Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-01-19

story of the Crime for which Four Ne
groes Paid the Penalty of Their Lives
I1pon the GaIlOws,

i
four men were executed is altogether
unique. Kent county is one of the best
sections of the Eastern Shore of the state,
II has an excellent population of educated
and well-to'do people, but it is cursed BY
negro element that is unusually lawless
and turbulent, an element that drinks bad
whisky and INDUCES i'll disorder and docs
what il cain to foment race feeling
On Christmas eve, 1891, negro named
Thomas Campbell was killed in saloon
at Wilmington in that county. Two white
men were charged with the murder. 1t |
was shown that Campbell had been struck
by 4 bottle, and that there had been a
fight. a post-mortem examination was |
held and the principal physician WAS DR..
James II. Hill. He signed certificate
that the neck was not broken, ms held by |
Campbcll's friends. but that death had re
suited from heart disease. This certificate,
which acquitted the white men, greatly
incensed the negroes against DIR. Hill.
Some of them vowed vengeance.
DIR. Hill was the most popular man of
the town. His record was excellent in
every sense of the word. He was happily
married; he had paying practice; his
professional skill was acknowledged, and
| he enjoyed the confidence of every one in
the place. In all the evidence in the court
and elsewhere there has been nothing to
| iinpeach in the slightest degree the
| character and popularity of the man.
On the evening of April 23d last meet
ing was held at the office Of Justice john
son in Millington, for the organization Of
a Cleveland Club, for the purpose of
doing ali in its power to secure the ncmi-
nation of Mr.. Cleveland at Chicago. Dir.
| Hill, who lived on the opposite side of the
street, went over to the meeting. lie was
unanimously chosen president Of the new
association, and he made graceful
speech nccepting the honor. 1t was 10
| y nj . ln MT no ii -
then went back home and ordered his dog
cart. When it was ready he babe his wife
good bye and started 10 make Il profess
sional visit to the sick child of James
Shaw. about five miles away.
Mrs. Hill waited anxiously for his re-
turn. She expected him back by mid
night, but midnight came and he was not
there. Then !, 2 and o'clock passed,
, and when o'clock arrived her anxiety
J was relieved by hearing the sound of
wheels in the yard. She waited for him
to put the horse in the stable and come tn
the house, as he usually did. But when
she kept on waiting and he did not ap'
! pear she began to grow uneasy, and she
| dressed herself and went down into the
G yard to see what was the matter.
) The sight that met her gaze in the early
morning light nearly upset her reason
e The horse was standing at the gate and IN
. the cart was the insensible body OF DIR
Q Hill. bruised and bleeding, with the heat
4 wedged under the shaft. A groan escapec
Z him as she approached and she was abl'
Z only to scream and to arouse the neigh
bors, who came as soon as they could am
carried the doctor into the house. Ii
never regained consciousness and tina
Y afternoon he died.
n The news Of the murder spread lik
, wildtire, and the people left their work Z
g Join i'll the pursuit of the murderers, J
y was quickly traced to party OF negroe
= who had been INDUCING in oysters an
J, whisky, and tuur were arrested. Az ono
Is plans were made 10 lynch them, but til
;, officers by means of special train, smllt
g gled them off to Baltimore, out OF reac
N of the vengeance of the mob.
Then came the work of the detectives
y and finally one Of the negroes confessed
H. Altogether, 10 negroes were arrested. IN
~ | indictments embraced nine OF these, bl
lu one was acquitted and was escorted out {
the county under police protection
ne The tenth, Perry bradshaw, saved h
gt neck by turning states evidence. III
~ men, he said, were returning from tow
X, aud We're still enraged at the caseof Cam
Rt bell The three men and himself took Il
le, leading part in the protanc comments {
n the affair, and the boys made NJ the crow
Us The men were Fletcher Wl.liams,
IS; Charles Brooks, 81; Moses Brown,
AZ bradshaw, the informer, about 20, al
-, the boys Joshua Baynard, Louis Benso
ne Chas. s. Emory, Frsby CnmrEyS and Lor
TX HURT. Bradshaw's testimony was IA
when DR.. Hill came along Brooks stOpp
faS the horse and struck the doctor with
Gh stone. While Bradshaw and another he
.hg the horse, Williams, answering tho dt
'Fd tors cry, Don't Kill me" cut him, :
knife penetrating the throat an inch ant
s s halt and Te:gIGhinE the tSMn gos pl ~
VI TANNED tile body into the cart, with
the head under the shaft and started tile hol
lEe at Il trut up The road,
'AB Practically the whole county turned 2
eFG at the trial. The evidence MaS nunclusi
~ n. As 70 the guilt Of the accused, with the
NJ ceptiun of a negro nnnel lofts, W
proved an abb. At iirs, no lawyer in I
one county would agree 10 defend the INT
on but finally MIR. James Alfred 'earec, VIII
me father was the United states Senator
ION that name and who wnd himself can
date for that office last year, took the ca
YER He tried it before the court AMI the T
bench sat through The entire trial
re- verdict of the court was unanimous q
5hei tho sentence OF death was passed upon
DS men III due form.
ioHs lIurit Benson, Emory and Bayn
IVY were spared by Governor Brown v
efS committed their sentences to impris
zen, ment for life, and the other four v
!! hanged Friday.
and DIR. JAMES HEIGHE HILL.
the Dr. James Ileighe Hill Was son
Jdy, Samuel +. Hill, who went To Kent Col
con from Odessa. Del, in 1851, WITH his "
who was Miss Hester Showaker of I'll
| be- depha. Mr., Hill went to live on
the Polk farm, near Locust Grove, and it
anne there DR.. Hill was born and raised.
zion doctor was named after Dr. James Hell
the who in his time, was one of the II
the prominent physicians in the upper par
sion Kent county Young Hill was educ
x OF AT the public school at Locust Grove,
as to while still a sChOolbpy spent his spare
when mcnts i'll this drug store OF his brother
ung- law George NJ. ieasten lie aiterV
went to Philadelphia with the inten
/ the Of making pharmacy his business. a
lruat being in drug store for awhile he
foot cluded to study medicine and entered
d be University Of Pennsylvania at Philt
Hill pha. He was gradnated in 1850 at
most age OF . ana practIced for awhile neal
was home, at the head Of Sa>safras river
was there he met his wife After
to a at this place Dr. Hill bought Evans
;irled store at Millington, wAich he cOndu
iondS in connection with his practice as a
tched sician. He had lived at Milington a
meut two years and II half before he got
Icsan ried,
edged iDr. Hill was feet & inches tall
ii the weighed about i4U pounds lie had
'rown hair and eyes, and wore u slight must
autcs and close-cut English side whiskers.
rs re- would have been 80 years OF age ol
Goth Of last May. His grave IS in Shl
short bury cemetery, near tialena. where til
e jail spire of Shrewsbury Protestant Epist
Jester church. the oldest parish in Kent COZ
town, can be seen from agreat distance. Alr.isa
lphia. Hill has five children living. The
inutes Mrs. George NJ. Beasten of Locust Ii
body Charles 5. Hill, who is living OF
black Black farm, near Locust Grove; l.
Moses | 4. Hill, who resides on Dudley's