Hill was involved in an organizing meeting of black farmers near Elaine, Arkansas on September 30, 1919. When two deputized white men and a black trustee arrived at the church to disrupt the meeting, shots were exchanged. The white community reacted with extreme violence in an event which became known as the Elaine massacre. For two days, white militia swept through the county attacking blacks; a total of five whites and an estimated 100-237 blacks were killed, and the government called in federal troops to quell the riot. Hill fled to Kansas, where he was later arrested. The NAACP worked on his behalf with the state and with federal authorities. Governor Henry Justin Allen refused an extradition request from the state of Arkansas, stating he did not believe Hill would be safe in Arkansas jails or given a fair trial there. Federal charges were later dropped and Hill was released from jail in October 1920.