Fred Hiltz, formerly of Hemingray's Glass Works murdered

COVINGTON CRIME.

A Trio of Negro Friends — Murder

Unprovoked and Inexcuseable.

A killing occurred yesterday afternoon about two and a half miles back of Covington, on what is known as the Flats, remarkable for atrocity because wholly unprovoked and not mitigated by any of motives that usually either dignify or excuse the crime of homicide.

Fred. Hiltz, a youth fourteen years of age, is the victim, and the perpetrators were three colored boys, from fifteen to eighteen years old, one mu­latto and two blacks.

Hiltz lived at 1223 Fisk street, and up to three weeks ago worked at the Hemingray Glass-works, Covington, where he bore an excellent reputation. Leaving there, he went to work for dairyman Kalvelage on one of the roads leading from the Bank Lick Pike to South Covington, near the place of the murder.

Yesterday afternoon about three o'clock, while down the Short-Line Railroad, about a mile from Kalvelage’s place, looking up some of the cows, the three negroes attacked him. His story is that they asked him for some tobacco, and, upon his telling them he had none or refusing to give it to them, they seized him, and, throwing him down, rifled his pockets thoroughly, but found nothing worth their trouble. This seemed to enrage the rascals uncontrollably, and one of them proposed, with an oath, that they kill the poor fellow. Suiting the action to the word, he at once drew a pistol, cocked it, placed the muzzle against the unoffending boy's stomach and fired, burning his clothing and flesh, and sending the bullet clear through his body.

The murderers who, from the descriptions given, are thought to have been of a party who went out that road in a wagon in the morning, then left the locality of their crime, and the fatally wounded boy was left alone to struggle as best he could for help and life, or to die where he lay. He managed to walk and crawl three-quarters of a mile toward home, when he was fortunately discovered at last by some women out for a walk over the fields and his people notified. The latter speedily carried him home, and Drs. Paul Waite, of South Covington, and Kearns, of Covington, were called in as quick­ly as possible. The surgeons found that the ball had entered about two inches above the umbilicus, ranged through toward the left side, and passed out about six inches from the spine in a straight line. The police were notified and have the case in hand.

Marshal Bolan, of Covington, arrested two ne­groes named Dulaney and Fields in Covington last night on suspicion, and when our report closed, near midnight, had gone out to the Flats to see if Hiltz could recognize them, or either of them. Dulaney drove six out in the wagon and only three came back. With Dulaney for a clue, it is not likely that the guilty ones will escape.

LATER. — William Page, Jo Dulaney, Fred Fields, Robert Page, Taylor Neal, and Ezra Howlett, were the six negroes who went out in the wagon. The first three were taken out to the house where the wounded boy lay last night, and he said they were not the three. Deputy Marshal Healy and Officer M. Bolan went along with them. The officers were still on the search when our report finally closed. John Hiltz, brother of Fred, passed Healy on his way to town for Dr. Kearns, and if he had said any thing about his errand the police authorities would have known of the deed in time to easily bag the whole party.