St. Francois County Record, Elvins, Missouri, Friday, June 23, 1916. STARTLING STORY OF GREWSOME MURDER. Hill-Whitt Trial Attracts Large Crowd to Judge Ramsey's Court Room Tuesday -- Each Defendant Lays Crime on Other. One of the most thrilling recitals of crime ever told in justice court in St. Francois county perhaps was that of Frank Hill and John Whitt in Judge Ramsey's court at Flat River Tuesday when these two young men were on preliminary trial for a murderous assault committed on the night of June 12th and resulting in the death of a foreigner. In some of the minor particulars, the testimony of the two agreed, but in the most vital particulars there was the widest disagreement. For instance, each told of how they had visited Manley & Maurer's blacksmith shop in Flat River and procured the implements with which the attack was later made - one a piece of iron pipe two feet in length and the other a piece of buggy shaft. Each told, also, of how they followed the victim of their foul assault as he went east over the bridge, through Norwine town and on to the trail that leads to the foreign quarters; but as to the assault itself the two tell a different tale. Whitt, in a statement at the time of his arrest, the next day after the crime was committed, said that Hill struck the blow that felled the foreigner and in his testimony in the preliminary trial he maintained that this was true, merely admitting that he had accompanied Hill and that he saw Hill hit the man. Hill in his testimony at the preliminary swore that the opposite was true as to the first blow. He said that Whitt knocked the man down with the iron implement; that the man was about to get up and that he (Hill) jumped on him and dealt him a second blow. Both agreed as to taking the man's valise and pocketbook, and the manner of opening the valise by "jumping on it with their feet and bursting it open," of the contents of the grip -- three pints of whiskey, a quart of wine and a suit of clothes. The pocketbook they said they did not open until later and only found 14 cents in it. And at this point they related as to how the unfortunate victim of their brutal assault had said, when they took his pocketbook, "Me no got money." The defense presented but one witness and her testimony was of no importance. There were ten or twelve witnesses for the State; among the latter were some who testified that they had met the defendants on the night of the crime and had been offered a "drink" by them; others saw them board the train at the I.S. station soon after the crime was supposed to have been committed. Then there were the officers who had later made the arrest and Parkhurst Sleeth who had taken the foreigner to St. Louis before he died, and others all bearing on the guilt of the defendants. Among the witnesses for the State was Charles Newman, an officer of Jefferson County who arrested Hill. The arrest was made at Barnhart last Friday night. As related by Mr. Newman, the two had met in a saloon and after entering into conversation, Hill became very talkative, relating incidentally that he was a deputy under Sam Doss; that he had been entrusted to hold a prisoner - a foreigner and while thus engaged the man had attempted to escape and he (Hill) had shot him. Newman arrested Hill and took him to Kimswick - later turning him over to the officers of this county. Among the witnesses summoned but who failed to arrive in time to testify were C. J. Harmon, conductor and W. E. Acuff, brakeman, on the I. S. local which left the Flat River station at 10:30 o'clock on the night that the crime was committed. They said that Hill and Whitt boarded the local at the water tank and got off at the "Y" at Esther and that they thought no more of them until they missed their supper which Hill and Whitt are supposed to have taken from the caboose during their absence. An important witness in the case was G. W. Pipher, a Federal watchman. It was his first night on the job and he was stationed in a building near where the assault was made, so near in fact that he heard the wounded man's groans and went several times to where the man was lying but believing the man drunk did not offer any aid. He said the man was lying with his face down and was shivering as if suffering from cold. When it became light enough to see he summoned a foreigner who lived close by and together they investigated and found the man was unconscious from a blow which he had received on the head. They reported the case, with results as formerly told in the Record. Hill and Whitt were taken to Farmington and being arraigned in Circuit Court Wednesday morning both plead guilty to a charge of murder and were sentenced to life imprisonment in the penitentiary - and an officer started with them in the afternoon, going upon the 3 trail. Note: According to an article published in the Bonne Terre Register (which I'll post separately), the name of the victim was Bumistow Branowich, who was a Russian.