The 1938 Case Against W Frank Pilgrim

In December of 1938, 66 year-old Justice of the Peace for Delmar, Wicomico county, W Frank Pilgrim, was found guilty by People Court Judge Marion A. Humphry of four criminal charges and sentenced to six months in jail and a ten dollar fine.  He was convicted of two charges of assault and two charges of indecent exposure.  The charges were filed by two sisters; Mrs Alice Whaley and Mrs Grace Hearn. 

The two sisters were the daughters of Charles Marvel Wilson (1870-1957) and Eva D. Conoway Wilson (1877-1957).    Alice Conoway Whaley (1899-1973) was married to Harley Benjamin Whaley (1898-1952) and Grace Laura Hearn (1908-1978) was married to Clifford George Marvel Hearn (1904-1976).

William Frank Pilgim (1875-1943) was born in Iowa, the son of Charles and Nancy Boyer Pilgrim.  In 1901 he married Anna Mae Elwick (1875-1947).  While living in Iowa they adopted Mildred A. Krauss (1904- ).  Mildred would marry Clarence Cooper Bradley and their offsprings would reside in Delmar until their death.  They also adopted Harold William Krauss (1900-1945).  Harold would marry Helen Alice Sanborn and they would live in Honolulu Hawaii.  By 1920 the family had moved to Punge, Princess Anne County Virginia where he continued to farm.  About 1923 the family arrived in Delmar, Maryland to farm and being strong Republicans they became active in the Republicans party in Wicomico County.  While in Delmar He accumulated a few properties he rented out. 

The fourth player in this trial was Judge Marion A. Humphry.  Marion A Humphreys  (1875-1942) lived in the Tony Tank part of Salisbury.  He started work at Jackson Brothers lumber company and William P Jackson took him under his wing to bring him into Republican politics and in the Jackson Bros Lumber business. He ruled the Republican party in Wicomico county and was a classic party hack.  He was postmaster in Salisbury from 1900 to 1912.   He was appointed Judge to the People’s Court in 1935.  He set on the board of numerous businesses in Salisbury. 

In the trial it developed that on Oct 12^th,  Alice Whaley went to Pilgrims office to discuss renting a house in Delmar from him.  At that time she was working for Feldman and sons a pants manufacturer in Delmar.   Pilgrim discussed the rental, then propositioned her and made an indecent exposure.

Mrs.  Grace Hearn was renting from Pilgrim and was $83 in arrears on her rent.  Both Grace and Alice had borrowed $20 from him and he was holding a bad check from Alice’s husband, Harley B Whaley.    Grace Hearn’s husband, Clifford G Hearn, had been indicted for Larceny of machine parts from the Salisbury Brick Company in June of 1937 and it is assumed he was in jail at the time.   Alice’s husband Hartley Whaley in 1925 had been damaged in a cement mixer accident and had his arm mangled limiting his work ability. Pilgrim said the charges were brought by the women “Out of Spite” after he refused twice to loan them anymore money.

The public, in general, likes it anytime charges are brought against an elected or appointed official so the courtroom was overflowing with over three hundred spectators lined up three deep to watch the show.   Early on in the trial it became obvious Judge Humphry had decided Pilgrim was guilty so the outcome of the trial was not that much of a surprise.  Pilgrim by way of his attorney, Edgar Porter, filed an appeal . 

The appeal took until April of 1939 and a jury found Pilgrim not guilty of all charges.  While the appeal was going on charges were brought against Judge Humphry for acting in a disorderly manner in the Wicomico courthouse.  His case was heard by Justice of Peace W Frank Pilgrim who of course found him guilty.  Chief Justice Benjamin A Johnson and Associate Judge Sangston T Insley granted motions in April to squash the proceeding against Humphry  due to a number of mistakes made in the trial by Pilgrim.

In April of 1939 W Frank Pilgrim was replaced as Justice of the Peace by Harry Hudson, a Democrat and Marion Humphry was replaced by E Sheldon Jones.   Humphry would die in 1942 and Pilgrim would die in 1943.

In 1939 Grace Hearn gave birth to Joyce Ann Hearn. Shortly after that her marriage to Clifford Hearn broke up and she married Lester Nibblett a few years later.