The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1906-07-27
CONFESSED TO Be MURDERER.
Man Declares Himself and Three OH
eFS to be SlayeFS Of John Grubb.

Willie Jackson, alias Mas,ie Hill, is
safely behind the bars Of Prince Ed
ward county jail, confessed murder
er Of John Grubb, the aged English
man, who,on the night of June 9TH
1906, was cruelty slain and cremated
i'm his store house at Tuggles.
The prisoner say, his real name is
Massie Hin. and his home is at Cow
ngton, Va. lie duplicates three 9th
cr negroes ina the atrocious crime, Civ
ing the names of two of them as Grail
road Bill" and jess" or William
Rulin.
"Railroad Bill" is man about
twenty-five years old, five feet six TO
eight inches tall; chunky build; shiny
or greasy black; heavy black mus
tache, rough dressed, with black cap;
walks with "a decided limp. "Jess, ~
or William Runin, about thirty-hve
TO forty years old; five feet six to eight
inches tall; well built; weight, 1850
pounds: dark gingercake color; fairly
well dressed; dark clothes; black soft
hat; sometimes wears mustache; walks
with a quick gait.
Massie Hill says that he spent most
of the day before the murder in Farm
willie, and joined his companions i'm the
crime at Tuggles just before night.
| lie only knew the names Of two Of
/ them. lie and the unknown man
stood watch OH the outside of the
/ Grubb store while Railroad Bill and
/ William Rullin committed the muir
der, robbery and fired the building.
/ He says that Mr.. Grubb was shot i'm
/ the neck, but he doesn't know which
one did the shooting. This was done
through back window while the
victim lay asleep upon his bed. After
the shooting the bars were priced
from their fastenings and the two ne
grocS entered the building. After the
robbery the men saturated the build
ing with kerosene and set it aiirc. The
four then walked down the railroad
track i'm the direction of FaumNille
\ passing here during the night and corr
tinuing their journey on foot until they
had crossed High Bridge. There they
sat down and divided their spells
. I'm all, Massie says, we got sixty eight
dollars, which gave TO each Of us sew
eutcen dollars.
Hill was arrested at Emporia, Va,
ON the 10Th instant as vagrant anc
committed to jail to serve sentence
He was placed in a cell with another
negro by the name of Frank Freeman
INN time and again talked i'm bis
, sleep. murmuring: "Give me my par
, of the money Give ii to mel" The
next morning Freeman related thh
, strange talk TO the jailor, who trIe'
To get Hill to tell him why he alk
ed so strangely. The jailor coulC
elicit nothing from Hill. Two O
three days afterwards, however, HI
told Freeman, his fellow cell occu
pant. that ne had killed man, robbe'
"a postollice and burned the house
The tailor was told of this statement
and sheriff Dickinson was notified
that the probable murderer Of Mr.
Grub was i'm custody.
Sheriff Dickinson went Immediately
to Emporia and secured Hill, who
5 together with Freeman, was brought
d to Farmvlle, the latter as a witness
, Since being in the Jail here Hill
has made a full confession of his gull
and Freeman was returned to Empo
= ria Wednesday.
When asked why he had given him
e self away as one Of the murderers o
r Mr.. Grub, Hill replied that h
=. couldn't help doing it; he believes
p. that the Lord made him tell. H'
1 said he had not been able to sleep a
% night.
TIP to this time the two negroe
, whose names Hill gave the author
n itics. have not been apprehended, bu
it is believed that they will be capture
~ i'm short time.