The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1892-08-25
\ SHERIFF AND AN EDITOR.


or comment IN the columns of the
SENTINEL until now that an editorial
in the Union Republican prompts US
to refer to it anew. The purpose of
the article is to uphold and defend
Sheriff league; but most people will
consider it piece of folly to defend
the indefensible.
The Republican says that this pa
per has published spurious state
ments regarding interviews and COM
munications for the purpose of get
ting the people to believe that the
Sheriff has purposely failed to arrest
the suspected murderer of Ellen
Smith, The SENTINEL has published
no spurious interviews or communi-
cations, so far as it knows. The
Republican will have to furnish bill
of particulars before its bare asser
tion can be believed.
The Republican says that 'sthose
who know anything know well that
after the murder DeGraff has not
been seen since, and any statement
to the contrary is a fabrication"
Here is broad statement, asserting
most positively that DeGraffskipped
Immediately after the homicide SO
that we may presume the capture of
DeGraf was an impossibility. This
C To II no
cause if it is true, the sheriff made an
ass of himself in sending out posses
the following week Therefore ac-
cording to the Republican the sheriff
cannot be zone who knows any
thing"
But the Republicans statement is
untrue, and the weakness of its de-
Tense must injure the sheriff, because,
if true, the sheriff is an ass, and if
untrue, the sheriff is coward, and
negligent in the most culpable de
gree. Obviously. the sheriff needs to
be saved from his friends.
The Republican would not have
beenso reckless in it's statements had
it known a few things, and it's edi
torial defense of Sheriff league gives
us occasion to state some new facts.
One day while DeGraff was still be-
lieved to be near Winston, the pro
prietor of this paper and the city edi-
tor went out for the purpose of find
ing DeGraff. They walked for three
hours, starting from the place where
the girls dead body was found.
They met a colored man named Car
ter who lives in cabin within less
than half a mile from the edge of
town. They ascertained from him
that Peter DeGraff was seen at IL
O'Clock on the day following the night,
of the murder, and two hours after
the discovery of the body. DeGraf1
was walking along the road and he
held conversation with the colored
man,-such a conversation as a gull
ty man would indulge in. The man
said: "There's girl murdered up
there, and they're trying to lay it on
me-" DeGraff got ona passing wag-
on and as he did so Mr.. Carter saw
the pistol in DeGraff's pocket.
Our next witness is Mr.. Brindle
who lives between the colored mans
cabin and Mr.. Pitts store. Mr..
Brindle is such straight-laced Re
publican that he will vote for league
again as sheriff, even if the sheriff is
coward. Mr. Brindle says that
Peter DeGraff was in his house on
Friday just a few minutes before a
sheriff's posse of four men mot head
ed by the valorous Teague] came up
and made inquiries. A little later
the posse saw DeGraff as he was
making across a field for the woods,
but the four men ceased their ap
proach when DeGraff pulled his pis-
tol and defied them.
We come now to Mr.. Pitts who EN-
ployed DeGraff for years as a bar
keeper. Fits saw DeGraff after the
murder and says that DeGraff sent
word to Sheriff league that if that
official would come to a certain place
! and at certain time, he would give
himself up, but he didn't propose to
be hunted down by mob. This
statement is the one which, perhaps,
more than any other, convicts the
sheriff of cowardice and gross neg
lect of duty. That officer had an OPP
portunity to go and quietly take De
Graf into custody. Why did he not
do it? Will the sheriff and the Re-
publican explain?
The editor and city editor upon
leaving Mr.. Pitts took the direction
which Mr.. Pitts pointed out as the
place wherein DeGraff sought refuge
after defying the sheriff's posse.
Their search continued between three
and four hours.
That night the editor of the SENTI-
MEL made another attempt to see
Peter DeGraff and he left the Hotel
Zinzendorf after getting directions
as to where the DeGraffs lived. The
night being very dark and the vicini,
ty new to him, he lost his way, but
subsequently regaining the road
walked along and knocked at the
door of house which proved to be
that of Mr.. Long, a neighbor of De
] Crafts. IL WAS too late for admit.