The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1931-02-19
An Interesting Fact
Orderly Procedure of COlOnists-Ar
Indian Murderer

Orderly Procedure of Colonists-An
Indian Murderer
The orderly manner in which the
Maryland Colonists handled major
crimes, as we'll as less serious offenses,
is in striking contrast with the harsh
err methods in vogue in some of the
other colonies.
Maryland elected to proceed along
legal lines rather than to punish al.
legged offenders summarily without
judicially determining whether the Of
Tending parties were guilty or inno-
cent. In settlements to the west, par
ticularly along the Ohio River, to
charge an Indian with the commission
of a crime, was to condemn him.
Not so in Maryland.
In February, 1888, on Middle River,
Baltimore county, two colonists, Rich
ard Enoch and Francis Freeman, were
attacked and wounded by two In
dams. The first attack occurred while
Enoch was busy grinding or beating
corn in a mortar and would probably
have resulted in a fatality had not
Mrs. Enoch courageously and with the
true spirit of a pioneer woman come
to her husbands assistance, grabbed
the pestle and knocked the Indian I'M
conscious. And although she was I'M
doubtedly provoked by the assault
on her husband, Mrs. Enoch displayed
her womanly qualities by binding up
the head of the Indian and sending
him on his way.
It was thought that this settled the
affair and that no further trouble
would ensue. However, brother of
the injured Indian, brooding over a
wrong he believed had been done his
family, returned with companion
the next morning and attacked Enoch
and Freeman while they were at
work. Again Mrs. Enoch tried to pro-
tect her husband, but was knocked
down and remained unconscious until
the husband had been killed and Free
man seriously wounded.
The affair had it's inception in a
complaint by the family of the muir
derer that pigs belonging to Enoch
had destroyed a field of corn belong
ing to the Indians. The latter re-
taliated and "did do prejudice to
Enoch's stock by cutting his pigs ears
off and tails"
Even though it was, from all ac-
counts, deliberate murder, the colo
nists did not yield to mob violence
and proceed to punish the offender
without trial. When it was learned
that the two Indians who committed
the crime, Annachokill and Pompta-
vus (the former proved to be the ac-
tual murderer, the latter was parti-
ceps criminis), had fled to the Sus-
quehanna, where it was supposed they
would stay "'till the bark will peel
so they can make canoes to go over to
the Northern Indians" the Council
directed the Sheriff of Somerset coun-
ty and six of his neighbors to attend
the Emperor of Nanticoke and de-
mand the murderers. At the pow-wow
which followed, the Indians expressed
doubt that murder had been actually
committed. Request was made thru
the Sheriff that the grave "be opened
to satisfy the Indians that the said
Enoch was really dead and buried"
Thereupon Major Thomas Long, Sher-
iff of Baltimore county, was ordered
to comply with the request.
This is the first instance on record
where grave was opened to furnish
the corpus deficit in a murder case.
The murderers were captured and
delivered by the Emperor to the
proper authorities.
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