The
Hill Murders
Carroll County
Shooting
Lexington Advertiser, March 10, 1904. P.1.
“Father and Oldest Son Killed, Younger Son Wounded, in a
‘Difficulty Over Boundary Lines’ with Neighbors”
W.W. Hill, and his son, John, were
killed and his youngest son, Hunter, was dangerously wounded by Aaron Stuart
and his son, Ed, near Old Salem, in Carroll
County, Monday.
It seems there existed a
misunderstanding or rather a difference of opinion over the line that separated
their lands that joined. Stuart had cut
a board-tree, claimed by Hill, and to settle their dispute they secured the
services of W.W. Winn, their county surveyor, to establish the correct line. It was during this survey that the difficulty
ensued and caused the death of a father and a son and the serious wounding of
another. A number of persons were
present and witnessed the encounter.
W.W. Hill – 05/26/1854 –
03/07/1904
John Henry Hill – 11/14/1879 –
03/07/1904
Hunter Hill – 01/??/1881 –
03/11/1904
The Weekly Corinthian. (Corinth, Miss.), 09 March 1904. P.1.
Double Tragedy at
Vaiden
Grenada Sentinel, March 12, 1904. P.1.
VAIDEN, MISS., -- March 7 – News reached here this
afternoon that in a fight between Aaron Stewart and son, on one side, and W.W.
Hill and two sons on the other, the Stewarts shot and killed W.W. Hill and son
John Hill, and seriously wounded Hunter Hill.
The weapons used were 38-caliber Smith and Wesson pistols. The difficulty arose in a dispute over a
boundary line. The parties were neighbors, living about twelve miles west of
here.
Three Men Dead: Two
in Prison
The Commonwealth, Greenwood, Miss.,
March 12, 1904. P.1.
“Deadly
Duel Near Old Salem
in Carroll County”
Carrollton – March 8 – Details of the
difficulty near Old Salem, fifteen miles south of here, yesterday, have been
received. The trouble was between W.M.
Hill and his two sons, John and Hunter Hill, and A.N. Stewart and his son, Ed
Stewart. As a result W.W. Hill and John
Hill are both dead and Hunter Hill cannot live. Sheriff McDougal and Deputy
Sheriff Edwards went to the scene of the crime last night, captured the two
Stewarts, and put them in jail here this evening.
The difficulty came up over a
tree on Hill’s land, which Stewart had cut to make boards. Hill ordered Stewart to abandon work on the
tree until the county surveyor could be summoned, the lines run out, and the
matter legally settled. Yesterday the
Surveyor ran the lines. It seems that the tree was on Hill’s land, according to
the line just run. Ed Stewart remarked
that anybody who said that was the correct location of the line was a
liar. John Hill became offended at this
and struck Ed Stewart in the face with his fist. Stewart drew a pistol and opened fire on John
Hill, killing him instantly. W.W. Hill,
seeing his son was killed, pulled up a stake that had been put down as a corner
mark and struck Ed Stewart on the head.
The report is that A.N. Stewart then drew his pistol, killed W.W. Hill,
and shot Hunter Hill.
Both families are prominent and
highly connected. Mr. Stewart and Ed
Stewart are both in jail and demand a preliminary trial at once. Everything is quiet and no further trouble is
feared.