Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1912-01-13
RECALLS TRAGEDY
al &. 5ye Hall at St. Michaels
Talbot County.
NUEE2OUS PACA ESTATES.
Prior Sale Caused Killings COnfisca
ton Of Confederate SOldisr's Prop
erty and Building Of Fence Pre-
ceded Double Hon. de.

The sale of the Wye Hall estate,
situated on wye Island. in one Of the
most historic and picturesque parts
of the Eastern Shore, calls to mind
the double TRAGEDY in which members
of the family Of former Governor
Paca. of Maryland, lost their lives at
thr hands of kinsmen in 1865.
Governor Paca was one of the SIGN.
ers of the Declaration of Indepen.
dence. and the Paca House in AMMAN
oils is now Carvel Hall. the popular
hotel on Prince George and King
George streets. At one time the Paca
family owned the whole of Wye Is
land, near St. Michael's in Talbot
county on the Eastern Shore. rs well
as other valuable properties in the
vicinity, but 1t is now said THAT With
the sale of Wye Hall the last vestige
of these once large holdings passes
from the family.
The farm. on which the double muir
der was committed, belonged to the
heirs of Edward Paca and is the same
farm upon which a granite monument
was last summer erected to former
Governor Paca by members of the
Maryland Historical Socity. The
farm, at that time, was in possession
of Edward Paca's widow and was be-
ing cultivated by her son, job p. Paca.
and her brother, Arthur Jones.
Because of his having Joined the
Confederate army the property of E.
Tilghman Paca, one of the heirs of
Edward Paca, had been confiscated bv
an order of the United States Dis
trict Court, and when put up for sale
was purchased by William B. Paca.
It is said that efforts of the latter to
get possession of the property which
he had purchased caused bitter feel
ings between the two branches of
the family, and that the immediate
ause of the double homicide was the
erection of fence by Edward Paca s
son across right of way on the farm.
t is said that William B. Paca, ac-
companied by his three sons, John p. j.,
J. Chew and James p Paca, armed
With shotguns went to the adjoining
farm TO end the dispute.
When William B. Paca and his sons
reached farm where John Paca and
Arthur Jones were building the fence.
they ordered them to stop the work.
John Paca, however, felt that his
rights were being encroached upon
by his uncle and refused to desist.
Then the boys, who had accompanied
their father, fired, mortally wounding
John Paca and Arthur Jones, who
died a short while after.
Paca and his sons were arrested and
placed in Centreville jail. At the
next term of Court William B. Paca
and his son John were indicted for the
murder of the two men. The case was
removed from Queen Anne's to Talbot
county, where William B. Paca was
acquitted. The trial of John P. Paca
was later removed to Caroline county,
where he also was acquitted.
Only few years after being acquit-
ted William B. Paca died suddenly.
James P. Paca was shortly afterward
drowned in Wye river, while attempt
ing to drown dog, and John P. Paca
shot himself over his fathers grave
I. Chew Paca was the last survivor.
having died only few years ago. All
four members of the family were
buried on the Wye Hall estate but
were disinterred few years ago bur-
led at Wye Mills, in the Protestant
Episcopal Churchyard.