Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-04-06
Bullet Entered His Right Ey c
and He Appears to Have
Been in a Standing Position
When Shot,
BOUGHT REVOLVER AFTER
HE HAS RECEIVHU !.
THREATENING NOTE
Death of Lawyer Adds Another
Tragedy to Famous Dodge Land
Case in Which Five Persons Had
Previously Lost Their Lives.
,sn0oia1 nisnatch TO The JOURNALS

CSneciaI Dispatch to The Journal)
FRAE. Ga, April 5.-Pope S. Hill,
prominent Macon attorney was touho
dead here this morning about o'clock by
Policeman Yancey.
Mr.. Hill was here on business for the
estate of Norman w. Dodge and went 10
Mr. Dodge's office about last night TO
prepare some papers in a case that he
was to look after today.
Some time during yesterday he received
a threatening note and he prevailed on
the local hardware dealer that, notwith-
standing it was Sunday, to come down
and sell him a pistol. The pistol which
he purchased was found clasped in his
right hand with his thumb pressing the
trigger, the hand lying across his breast.
The bullet entered the right eye, and
from the blood spattered upon the base
board of the wall indicates that he was in
a standing position when shot.
Two chairs in the office were overturned,
the waste basket was upset and bent,
coal scuttle was overturned and the YES
sci containing water on the stove was
knocked off.
The body now awaits arrival of the
cordner. While the pistol carried by Mr..
Hill was known to have been fully load
ed, there is one discharged cartridge
now in the chamber. There are no powder
marks about the face to lead to the theo-
ry of suicide.
The bullet entered the right eye, and
had he held the weapon the eyebrow, at
least, would have been burned, but such
is not the case.
Mr.. Hill was a member of the Macon
law firm of N. z. & w. E. Harris. He
was about forty years of age and leaves
a wife and one child.
The Dodge land case, for which Mr..
Hill went to McRae to take dispositions,
is perhaps one of the most noted cases
of the kind in the country. Five per-
sons connected in one way and another
with the case are said to have mel
tragic deaths.
Letter in HIPS Pocket
The following letter was found in Mr..
Hills pocket today by the coroner at
McRae when he examined the body:
Poke Hill:
The next time you interfere with our
settlement you will be broke"
The letter was signed with a skull
and bones, and was printed on plain
white paper This letter was shown by
Mr.. Hill to several people in McRae
Yesterday and was identified by them
at the coroner's inquest.
Trail of Blood
A trail of blood, murder and narrow
escanes seems to follow the progress of
the Dodge land suits as far back as
1891. Lives have been paid In the htlga-
ton. 1t was in 1891 that Captain John
G Forsyth, the McRae and Eastman
representative of the Norman W. Dodge
estate bave up his life in the interest OF
the case.
FORSYTH was murdered and his death
was followed by a six-weeks trial De-
fore Judge Emory Speer. The case was
made against Wright Lancaster, ct. al
and no less than five men were sent TO
the federal prison. Some of these nave
since died and the others have served
out their sentences.
Not long after the death Of Captain
FORSYTH. Lucius Williams, one of the
claimants, was killed. He was regarded
as one of the squatters at the time'
and his death threw Dodge, Lawrence
Telfair and Pulaski counties into fever
heat At that time every person inter-
ested in the case was regarded with awe
by those on the opposite side, and for
weeks the territory took on the indica-
ticns Of a lond plunged into a feVer'
Others Were Wounded
Besides the above stated cases there
were many less serious encounters, from
which the participants emerged with
gunshot wounds or damaged by knives.
On top of all this comes the death OF
Mr.. Pope Hill, and not a stone will be
left unturned by the federals court Of
fcials in their effort to fix the blame.
This morning Solicitor Lige Graham, OF
Eastman, notified Colonel n. E. Harris,
of Macon, that he had taken charge OF
the case for the time being and had
men at work. Others from Macon have
gone to McRae, and by tonight a large
- orb
/ Solicitor Graham was deeply shocked
! bv the murder, as Mr.. Hill had confided
to him about certain threatening letters
/ that had been sent. AS a member of
! the law firm of Harris & Harris, 1t fell
| to the lot of Mr.. Hill to take charge of
/ the disputes over land ownership around
! Eastman and McRae.
Many Acres Involved
| In the four counties of Pulaski, Dodge,
| Telfair and Lawrence the Dodge lands
| cover about 100000 acres, and ever since
1852 there has been more or less litiga-
ton over the possession of certain parts
4 of the land A countless number OF suits
| and countersuits, answers and demurrers
have been filed in the case, which started
| when Norman w. Dodge broughtl suit
against Colby Chase and CrockeA to
! quiet the title. Colby Chase and Crock
! EFT were claimants, but the case was de-
cided in favor Of Dodge.
A few years later Dodge brought suit
against Briggs Hall and Sleeper on SINH
liar grounds, and this trial was closely
] followed by the murder of Captain John
lC. Forsyth. Captain Forsyth was acting
as the special agent for the Dodge es-
tate, and his. position at all times was
a risky one. He incurred the enmity of
many of the squatters by proceeding
against them, in order to recover the
lands for the estate.
/ Hill Carried Titles
During the past few years it fell to the
Hot Of Mr. Hill to visit either McRae, of
Eastman, once in every two weeks or so.
when he left Macon yesterday morning he