"The Chincoteague Tragedy" - Jennie Hill - The Local Newspaper Report in 1885

    First, a few facts:  Emma Virginia "Jennie" Hill was the youngest child of Timothy Hill, Jr. and Zipporah Sharpley.  Jennie was born on February 25, 1872, and died from her wounds on June 18, 1885; she was not quite 13 years and 3 months of age.  She attended one of the four schools on Chincoteague, and was considered very bright and a good pianist.  Her father Timothy Hill was mainly an oysterman, but he also farmed several acres around his home in Deep Hole.  Zipporah Sharpley Hill was just shy of her 57th birthday when she and Jennie were shot.  It wasn't known if Zipporah would recover from her wounds, but she did. (Many news stories reported her death.)  She provided the funds for a window in the old Methodist Church that was dedicated to Jennie's memory a few years after the shooting; and she died in 1892, at the age of 64.  Timothy Hill, father and husband, died in 1900 at the age of 74. -  And the Hill family was already well known to heartbreak: in the summer of 1871, within a week, they lost three daughters to an outbreak of diphtheria - twin girls, just over 1 year old, died on July 25 and 1 August, and an almost-5-year old also succumbed to the disease on 1 August, with her younger sister.

   Thomas W. Freeman was actually named and christened William Thomas Freeman on 17 March 1865.  His father was William M. Freeman, an oysterman born and raised near Berlin, Maryland.  William, the father, moved to Chincoteague to be closer to the oyster beds that made him rich. (In the 1870 Census, William had $500 in real estate, and a personal estate of $100.)  In 1861, he married the newly widowed (and already pregnant) Elizabeth Sharpley Whealton, who was the eldest daughter of Teackle (or Teagle) Sharpley and Euphemia "Feenie" Reed.  Elizabeth Sharpley Whealton Freeman soon gave birth to Ebe B. Whealton.  And in March of 1865, she produced Thomas as William's heir.  I have not been able to find a record of Elizabeth's death, but William Freeman, his son William Thomas, and Ebe Whealton were all living with Feenie Sharpley (now a widow) on 13 August 1870.  Both Elizabeth and her father died between 1865 and August 1870.  William M. Freeman disappears from records, but in the 1880 Census, a 15-year-old William (Thomas?) Freeman is living with a Jane Freeman, a widow, west of Berlin, Maryland.  Then young Thomas W. Freeman disappears until the report of "the Chincoteague tragedy."

Emma Virginia "Jennie" Hill

    On Saturday, 27 June 1885, the Accomack newspaper Peninsula Enterprise, ran a story on page 3, column 2, titled "The Chincoteague Tragedy."  I have transcribed it, as well well as  a follow-up article  below.

   "The following report from our correspondent gives an accurate and detailed account of the late terrible tragedy on Chincoteague:

   Chincoteague, June 18. -  Excitement was at fever heat this morning when it was announced that Tom Freeman had shot and probably killed Miss Jennie Hill and her mother Zipporah Hill and had blown out his own brains.  The two first named being daughter and wife of Timothy Hill.  Freeman who was a farm hand of Mr. Hill fell desperately in love with Jennie.  His urgent appeals for her to become his wife were opposed by Jennie because of her youth, and by her parents, who, while Freeman was a good farm hand objected to him as a son-in-law.  On the morning of the tragedy the mother and daughter dressed themselves and started to the dressmaker when they were met at the gate by Freeman who inquired of the mother if she still objected to his paying attention to Jennie.  Her reply brought on a contention between them, when without any warning, he drew a 32 calibre revolver and fired, the ball striking her in the head making an ugly scalp wound.  She fell to the ground but immediately rose to her feet and begged him not to kill her.  He fired the second shot again striking her in the head, the ball glancing and lodging at the base of the skull, turning immediately on the daughter he fired two shots at her, the first grazing the skull and the second penetrating the neck.  The murderer was so near his victims that in each case the powder from the revolver burned their bonnets.  The ladies ran one hundred yards to a son's dwelling and fell exhausted at the door.  The neighbors ran over to the scene of the tragedy in time to see Freeman place the revolver to his forehead and blow out, with his last cartridge his own brains.  He fell in the door of the kitchen and died instantly.  While the mother is dangerously wounded, she may recover, but Miss Jennie is mortally wounded, she has internal hemorrhages, and the surgeons say must die.

