Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1930-09-11
BOY MEETS TRAGIC DEATH
is KILLED IN MELON PATCH


William Porter place, near Oil
Spring run, in which Harold Henry
Hill, aged 10, son of Addison Hill
Barnes, and died almost instantly.
The Boys Story
Coroner Miller's investigation of
| the affair as related by the three
iboys, who were with Hill, is in sub
stance as follows: Victor Bump, son
lof James Bump, near Malta, and
Charles James of Malta, the latter of
whom resides with his grandmoth-
er, Mrs. Ida James, spent Sunday
afternoon with Harold Hill and his
brother Russell Hill, aged %, at the
Hill home. better known as the
Jackson Miller place About $50
O'Clock in the evening the Hill boys
lstarted to take Bump and James to
their respective homes. They drove
to Malta, and stopped at the Head
filing station. and then someone
suggested that they go to the Por-
ter place for melons, which they did
Russell Hill was driving, and near
the patch he stopped the machine
Bump remained with him, the two
pretending to be fixing a tire, and
the other two went into the patch.
Hill drove on UP the road dis
tance and turned around and then
down past the patch. About that
time, as James came out of the
patch, they heard shot fired.
James thought then that Harold
had been hit. and the three boys
were badly frightened. and fearing
as they said that there might be
"some mix-up" they brought James
and Bump to Malta, and Russell
went home after his father. Com
for Harold, and Barnes answered
from the field The elder Hill ask
ed Barnes if he had seen anyone.
Hill stated he received no reply
from Barnes, and then he asked
Barnes what he was shooting at,
land if he was shooting at Harold,
and received no reply. Barnes ask
ed why the light had been turned off
their machine. and the elder Hill
called to Barnes to come to the
machine, but he did not. and con
tinued talking from the field Rus
sell then turned the machine
around and drove down the road to
near the railroad trestle and parked
it there and walked back to the
upper end of the patch-a distance
of perhaps 200 feet or more, close
to where Barnes was. so he could
talk to him, and asked Barnes if he
had seen anyone, and Barnes re-
piled, he had "shot a fellow Rus
sell and Barnes then went through
the field looking for Harold, and
Russell asked Barnes if he hit the
fellow, and Barnes said that he did
not think SO; that he had heard
someone hollow. but thought that
he was just Kidding Barnes was
ahead Of Russell and walked to
within Is feet of Harold's body.
and turning his fashlight on the
body, said, "Wel there he lays"
Russell made an examination of the
body. and said 'ssgell you have kill
ed him. Then Barnes fired two
shots and called for Mr. Porter, and
said Il have shot a man here" Rus
sell told Barnes not to disturb the
body, and they would be back after
it. He went to the car where his
father was, and they returned to
the place, and when they arrived
shall Drury there, the officers having
been called by Mr.. Porter. Cor
oner Carl Miller was called and pro-
nounced death due to gunshot
wounds. Examination showed that
the load of No. 2 shot had pene-
trated for the most part, the chest,
although shot had struck his
hand, another his chin, and another
his neck. The gun was a Winches-
ter repeater. Barnes was not plac-
ed under arrest.
Barnes Version
Barnes in personal interview
with the writer stated in substance
the following:
He is as years Of age, and re-
sides with his wife and eight chill
dren, on Lemon HILL He had rent
ed the VIM. Porter field joining the
river, on the right side of the road
which goes north after it makes
sharp bend beyond the Oil Spring
run bridge, and which field he had
planted in watermelons and canta-
loupes. The season being very dry,
ne and his family had carried water
from the river to the patch, in or
der that they might save the crop.
Before the melons had scarcely be-
gun to ripen. they had been badly
annoyed with parties going to the
patch and carrying away melons;
that one night five dozen of their
finest contaloupes and 20 of their
largest watermelons were stolen:
that he and Mr.. Porter had COM
planned to officers about conditions,
and that the sheriff promised that
any time they would call him, he
would come up. So annoying were
the intruders of late, that Mr.. |
Barnes for more than a week had
spent every night personally guard !
ing his patch. Sunday night he was
seated on piece of canvas on the
ground at the side of his patch, un-
der a tree, to shelter him from the
rain that was falling. He heard a
machine stop, between one side of
the patch and the road is a corn
field, and intruders usually entered
from that side. The moon was hid
den by heavy cloud, and as stated
rain was falling, thus making it
dark. He heard some noise in the
patch, as of moving about, and tap
ping melons. He shot at the noise. !
as he said he had no other oc-
casions, and as Mr.. Porter had also
done, Barnes was seated on the
ground, as stated above, and as he
always did, shot low. Then he
heard someone hollow that he was
shot. and saw a form running. The
distance, Barnes stated, from where
ne was sitting and where the OBJ
Ject was where he shot, was about
100 feet, and from the place where
Hill was shot to where the BODY was
aIterWard found was also close to