 He regularly held political meetings at his cabin and was a popular and powerful preacher, serving a congregation in Clay Hill, near Rock Hill, South Carolina.In February 1871, Hill met with local Ku Klux Klan leaders to negotiate the safety of blacks in the community.These negotiations were not successful, and around February 12, eight black men were killed by 500 to 700 whites in black gowns with masks, and was followed by nightly Klan raids for months.