   Chincoteague, June 21. -  On our streets, in the stores, on the boats and in the fisherman's cabins, all conversation has reference to the terrible tragedy of a few days ago, the first murder in the history of our Island.  So much has appeared in our large dailies in connection with the case that is totally untrue, that in justice to the stricken family we write this.  The young victim of Freeman's jealousy was only a child, just fourteen years old and a scholar at our town Academy.  She was a perfect blonde of a bright and happy disposition, and a favorite of those with whom she associated.  She was in every sense the pet of her entire family, the most loving and obedient of them all.  She lingered from the morning of the shooting until 11 o'clock p. m. of the same day, in the most excruciating agony at which hour she died, during the time, while she gave a detailed account of the terrible ordeal through which she passed not a murmur of complaint against the murderer escaped her lips. Your correspondent who attended the funeral Saturday afternoon found the corpse laid out in the parlor of the dwelling wrapped in a white robe and strewn with flowers.  The golden hair that only the day before was all disheveled and clotted with gore was tastefully arranged and fell in ringlets around the white throat; and a sad smile rested on her pale face, and, if possible, she looked more beautiful in death than in life.  In one corner of the room stood her organ, opened, upon which rested the last piece of music she played.  Loving hands bore her to the family burying ground a few yards from where the fatal shots were fired.  The beautiful burial service of the Methodist Episcopal Church was read by Rev. J. D. Reese, after which with the sympathy and tears of the many present she was quietly laid away.  The mother still lingers hovering between life and death.

             The Assassin.

      Thomas W. Freeman was born on Chincoteague Island in 1865, his father was Capt. Wm. Freeman, and his mother the eldest daughter of Teagle Sharply, of this place.  She died about the year 1870 when his father moved to Berlin, Md., taking the boy with him, when he married a widow lady named Quillien.  His father died several years ago and the boy was thrown upon the world. -  In the year 1883 he obtained employment from Mr. Hill as a farm hand, where he has since lived, excepting a few months spent as a deck hand on the "Light-Ship" off Winter Quarter Shoal.  He was always possessed of a wicked evil disposition, and was very ignorant as will be shown from the following verbatim letters found in his effects and written one and two days before the tragedy.  The first is addressed to Timothy Hill, the father of his victim, and the second to James F. Mason, one of the crew of Winter Quarter "Light Ship."

      'June the 13 1885

Dear Sir, to all the peopel in the world I will tell you that I have Die for love I am going to kill myself on a count of  Jennie Hill  Wee have been corting about 8 mount and this is last, I will Die and I will kill my lover so good by to all and to everybody this is my request to be Bury long a side of hear

   this is from

Thomas W. Freeman. 

   Miss Hill you are the Caues of me doing so, I told you the other night you sid you would not let no one go with Jennie I do love hear and I will on a count hear and you. '

  

       'June the 14, 1885

My Dear friend

I will tell you about my trubel Freen Frank  I am in love with a girl and hear name is Jennie Hill, frank I think to much of hear  I will die for love, so good by my old friend  take warning from this, dont go to foor with the Girls  this is my last letter from me so I will Die for love

  Thomas W. Freeman.'

 

   There was such a lack of sympathy in the community for the assassin that even his relatives refused to receive his corpse or have anything to do with it. -  The undertaker took charge of the body and on the following day, in a rude pine box, with a few gaping boys around buried him by the side of the mother he had dishonored."

                                     **************

   On Saturday, 4 July 1885, the Accomack newspaper Peninsula Enterprise, printed an item on page 3,

column 2, under the heading of "Chincoteague" following up on the killing of Jennie Hill:

   " ...  Mrs. Hill, one of the victims of the recent tragedy is slowly improving. -  Since the shooting reason has been dethroned until yesterday when she became herself again.  Her first questions were for Jennie and when informed of the facts in the case her grief was heart-rending to witness.  The stricken family have received letters of commiseration and sympathy from many sections of our country.  We shall not be surprised  to hear of other cases of shooting."

  Please note, also, that, according to author Kirk Mariner, Tom Freeman was placed in a small burial ground that was behind what is now 4211 School Street.  Years later, the graves there were moved to the cemetery at "the Methodist Protestant Church" on the island; and that all of the relocated graves were unmarked.

   The location where the shooting occurred is currently 5418 Deep Hole Road - the house currently on the property was not the home of the Timothy Hill, Jr. family.  A part of the house is available for your viewing and touring enjoyment, and I highly recommend visiting the lovingly restored "Captain Timothy Hill House," now located at 5122 Main Street.  -  More about that in a later blog.

      I was scandalized and amazed by the imaginary prowess of other news-writers of the day in June of 1885.  My jaw dropped reading some of the articles.....  The articles were reprinted in newspapers all over the United States, as well as England and Scotland.  

   I will share them with you in the up-coming days, and tell you where and when they were printed.