALS ISLAND. Md. June 20.-Sheriff
Tull arrived here last night with Arthur
Courtney and Henry Taylor, the colored
men charged with the murder of Captain
J. Frank Cooper, Of Garters Creek, Va
Sheriff Tull left Deals Island Saturday
night on board of a sailboat for Ian.
caster Court House. Va, where the two
men were in jail The sheriff was &C.
companied by Dr. Monmonier Rowe
Captain w. D. Windsor, G. A. Goslee
and a reporter of the Baltimore Sun
The party left Deals Island AZ midnight
Saturday, and arrived at Carter's Creek
at 12 o'clock on Sunday.
Popular Excitement.
AS soon as the sheriff and his party
landed they were notified that if he had
not come for the negroes they should not
be taken away alive Sheriff Tull took con
veyances and drove to the county seat, a
distance of fourteen miles. The two
colored men were turned over to him and
the party left Lancaster Court House at
o o'clock Sunday evening. Along the
road the news had preceded the sheriff
and crowds of people congregated to
see the prisoners. Before Oarters Creek
was reached there were about fifty car.
riages and vehicles following the pris-
oners.
Trying to Stop the sheriH.
About a mile from the town crowd of
| fifty men tried to stop the carriage, and
asked that the negroes be turned over to
them. Sheriff Tull stood up in the car
riage, placed the whip to the horses and
/ got to the landing ahead of the people
who had congregated. He reached the
i shore, where a boat met him. He placed
Arthur Courtney in the boat and rowed
to the schooner which had brought his
party over. AS the sheriff pulled along
side the vessel he saw her deck swarming
with people, all of whom were demand
| ing the surrender of Courtney, who the
crowd declared was the instigator of the
murder.
Sheriff Tull took his position on board
/ of the vessel and pushed the prisoner
down the hold. About this time one Of
his deputies came alongside with Taylor.
4 lub bllcE pIiSoBtIs llb Was atlsO plhCGu
down the vessels hold.
Crowding the Omcers.
AS soon as both the prisoners were
aboard some one in the crowd gave a
signal and from all sides small boats ap-
preached and the men who were in them
clambered over the vessels sides until
there was scarcely standing room
4 I,s
positions on the matches which covered
the hold and to all he stated that he
would defend the prisoners. He made
strong appeal not to be disturbed in tax
ing the prisoners TO Maryland for trial.
The mob would not listen, but constantly
called for Courtney. Sheriff Tull was
seized and forcibly taken from the
hatchway. The sheriff freed himself and
returned to his post DR.. Newbill,
Messrs. Frank Newbill Melee and
Walter Damman, all citizens of the
/ place, made appeals to the crowd, beg.
| ging them to desist and allow. the men
to go The crowd subsided, but it was
for purpose.
Attempted Lynohing.
Hardly had DR.. Newbill stopped talk
ing before the cry went up eve have
himl" The vessels hatch had been torn
away and forty or more people were in
the vessels hold searching for the cul
prits. Courtney and Taylor tried TO
hide in the fore peak, where they were
/ found. A rope was procured land placed
around the neck Of Courtney. The
negro struggled, and Sheriff Tull
/ jumped down the hold opened his
knife and cut the rope just as the negro
was being hoisted on deck
Supporting the Sheriff.
This failure made the mob more
violent. They then got the rope around
Courtney's leg and again began to pull
him out. The sheriff once more parted
the line with his knife. BY this time the
cooler heads surrounded thei poor negro
and took him into the cabin, putting
him in the corner Of the room, where
they formed a ring around him. The
crowd by this time got wild, and one
man pressed forward with a stick in his
hand and struck at the prisoner, but the
negro lodged the blow and it was re-
ceived by DR.. Newbill, who was assist
ing the sheriff in resisting the mob.
Confessed Himself Murderer.
After the boat had set sail Courtney
began to cry and full confession fol-
lowed. The story he told was terrible.
It was, in part, as follows;
"About o'clock on Sunday night we
all three went to the cabin. The captain
undressed and got in his bunk on the
starboard side Henry Taylor and had
agreed to rob the captain at all hazards
l got in the port bunk and Henry Taylor
laid alongside of me on the locker The
tiller began to thump and we thought it
would keep the captain awake. got up
and went out on deck and tied the tiller
to keep it from swinging around. re.
turned to the cabin and both of us went
again on deck. This time the captain
was asleep, and Henry Taylor said IF
strike the first blow, will you strike the
secondG ] told him Eyes" Henry then
took up the sounding lead and we
both went again to the cabin. Henry
Taylor stopped in front of the captains
bunk and we saw he was lying on his
right side, with his right hand under his
head.