Into the Night: A Jailbreak and Double Homicide on Maryland’s Eastern Shore

On Sunday, December 8^th, 1968, Joseph J. Bartholomey, Jr., a 21-year-old troubled delinquent from Baltimore, sat in the Wicomico County Jail in Salisbury, Maryland. Armed and dangerous, he was plotting his escape, but two men stood in his way: the jailer, Albert L. Kelly, and the county sheriff, Samuel A. Graham. The shocking and sensational double homicide of a beloved sheriff and a hardworking jailer left many on Maryland’s Eastern Shore devastated and heartbroken.

In this story of criminals and lawmen, author Stephanie L. Fowler uncovers the truth about what happened that night and reveals the complex series of events that led to it. From the historical beginnings of Salisbury and Wicomico County to the long aftermath of the murders, Fowler presents a detailed narrative about the damages we inflict upon one another and the ghosts that inevitably follow such tragedies.