Hilton Adams

Inmate at Sing Sing prison, convicted for a string of murders, but potentially framed.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

An African-American man, with strong features and a muscular build, although he appears to have lost weight while in prison. He wears a black-and-white striped denim prisoner’s uniform. His short, dark hair is lightly peppered with gray, despite his youth, and his face is creased with lines.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Innocent man framed by the Cult of the Bloody Tongue for its murderous spree.

• Link: Lt. Poole mentions that Adams was arrested for a number of murders that resembled that of Jackson Elias (The New York Police, page 125).
• Link: newspaper articles linking the killing of Elias with the Adams case (Carlyle Papers America #9).
• Link: meetings with Rebecca Shosenburg, Millie Adams, and Adam’s former friends (The New York Times, page 145; Meeting Millie Adams, page 146; and The Good Friends of Hilton Adams?, page 149, respectively).

Hilton Adams is currently a death row inmate at Sing Sing prison. He was convicted in October 1924 for a string of murders that occurred around Harlem, and has been sentenced to death by electric chair.
Everyone who knows Adams maintains that he is innocent—and this is the truth. When people in Harlem started disappearing or dying violent deaths at the hands of the Bloody Tongue, Adams organized members of the local community to protect against the attacks and bring the culprits to justice. Adams served as a Sergeant in the Great War with the 369th Infantry Regiment, better known as the Harlem Hellfighters, which helped him marshal support locally.
Unfortunately for Adams, Mukunga M’Dari makes regular payments to Captain Robson of the 14th Precinct in Harlem to turn a blind eye to what goes on at Ju-Ju House. When Adams became a danger to the operations of the Bloody Tongue, Robson arrested him for the very murders he was investigating.
Adams’ wife, Millie, is still trying to prove her husband’s innocence. Most of his other associates have abandoned him, however, following threats from Robson that they could be arrested as accomplices and find themselves on death row as well. Presuming the investigators prove his innocence, Adams could be a suitable replacement should any of the investigators die in the course of this chapter
Roleplaying hooks: Adams may share details of his investigations into Ju-Ju House and his suspicion that they are behind the brutal murders in Harlem for which he was arrested (Meeting Hilton Adams, page 151). He is able to name and describe M’Dari as his main suspect for the man behind the killings.

Social

Mannerisms

Has seen how the law operates in Harlem all his life, and while he has not lost hope, he is realistic about his chances. As a result, he is stoic in his dealings with those who would help him, not dismissing their offers, but remaining politely skeptical.

Current Location

New York City

Age

29

Gender

Man