The morning times., 1896-11-15
CLEARED A GREAT CRIME
Reporters Nerve in a Mary
land Murder Case.
EXECUTIONS THE RESULT
Newspaper Man Tried a Daring
Scheme That Proved Successful.
A Special Train and What 1t Ac-
complished Down In One of the
Eastern Shore Counties.

The murders which the nearby counties
of Maryland have furnished within the
past year make bloody chapter in the
States history.
The brutal death of Marguerite Drown,
for which James Smith is soon to hang AT
Marlboro is fresh i'll public memory. So
is the Buxton mystery at 6aithersburg,
the murder of James Irwin near La Plata,
and man others. Wnlle all OF these cfiInes
have had in them the element OF curious
incident none have been more novel than Il
most dramatic one which took place in the
Kenty county jail at Chestertown, Nd,
Sunday afternoon, May 4, 1891, which
is now published for the first time. Atthe
time OF the trial Of the case in question, 1t
was not made public for obvious reasons.
Tnc chief personageS in tins startling dra-
matte episode were Wilber NJ Bates, the
business manager OF The Great Train
Robbery then reporter for the fhiiadei-
phia Press and Moses Brown. a stalwart
negro, who was afterward hanged for
murder.
Saturday V evening, April %. 1891, party
of negroes, through desire for revenge for
a fancied wrong, assaulted young physi-
clan, DR.. ]. Highe Hill, from the effects OF
which he died the next day. The assault
took place on lonely road. about a mile
from the village OF Millington, a small place
fabout 500 people, situate d on the Chester
River, sixteen miles from Chestertown the
county seat. 1.
REPORTER AS DETECTIVE.
The murder would probably remained an
unpunlshed crime to this da y had il not been.
IN great part, for the energetic work of the
reporter who was sent there to write up
the event. Before he had been in the town
OF Millington three hours he had secured
clew TO the perpetrators of the murder.
and within tweut y-fCmr hours had secured
sufficient evidence to warrant the arrest
of eight negroes for participation in it.
The following Thursday, by carefully
playing negro OF honesty and Intelligence
against one who had been arrested and
purposeiy released so he would have the
opportunity to talk, Information was Sc
cured which enabled the reporter to gain
partial confession from one of the pris-
oners, which implicated all held for this
;rime, with the exception OF a burIy. stolid
negro named Moses Brown, who denied he
was out OF his home the night OF the as
sauit, and whom the prisoner who confessed
denied was present when the young doctor
was injured.
AT O'Clock Friday morning the Ches-
teTtown jail was threatened by a lynch
ing party intent on hanging every one Of
tie men charged with HIS death. These
men all came from Millngton They were
induced 70 go away. but, fearing violence,
the following day. the four principals in the
crime were taken from the Jail in closed
carriage to special train and removed to
baltimore for safekeeping. on the way
the two boys who had held the doctors
horse while the assault was committed on
him confessed TO the reporter their share
IN the crime. They, like all the rest denied
that Moses Brown was present or had
anything to do with the crime