The Macon Daily Telegraph
7 April 1909

Many Theories Advanced In Regard to the Murder

Believed That Two Men Had Hand in the Death of Mr. Pope Hill, at McRae

With heavy hearts and bowed heads, the family, professional associates,
and a large number of friends followed the remains of the late Pope S.
Hill to Mulberry Street Methodist church, and later to their last resting
place in the family lot in Rose Hill cemetery.

Promptly at 3:30 the funeral cortege left L. H. Burghard's undertaking
parlors, where the body had been ever since its arrival the day before,
and slowly winded its way to the church, where the entire Macon Bar
Association stood, forming a line from the curbing to the door and through
which the casket was carried. After the members of the family had passed
into the church these fell in line and marching by twos went in, occupied
seats near the front.

The choir tenderly rendered "Lead Kindly Light" and other appropriate
hymns, and Dr. T. D. Ellis, in a most impressive manner, delivered a brief
eulogy, in which he referred to the life an work of the deceased.

The pallbearers were Messrs. A. L. Miller, J. E. Hall, Chas. H. Hall, Jr.,
Roland Ellis, L. D. Moore, Minter Wimberly, Arthur Dasher, T. E. Ryals,
Walter Harris and J. R. L. Smith, selected from the bar association.

The floral offerings were many and very beautiful, the casket being piled
high with wreaths. There were many designs, but most beautifyl of all was
the large heart made of pink carnations sent by the bar association.

Searching for the Murderers.
Now that the sudden and unexpected excitement, occasioned by the murder of
Hon. Pope S. Hill, of this city, in the office of the Norman W. Dodge Land
Comapny, whom he represented as attorney, at McRae, has begun to subside,
and the people have had time to begin groping around for clues as to whom
the guilty parties might be, it is very likely that, unless those who are
responsible for the death of Mr. Hill are unusually elusive, they will
soon be apprehended and arrested.

Marshal George White and Deputies Dave and Frank Riley went to McRae
Monday morning, just a few hours after the tragedy was discovered. They
were there the rest of the day, and all of the following night and they
got very little sleep while there. The entire situation was carefully
gone over, and while none of the officers will have anything to say
regarding what they found, it is the general opinion that they really
secured some valuable information, which will possibly take material form
some time in the near future.

Immediately upon the news of the murder becoming generally known among the
people of McRae many different and varying theories were advanced as to
the manner and method employed by the assassins, but of course, none of
these could be depended upon, not being known to be based upon facts. It
is, however, a more widely accepted and plausible theory that the murder
was committed by more than one man. It is very strongly thought that two
or more men, either gained an entrance through the front door by means of
a skeleton key and slipping upon their victim one grappled with him,
becoming engaged in a deadly fight, but finally overpowering him and
throwing him upon the floor. The other had in the meantime secured Mr.
Hill's revolver, which probably lay upon the desk, at which he was
writing, and fired the fatal shot. After this they placed the body in the
position in which it was found, and escaped through the rear entrance, the
door of which was found open and the cross bar lying close by the body.

Another possibly theory is held by others that the parties, one or two --
it is generally accepted that there were more than one -- gained
admittance as friends, but with the firm intention of committing the
crime. Mr. Hill admitted them and was engaged in conversation when one of
the murderers suddenly reached for the revolver an[d] fired the fatal shot
before the victim had time to resist. Then the chairs were upset and the
tables overturned for a blind.

All small pieces of evidence about the room have been preserved and it is
likely that some of the most insignificant may be the ones to lead to the
apprehension of the parties. The magazine which Mr. Hill was supposed to
have been reading at the time was found lying open upon the table with
blood marks upon its pages. These were in the form og finger prints,
which an examination of the dead man's hand proved were not his own. This
book was put away and brought to Macon with the other articles. It is
possible that these finger prints may be used in identifying or verifying
any suspected parties.

Expressions of Sorrow.
There were many expressions of sorrow yesterday on the part of citizens at
the sad ending of Mr. Hill. There were many who knew of the laborious,
painstaking work performed by him, and there were many to wonder why, with
his knowledge of the law, the constant storing of his mind, ability he was
known to possess, he did not plead.

Col. N. E. Harris, who was a father to him, explained this yesterday. He
said that while Mr. Hill had a perfect genius for the law, he was timid,
and rarely, even when often solicited by his partners, would he make a
speech in the court house. A short time ago, in a case before Judge
Martin of the Ocmulgee circuit, he made a speech of some two hours length,
that was as fine as argument as was ever listened to. He surprised
lawyers who had known him long as he was known in Macon as a worker, and
this speech received numbers of compliments. he seemed to have just developed.

This brought to the mind of Col. Harris something the grandfather of Mr.
Hill, the late Judge Barnard Hill, said to him. This was that he never
knew what the law was, never thought much of it, until after he was forty
years old, and then he developed, and, as all know, was one of the
brainiest lawyers in Georgia.

"And Pope, poor fellow, had just passed forty," said Col. Harris. Then he
was silent as in deep thought. Perhaps he was thinking of what the future
held for Mr. Hill had he lived.

His Last Letter.
When Col. Harris opened his desk yesterday he found the last letter
written by Mr. Hill. It was addressed to Judge Martin, and is so
characteristic of the man that a copy is here given:

Macon, Ga., April 3, 1909.
H. C. Brown vs. City of Hawkinsville.
Hon. J. H. Martin, Hawkinsville, Ga.
Dear Judge -- I am in receipt of your decision in the above case. It
seems to reach the heart of the question. I think that Governor Brown and
every member of the legislature ought to have a copy of it.

Notwithstanding campaign promises not to tamper with the prohibition law
of Georgia, in my opinion our law makers will be absolutely driven to such
definite and explanatory legislation as will relieve the nerve-exhausting
and heart-breaking work necessary to your decision in the case of Brown
vs. Hawkinsville.

I have just referred you[r] opinion to my senior, N. E. Harris, who is, in
my opinion, the best and most conscientious lawyer in Georgia. Yours
truly, POPE S. HILL

An Autopsy.
For the purpose of furthering the ends of justice, an autopsy was held on
the body of Mr. Hill while at the undertaking establishment of L. H.
Burghard, on Monday night, by Mrs. M. A. Clark, O. H. Weaver and I. H. Adams.

The result of this autopsy will be written out and signed by the
participating physicians and given to Col. N. E. Harris. This will
probably be done today.

It is said that the autopsy revealed the fact that the skull was
fractured, as if with a blunt instrument, but as the physicians have made
no report on the subject and have not given out what the nature of the
report will be, nothing definite is known. It may be that the physicians
will wait to compare the result of the autopsy made at McRae with that of
their own before making any report.

Governor Offers Reward.
Col. Harris held a telephone communication with Governor Smith as to
offering a reward for the apprehension of the murderer, and was assured
that the proclamation would be issued yesterday, the amount being $200.
It is also probable that this reward will be augmented by one from the
Dodge company for a very large amount.

But it is believed that the officials of the United States court, and the
state and county officials will bend all their efforts toward the capture
of the man or men without regard to any reward that may be issued. No
stone will be left unturned in this direction.

Correction.
In the hurry of writing for yesterday the story of the Dodge land and the
many events that have followed and which have served to make it notorious,
an error was made as to the county from which Dodge and others were formed.

It was intended to say that the agents of the original company, formed in
the [?] bought up large tracts of land in the original and well-known
county of Wilkinson, now the counties of Dodge, Telfair, Laurens and
Montgomery. The word "Dodge" was inadvertently used for the
word "Wilkinson."

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Rose Hill Cemetery

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