The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1893-08-17

| ring 10 PRESTON EDWARDS. COuUSei dSkoQ.
Did you ever see meaner face on a
man :? If he is a good man then
| somebody has got the wrong face. ;.
Davis came into court with the odor
of the jail on his clothes and didn't
| stick to what he said. Mr.. Baldwin
contended also that the State had not
been able to prove motive.
COL. SUTTON.
1t was $3.50 when Mr., Thos. III. SUIT
ton began speaking for the defense.
He spoke with fiuency as did Mr.
Baldwin, and his manner was forci-
Bile. He characterized the case as re-
markable. Here was man who was
charged with numbering. his para
mour for whom he had affection.
The testimony showed only suspi-
cions that DeGraff was the guilty
party because there was note max
! ing an designation found with the
woman's body. The noted was dated
Monday and the appointment was for
Tuesday. Can you jump at the con-
clusion that he met her on Wednes-
day? Was it reasonable that De-
| Graft should pass by his friend Brin-
die tell his story to Mike Davis? 1t
| was also improbable that DeGraff
| told Preston Edwards what the latter
| testified to. DeGraff was then will
i ing to surrender if he could get the
protection of the law. As to confes-
| sion that must be free, and as to ar
rest Mr. Sutton claimed that that
was virtual surrender. He closed by
appealing to the jury to make no mis-
! take for proof of guilt must be be-
yond reasonable doubt.
| Col. Sutton's address occupied over
| an hour and a half. He had lizard
case to handle and to argue, and this
| fact prevented his doing himself JUS
| tice as forensic speaker.
R. B. GLENN.
Mr.. Glenn, special counsel for the
| defence, followed. He made power
full and eloquent speech. He spoke in
substance as follows.
A year ago the word went out that
a murder had been committed-a
foul, damnable murder, and you,
gentlemen of the jury, are here to say
whether the prisoner at the bar is the
guilty man. Some years ago a girl
of thirteen left her home in Yadkin.
She came here and cast herself upon
the charity ard friendship of this
respectable family and her life was
happy.
y young man comes upon the scene;
lac has some ability and good looks;
he goes into the life of Ellen Smith,
and would to God he had never
brought her to disgrace and death.
What does he do: He pays attention
old story of love and devotion. He it
was who took her honor and her vir-
tue. And yet he says she was not the
woman she ought to be!
He says she was harlot and vet
he loved her! God forgive such a
mani There was no love there on his
part. You know that when woman
loves she loves with her whole heart.
She loved this man and he did with
her as he pleased. This man seduced
her and finally slew her. He had
pushed her aside with vulgar talk; he
said to her: 81 will shoot the heart
out of you; | will give the -----
a good thrashing." And yet turning
10 the prisoner) you say you loved |
her? There is no love in such
heart. What one of you would act |
sent him two pears and little book, |
and yet he speaks Of this present as |
the ID little book she gave me-"
Did you notice his words Threats. |
Threats. Threats! Can't you see he |
was prepared to do just what he did |
On the 18th of July this man wrote |
to her: Il want to know if you are
still mad with me-" On Wednesday
this poor girl dressed herself in her |
best, taking the umbrella and her |
handkerchief. She started with joy |
in her heart, little dreaming that in |
few hours she would be cold in |
death. Soon you find this man with |
the blood of that girl ON his hands |
and the mark of Cain on his brow. If |
you have read Shakespeare's Macbeth
you will remember how Lady Macbeth
became filed with remorSe; how she
Wrung her hands which smelt of blood
and pitSOusly asked if all the per-
fumes of Arabia could not sweeten
those little hands. There was no !
blood on her hands; it was on her soul. /;
And so it was the blood of this poor
girl that sent him to the spring, and,
not content with washing his hands,
he secured them in sand.
Peter De Graft had restless spirit
that night. He told Nike Davis: 81
have killed my girl' and didn'nt
know what to do. He said he shot
her with pistol, and Mike Davis
story is true. Counsel say that Davis
came into court with the odor of the
jail on his clothes, but why was he
put in Jail? Because he would have
been chased out of the country and /
prevented from giving testimony here.
| would not give the character of |
that old colored man for the charac-
ter of Page and Stafford and Russell
all together.
How did this man know Ellen
Smith was lying there dead? No
alarm had been given. This man, l
say, was restless and every time he
closed his eyes the features of Ellen
Smith were before him and the cold
form of the woman he had Seduced
and killed prevented sleep. Would
you have slept if you had killed wo-
man? All, no. There could be nc
sleep for you.
DcGraff did not want her body to
lie there and become putrid Carrion /
and so he told cid Preston Edwards /
that gil ol ',t:ii.s is dead up there by I
the spring" Look, too, at his broth
er'S testimony: "Peter told me to leave I
women and pistols and whiskey alone"
Mrs. Pitts asked DeGraff: "Where |
did you get that umbrella" and Pc
ter said it was his girls. How can |
you get around SUCH testimony as |
this? Every word, every act, conyicts |
him until there is no escape Turn |
ing to DeGraff]. You have taken the |
life of the woman you should have |
jury and ask for mercy. You |
showed no mercy to Ellen Smith, |
and gentlemen Of the jury, Can you |
show mercy to him who had no mercy
for her whom he had ruined and then |
killed?
Now why did DeGraff go to that |
spot and call out three times: "Ellen |
Smith, Ellen Smith, Ellen Smith, if |
you are in heaven, stay there; If you |
are in hell, arise!'' You have his tes-
timony: 81 have often heard if
person has committed murder aud
goes to the place where she was killed
and calls out those words, her spirit
would rise.s, All, gentlemen, God
makes men speak sometimes, and you
turning to DeGraffl are not SO much