The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1893-08-17
HE GAVE HIMSELF AWAY.
DGGr6if Tells Why RG Went to the
Scene Of the Murder
TEE EVGNIEG OF HIS ARREST
SAYS He Has Heard it Said That When
Man Committed Murder He
Could See the Person Killed by
Going TO the Scene-Reyiew of the
Evidence Given by Other Witnesses.


Could See the Person Killed b,
Going TO the Scene-Reyiew of tn
Evidence Given by Other Witnesses
The following additional evidence
in the DeGraff trial was given Satur
day afternoon and Monday:
John Russell: "Liye just the othel
side Of Pitts bar-room; DeGraff went
to Pitts store first; he came to ou1
house about $50 the evening Of hi.
arrest: l went with him to see hi
mother that night; it was about OF
1880 when we left our house; he asked
for me to 90 with him to the place
where Ellen Smith was killed; | wen
with him; lie said he had heard il
said that she could be seen; when we
got there lie called her name and said
IF you are in Heaven stay there; if in
hell rise He went with me back tC
our house and got under the feather
bed when the men came to arrest
him.
Cross-examined: 1--WE did not stay
long at the place where the woman
was killed: we got back to our house
about 10 o'clock; DeGraff gave me his
pistols and belt and [ put them in my
trunk that night; he had two in a
belt when we came to town to see his
mother: | had the other one; DeGraff
said he got the pistols at Mt. Airy"
Preston Edwards, colOred: Il lived
at Col. Alspaugh's next door to Kennie
Roses; | knew Ellen Smith: she
cooked for Mr. Rose: DeGraff came to
my house often and asked abort his
girl, Ellen Smith; l saw them talking
together; / saw her the same day that
she was killed that night: between II
and u o'clock that night DeGraff
knocked at my door; he came in and
sat down at the foot of my bed and
remarked that his girl was dead; he
did not stay at my house long; / don't
know where he went when he left"
Cross examined: "Think saw them
talking together one or two weeks be
fore the murder; they were friendly
EX-Sheriff league recalled for the
State: Mr.. Manly handed him a
note and asked him if he ever saw
thai piece of paper before DR.. league
said he saw it taken from the bosom
of Ellen Smith"
Col. Sutton asked the witness If he
ever received a letter or information
of anv kind from Peter DeGrah to the
effect that if he (Tcague) would come
alone he might arrest him. Dr.
league replied that he did not, but
stated that he was informed by col
Ored man one day that DeGraf told
him that il the sheriff would cone af-
ter him alone he could arrest him. DR..
league said he went. not alone, but
with his deputy, Mr.. Frazier, but
they failed to find DeGraf."
E. H. Wilson, Secretary and Treas
urer of Winston: II have had fire.
Quent occasions to examine sigma
lures. His Honor held that Mr.. Will
son was an expert. The witness was
given the note found on Ellen Smiths
body and another paper containing
DeGraff'S signature.
Witness could not say positively
whose writing the note was, but was
of the opinion that it was the same
as the signature on the other paper"
Mr.. Wilson examined another paper
and stated that IN his opinion all
three were written by the same per-
son.
J.P. Stan ION, ex-Register of Deeds:
'EWhile register | was called upon
many times to examine signatures; L
don't claim to be an expert at the bus
mess but have had considerable expe-
rience."
Mr.. Manly handed the witness the
same papers examined by Mr.. Wilson.
Mr.. Stanton after examining them,
said that in his opinion the same per-
son wrote all of them; that there was
some similarity about them; that the
formation of the letters were quite
similar
Mr. Manly read the note found on
the body of Ellen Smith. The note
reads as follows:
July 18th, 1S92:-Dear Miss Ellen i
write this to you to see if you are mad
with me. If you are let me know.
Pleas Don't thin hard of me for have
love you all my life and can't let no.
body but you, so please let me prove
your love, Peter DeGraff. So / ;want
you to come tomorrow to the spring,
if you will pleas come and don't fail
for i want you to come good by love:
Want to kiss for you
as you have done before. P.D. A. t
1.-THE stars were in the note.
At the conclusion of the reading of
the note Mr.. Manly announced that
the State would rest its case tor the
present.
FOR THE DEFENSE.
Col. Sutton then put his first wit
ness on the stand for the defense.
Julia Fulton, colored: Il knew Ell
len Smith; she came by my house on
Wednesday evening, the day she was
killed; Mr.. Ray was with her; 1 don't
know his given name; it was between
sun down and dusk: they went toward
Mr.. Hundley's bar-room; I live in
Hundley; l knew Ellen for one or two
years; knew Ray but have not seen
him since the murder: it is about p
miles from my house to the ZinZen-
dorf hotel site"
Cross-examined: II came here from
Mt. Airy; was not there with DeGraff;
7 told Mrs. HALEY about Ellen being
at my house; she had an umbrella
with her: the Coins murder was COM
Smith,
p. T. Lehman: II have known Jul
liza Fulton for II or 10 years; her gen.
eral character is good"
Henry Stafford: Il have known
Julia Fulton for 10 years; her general
character is good; have known Mike
Davis: mind is rather Waveryi he will
tell one thing one day and another
the next day."
Cross-examined: "Mike Davis and
rented meadow together; we had
some misunderstanding about the di
vision of our hay" The old darkey
created considerable laughter by his
talk and actions.
Frank Page: 81 have known De-
Graft five or six years; | Saw him fire.
quently, every few evenings on or
about the time of the murder; he wore
a brown suit with a red stripe in it
aad a-straW hat With black band
around it; I saw Mike Davis on the
Atwood hill after the magistrates
trial; he said that Macarthur told him
if he did not tell what he knew that
they would Jail him: Davis said he
vent there to swear lie but that De-
Graf coight up with him: saw Da-
Wis this afternoon and he admitted to
telling me the story on the Atwood
hill; Degraff generally carried an UNI
brella with him but T could not swear
to it,
Cross-examined: Witness said he