The morning times., 1896-11-15
scribe TO you Just what you did as I see
1t through your eyes"
HE BROKE DOWN

1t through your eyes"
HE BROKE DOWN.
The negro, speechiess, and, it seemed
fascinated by the steady glance OF the
newspaper mans eyes, did not utter q
word In reply. The confident assurance
that his crime was known and could be
demonstrated in a supernatural manner
coupled with his own knowledge Of his
guilt, seemed to strike him dumb
Carefully watching every expires sion
of the negrO's face and studying him every
instant, the reporter began to relate the
movements OF the murderers from the
time they learned DR.. Hill was going out to
farm to attend a sick child to the
time the assault was committed Every
detail was most graphically related with
most dramatic pretensions OF being read
from a picture in Browns BRAIN As de
tail alter detail was related with absolute
eXactneSs. founded onthe partial confessions
fthe others, of which Brown knew nothing,
the negFo's nerve began to desert him
and the reporter to become more and
more confident he was right in his sus-
piciOn OF Brown
Up To this time the picture described
mad been general one, only those in il
being mentioned by name VINO had them
selves related some specific preliminary
act Now came the crucial test. Brown
- - -. .'.f t.. mn ..Is,. th,. car,.-
aginary brain picture Of tie negro wDnld
DE most ignoninnusIy demolished. Only
suspicion that his superstitious natIIrs
was heingp played upon would have made the
negro Victor in the play of wit
THE CRUCIAL TEST.
Bat the suspicion was given no chance to
gam sway. When the peint had arrived
when Browns position in the=picture
must he declared the reporter had become
Iuiy convinced by the varying express
siOns OF wonder and fear in his ewes
that he was one OF the assaiIants and
determined t0 make a failure or success
OF the experiment by one coup.
The reporter had reached the point where
he was describing the direct attack ON
Hill. He told OF Brooks awful blow with
the stone That crushed the Young physI-
clans skull, and Williams fiendish stab
in his throat with his pocket knife, and
then described two shadow ySfieures Just
behind these men who weSe- -thrus;lng at
him with Knives. He pretendesS he cvuid
see two, as he was strongly OF tbN impress
sion that possibly others not yet, appre-
hended might have been implicated in
the murder. This was chance statement,
but Browns expression OF terror betrayed
him.
Grasping Brown by the throat, the. re
Porter screamed into his ear, ''One of these
two men is YOU, Mosesi What did you
do with the knife You held in your hand?''
The excitement impaired more energy To
the reporters movements than he had in
tended, and Brown went over backward
chair and all, the reporter lancing ON hi.
chest, with tight grip ON his throat.
Where is that suife?" demanded the
correspondent
Brown tried to rise, but the new spapef
man held him firmly.
Where is that knife?''
Il threw it in the branch" Gasped ths
haifstrangled negro
MADE FULL CONFESSION.
Then it was the reporter was certain OF
his ground, and let Brown rise TO his chair.
The branch was a little brook about
1GO feet from where the assault On Hill
was committed The knife could have been
thrown there only for coucealment.
Brown realized that he had made fatal
admission and soon acknowledged that
lie was present when Hill was assaulted,
and gave the fullest details. naming the
second person the reporter had claimed he
saw with him in the brain picture a. roy
who had worked on the same farm with
him named Louis Benson, and who had
never been suspected.
That night. in the Jail, Brown signed
a full confession. giving the details of the
killing of Hull, and also related, imparting
tn eiirstinformation on the subject tnestory
OF the conspiracy to kill Hill which had been
going ON for two months.
The next day Benson was arrested and
that night. in the Jail. confessed his share
in the crime and corroborated Browns
statement.
In october. 1891. in Chestertown, Md.
Fletcher Williams, Charles Brooks, Moses
Brown. Frisbie COnegys. Joseph Potts,
Henry HUNT, Joshua Baynard, William
Emery. Perry Bradshaw and Louis Benson
We're placed on trial for the murder Of DR.
HILL Bradshaw was allowed to turn states
evidence and Potts was found not guilty
The Others Were convicted and SentenCetito
death. Gov. Brown, OF Maryland, subse-
quently cOmmuted the sentences Of HUNT,
Baynard, Emery and BensontU tU imprisonment
for life, and Williams, Brooks. Brown and
ComecvS, a hoy of fSixteen years Ofage, were
hanged on the same scaffuld the following
January
This is the first time the real history Of
the confessions of Brown and others in the
Hill case has been made public. 1t was sup
pressed at the time for the effect it might
have on the negroes OF the Eastern Shore
but il has place in criminal history, and
is now made public item OF peculiar
interest.