The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-01-14
FOUR NEGNoEs HANGED.

FOUR NEGROES HANGED.
Terrible scenes at au Execution in Mary.
land Ycstorday-NonS OF tho Condemned
Msa Copfosse-
ouEsTERTowS, Nd, Jan, lS.-Ches-
tertown, outside OF the jail precincts,
passed a quiet and uneventtul night,
The streets were almost entirely de.
serted, except by the posse summoned
by Sheriff Plummer,
At7:S0 o'clock this morning, Samuel
+, Fill and Walter S. Hill, the father
and brother OF DR.. ]. Heighe Hill, the
murdered man, were admitted to the
jail, The elder Mr.. Hill expressed a
wish to talk alone with the condemned
prisoners, with view Of forcing q con-
fession from them. All questioning
was vain, however, every ono OF the
prisoners denying his guilt,
A sensation was caused bya deputy
warden, one OF the death-watch, who
had been drinking heavily. He insisted
on the prisoners singing all the time.
After this had continued while, he
suggested that they dance a little.
Sheriff Plummer then appeared on the
scene and ordered the deputy out OF the
building
In tho short march to the scafIold
Brooks led, with Comegys next, follow
ed by Williams and Moses Brown.
There was crash as the trap doors fell
to the ground and four black bodies
shot through the holes. Four OF the
murderers OF DR.. Hill had expiated
their crime on the galIows.
AS soon as the drop fell shout Of
exultation arose from the men who
crowded into the jail yard and sur
rounded the scafTold. Williams aud
Brown died almost without struggle.
Their necks were broken.
Brooks and Comegys went through
the most appalling contortions. The
latter died from strangulation and the
formers death was due to the disloCa-
tion Of his neck. Comegys, the young
est Of the quartette, was conscious tor
at least five minutes while dangling
from the rope. He twisted his legs,
struggled with the handouts aud drew
his knees to his neck. j
Brooks went through similar move
ments. lie died very hard. His frame
swayed several minutes and when the
crowd thought him dead he started the
most desperate contortions. His body
wriggled within the straps about him
and his determined efforts to get the
handouts of pleased the crowd i'm
mensely. Theold farmers whogathered
about the dying men laughed and some
OF them cursed the negrpos.
Williams dropped five feet and made
no effort to resist the inevitable. Moses
Brown also passed away without much
outward protestation. The men died in
from ten to eighteen minutes. Tho
heart Of Williams beat for seventeen
minutes, although he acted as though
he died first.
AT 1850 the bodies were cut down,
placed in pine coffins. at once, and two
express wagons conveyed them to the
potters' field. After the execution the
people quietly dispersed.
DR.. Hill, tho murderers' victim, testi-
fed at a coroner's inquest on the body
OF negro, his testimony clearing the
white man accused OF the murder.
Seven colored men lay in wait for him
one night when answering a sick call,
and killed him.
The four negroes who were hanged
were the principals in the assassination.
-Four boys, three Of whom were sixteen,
aud one thirteen years Of age, aided
them. They are Charles Emory, Henry
HURT, Joshua Benson and Lewis Brain.
erd. On account OF their youth, and
because he believed an octette hanging
would be a blemish on the states
escutcheon, Governor Brown commuted
their sentences to imprisonment for
life. This caused great indignation
among the people.