Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-09-13


iect are now fully satisfied and also that
Sheriff Whaley did his work thoroughly
On the 2gth of last month when he cut
the rope that swung Dixon into eternity.
n Last Saturday little groups of negroes
could be seen here and there i'll Snow
Hill discussing the report that Dixon had
revived since the hanging and was alive
Several colored men determined they
| would investigate for themselves so last
| Sunday morning they secreted u spade or
| two in the rear of the Church, and after
services were over and the members of
the congregation had gone to their re-
spcctive homes, the few men III the plot,
under the leadership of one Plato Viii
liams, commenced to dig into the grave
of Dixon In short time they had ac
complished their purpose and removed
the lid of the coffin. Asbury was there.
They not only saw him, but they real
lied from the odor that escaped from the
coffin that he was dead.
In connection with the report of
Dixons revivication Mr.. j. Y. Bratten
printed the following i'll Mondays Bal
timore Imerjcdn regarding similar
story in circulation with the hanging of
Worrilow who attempted to kill Judge
Robins in this county many years ago.
and was hanged for 1t. The report In the
| .lmCricdH was as follows:
The Worcester county papers report
a general belief among the negroes of
that county that ASbury Dixon, who
was recently hanged there, came to life
after being placed in his coffin, and was
surreptitiouSly removed therefrom, and
the undertaken cheated into the belief
that he was interring the dead man. On
the other hand, the evidence that Dixon
\ was hanged until he was dead. and that
his body was buried, is conclusive.
This is not the first case of 'resurrec-
ton, in Worcester, and ii recalls the
time faded story of the attempt to
| Robins Judge Robins was one of the
earliest jurists on the Eastern Shore,
and for about quarter of century
rode the circuit composed of Somerset,
Worcester, Dorchester and Caroline
counties as an associate judge. His
family connections in Worcester and
the adjoining counties are numerous,
and his memory survives in legends of
the bench and bar below the Choptank
He was an able lawyer, and came of the
Bowdoiu and Robins families of AcCo.
mac, Va. which county is unique Ill it's
preservation of the suruames, traits and
customs of the people from the first
colonial days. Judge Robins rode up
| his circuit to Denton i'll October, 1907,
and held October term of The Caroline
County. On Sunday, the 18th of that
month, he left Denton Oh his return to
his home, i'll Worcester He was alone
ina carriage, followed by Josiah iiayley,
of Dorchester, afterward attorney Scner-
al of Mary land, in another carriage
few miles from Denton. on the road on
the east of the Great Choptank River.
Judge Robins was fired upon. his asSail-
ant retreating under cover of u thick
wood. Suspicion pointed to refugee
| from Worcester Justice, who had been
seen i'll Denton. armed with gun and
two pistols, and who made frequent in
quiries of servants when the Judge
would return home. The shooting caus-
ed great sensation throughout the
state, and the press of that day marvel
ed at the dastardliness of such an assault.
I'm this era of civilization" The
wounded man was taken to the home of
Il gentleman in the neighborhood sup
posed To have been Major William
| Potter, of Prttrrs Landing, afterward
Hottu inquire III hiI y Htlu pDilttCS l. Hs
following proclamation appeared ini
the Americana:
"By His Excellency. Robert Wright. |
Esq, Governor of Maryland. a Pro.
clanlation; Whereas, Some ncfariouS/
villain did on the 18th day of Octobof,
| instant, attempt to assassinate Judge
James b. Robins ON his return from
Caroline County Circuit Court. near
Denton, and did from an amhuscade fire
ball ut him. which entered his right
| shoulder and passed out below his right
breast. and another ball, which passed
through the cape of his coat and struck
his ear. Aud
"WhereaS, There is reason To believe
| the said assassin is II certain John
| Wnrrilow, alias John Rigging. formerly
| committed to Worcester county jail by
| SAID Judge Robins, to answer to Il GER
| tain crime. and who by two letters to
| said Judge Robins threatened to asSas-
sinatr him. which said Worrilow, alias
| Rigging, was on the day before the
preparation of said villainy supposed to
be i'll Denton, inquirlng when said Judge
would return home. Aud whereas, il Is
the duty of the Executive in the execu-
| ton of the laws to eudeavor to bring
all malefactors tn Justice. have, there
fore. Thought proper to issue this my
proclamation, and do, by and with the
| advice and consent of the Council, offer
$500 reward to any person or persons
who shall apprehend and bring to justice
the perpetratOr of said oifense, in lieu
of the reward offered by William Pot
ter, Esq. Given i'll Council ut the City
of Annapolis, under the seal of the
State of Maryland, this 2lst day of Octo
Der, i'll the year of our Lord eighteen
hundred and seven and of the independ-
ence of the United States of America
the thirty second. BY His Excellency's
command.
"NINIAN PINKNEY,
'Clerk of the Council. E"
The certain crime for which
Worrilow had been committed to the
Worcester Jail was the breaking into
the storchouSc of John Bishop, and
stealing thercfrom IA barrel of pork
Sheriff Robert Marines description of
him gave his age as % years. height as
| five and Il half feet, of slender build,
marked with smallpox, lisp in speech
round shoulders. light complexion, end
of one finger missing. and walks with
long and irregular steps and is very
taciturn \ hue and cry was sent af
ter Worrilow. who had been lurking in
Delaware under the name of John
Williams, and who had probably cross
ed the Delaware line at Punch Hall,
and from that point had gone to Denton
He was reported to- have been seen in
| Baltimore WaShiuvtnn and Norfnlk