The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-11-13
Ida Hill Believed to Have Died
From Exposure.
UPcHURcH is DISCHARGED
Completely Exhonorated by the
Hearing Yesterday.
CASE TRIED BY MAYOR RUSS
On the States Own Showing it Was
Decided That the Evidence Was
Not Sufficient TO Hold
Defendant.

On Wednesday night, November I,
Clarence Upchurch struck Ida Hin, a
mulatto girl of bad character, several
times with his umbrella She swore
out warrant against him for assault
and battery. The paper was served the
next day, and he submitted and paid
fine. On Monday night following the
girl died. There were bruises on her face
and body. AS she had been unwcl ever
since the difficulty with young Upchurch,
her friends claimed that her death WIS
caused by the blows then inflicted. They
had Upchurch arrested, and yesterday
morning the case was heard n the May
or's office by Mayor Russ
The papers were all issued by Justice
Roberts, and the case was 10 have been
tried before him. but as it was necessary
TO put him ON the stand, he transferred
the case, by his own motion, TO Mayor
Russ. There was quite large number
of spectators present, as the case was one
that had excited very general interest.
The first witness for the prosecution
was Berta Williams. She said she and
Ida Hill were standing at the cellar door
ut Dukes store, last Wednesday night
when Clarence Upchurch came along and
began to beat Ida with parasol knock
ing her into the ditch; that after this
Ida and Clarence got out into the road
and fought She said Upchurch struck
the woman three ticks over the head
with the parasol The witness didn't
know much about the size of the UNI
brella, but said that they fought quite
a while on the street She said that the
girl had not been drinking, but that she
was taken sick the next day, complaining
Of her head and body.
The witness said she lived in Sawyer's
bottom, back Of Dukes store. and that
Ida Hill went home with her and stayed
there until Friday She said she went
with Ida up to Justice Roberts office to
swear out warrant against Upchurch
After that they went to Simpsons drug
store to get some liniment TO rub the
bruises on Ida. From there they went to
the home of the witness, and Ida stayed
there until Friday, when she went to
Liddie Chamblee's, where she died.
The witness said she did not go to see
Ida until Monday, and found her lying
down.
On cross-examination by Mr.. Deyer-
eaux, for the defense, the witness said
that when the trouble occurred Len Fow-
Ter, George Hawkins and Dink Thomp-
son were present. She said Ida Hill was
waiting for Liddie Chamble TO come
back from her house and bring her TWEEN
ty cents, which she had gone after. The
next time she saw Iiddie Chamblee, she
was coming from towards the city to
Dukes store: that the witness and Ida
were then standing at the witness gate
and preparing to go up to the magis-
trate's office. She denied that Ida Hill
stayed with her rather than go home, for
fear of being arrested, and said that the
constable had told her that he would let
her know when she was wanted. She
said that when Upchurch struck the
woman she called for a knife to kill him,
but said she did this after they had been
fighting in the street for some time. The
witness said she could not say with
what the defendant struck the woman
in the street, she could not see, but only
heard the ticks; could not say who was
being struck, but both seemed to be fight
ing. The Hill girl, she said, was sick
all the time she was at her house, and did
not eat anything.
On cross-examination by Mayor Russ,
the witness said that she was near by
when the fight began, but she got out of
the way; said she was near when the
fight was going on.
On re-cross examination by Mr. DeY-
ereaux, Berta acknowledged that she had
heard that man named John Patterson,
who stays at Schwartz's, had beat Ida,
but she didn't know anything about it.
She had also heard it reported that
Ida was beaten by one Jesse Scales, but
knew nothing as to the truth of the
report.
I.iddie Chamblee, in whose house the
Hill woman died. was the next witness.
She said the first she knew Of the trouble
was after the fight. She went into Dukes
store, and Upchurch was sitting there
with a pop bottle drawn back saying
Look out, I'm going to kill
Ida Hill if she comes in here"
He also said, swore she, he was
sorry his umbrella was not a hickory
stick so he could kill her. She said that
Ida was badly bruised up after the fight
bruises were on her neck and her left eye
was BACKED.
On ss-examination by Mr.. Dever-
eaux, the witness said that she had not
told that either John Patterson or Jesse
Scales had beat Ida; said the first she
heard Of this was when Justice Roberts
asked her if it was so. The witness
said Ida came to her house because there
was no bed at Berta Williams for her,
and that she had not been out Of the
house since she came there. She denied
that she knew of any disease from which
the woman was suffering.
On cross-examination by Mayor Russ,
the witness said after Justice Roberts
asked her about John Patterson beating
Ida she asked Patterson about the mat
ter, and Patterson denied that he knew
anything about it. She denied ever hav-
ing seen Jesse Scales until he came to
her house after Ida's death.
Greasy Adams, an old negro woman,
said all she knew about the case was
that she washed and dressed the girl,
and all the bruises she saw were on the
hip and on the face.
Lizzie Womack was present when Ida
Hill died, and noticed n severe bruise on
her left eye.