Quinzy Hill

Case summary

Incident

On the evening of June 19, 1940, Quinzy Hill celebrated Juneteenth at home with friends. Hill, a Black farm laborer, had been living and working on a farm in Coleman County, Texas for about 13 years. His employer and landlord was Charlie Walter Davis, a 64-year-old white farmer and rancher, who also lived on the property.

Davis was driving home around sundown when, according to the San Angelo Daily Standard, he was “almost forced off the road into a muddy ditch” by an oncoming car. Newspapers reported that the driver and passengers in the approaching car were Hill’s visiting friends. The Coleman County Chronicle reported that several witnesses heard “heated words” exchanged, prompting Davis to go inside his house to get a gun.

According to the San Angelo Daily Standard, Davis told police that he met Hill outside, where Hill allegedly “cursed” him and expressed his discontent with how Davis had “treated his company.” Davis, who told police he felt threatened, fired his shotgun at Hill. As the Coleman County Chronicle reported, “The negro had a large bullet hole in his chest, and apparently died instantly.”

Aftermath

County Coroner Barclay Martin Sr. arrived at the Davis farm around 9 p.m. He held an inquest at the scene and determined that Hill died at 7:30 p.m. due to a “Gun shot in left chest.” Hill’s death was deemed a homicide and Davis was arrested.

The following day, County Attorney W.B. “Billy” Baker told reporters that Davis posted his $2,500 bond the same night as his arrest.

Hill was buried at the Coleman City Cemetery on June 22, 1940.

On June 25, a grand jury convened before Judge O.L. Parish at the 119th District Court in San Angelo. It declined to indict Davis for killing Hill.

On Sept. 21, 1941, Rose Mae Hill penned a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. “My Husband was killed June 19, 1940,” she wrote, and Davis “can not tell what he killed him for.” Rose Mae Hill suggested that “something sh[o]uld be done” about her husband’s killing, inquiring about the possibility of suing Davis for damages. “We are American citizen[s] like every one else,” Hill wrote.

Administrative Assistant to the U.S. Attorney General T.D. Quinn replied to Rose Mae Hill on the president’s behalf on Oct. 6, 1941. He wrote, “The Federal Government has jurisdiction only in those cases involving some federal question,” adding “there is no indication such a question exists in your case.” Quinn concluded by suggesting Hill “consult some local attorney for advice on the subject.” The federal government did not pursue an investigation.

Rose Mae Hill married Moses Harris in Pima County, Arizona in 1947. Several years later, they welcomed a daughter. The family, including Quinzy Hill’s children, resided in Arizona before relocating to California.

Davis died in Texas in 1955. He was 79.

Media Gallery

Case summaries are compiled using government records and archival primary source material. These include, but are not limited to, investigative records, arrest reports, newspaper articles, court filings, census records, birth and death certificates, transcripts, and press releases. In many cases, the records contain contradictory assertions.

In addition to the incident files associated with this case, this summary relied on the following:

Sources

Archival Records

• Certificate of Death for Charlie Walter Davis; Bureau of Vital Statistics, Texas Department of Health; Austin, Texas

Genealogical Records

• Korean War Era Draft Registration Cards, Arizona, United States, 1948
• Pima County Record of Marriages, Arizona, United States, 1947
• Population Schedule for Coleman County, Texas, United States Federal Census, 1920, 1930, 1940, 1950
• Population Schedule for Houston County, Texas, United States Federal Census, 1910
• Population Schedule for Maricopa County, Arizona, United States Federal Census, 1950
• Population Schedule for Pima County, Arizona, United States Federal Census, 1940, 1950
• WWI Draft Registration Cards, Texas, United States, 1918
• WWII Draft Registration Cards, Texas, United States, 1940

Newspaper Articles

• “Coleman Farmer No Billed in Slaying of Negro Last Week,” San Angelo Standard-Times (San Angelo, TX), June 25, 1940
• “Davis is Under Bond in Death Coleman Negro,” San Angelo Daily Standard (San Angelo, TX), June 20, 1940
• “Murder Charge Filed Against C. W. Davis in Negro Shooting Case,” Coleman County Chronicle (Coleman, TX), June 20, 1940
• “Quick Action is Taken on Two Court Cases,” Coleman Democrat-Voice (Coleman, TX), June 27, 1940
• “Two Sentenced at Coleman,” The San Angelo Weekly-Standard (San Angelo, TX), July 5, 1940