The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-03-02
GRAHAM IN HOT WATER.
GRAND JURY FINDS A TRUE BILL
AGAINST HIM.
The Story as Told by Citizens of his
alleged Burning Of His
Home.

Grand jury has returned true bill a.
gal ast j. l.. Graham. clerk to the State
Superintendent of Public Instructions,
cha ged with burning his house to get the
insurance. Certain citizens OF Newton
have ISSUED the following address in re-
ply to Mr. Graham's statement that the
char sc was political persecution:
Since the arrest of j. l.. Graham, clerk
of s>ate Superintendent Mebane, charg-
ed with burning the Presbyterian manse
| in Newton to obtain the insurance ON hts
| furniture, the sand Graham has taken
up the cry of political persecution. The
| Hickory Press, in a recent issue, at
| tempts to defend Graham.
We hereby beg To submit the candid
facts in the case and leave Il to the pub
lie to say whether the people of Newton
are political prosecutors or whether the
editor of the Press is vile slanderer
and libeler and devoid of all sense Of
truth and honor.
J. l.. Graham began business here
about two years ago. his capital being
one thousand dollars, borrowed from
his wife's step mother. He opened Mt
tie furniture store and soon after began
house keeping in a little three room cot
tage rented from Mrs. Fry. He furnish
ed his home from his store and got in
surance to the amount OF eight hundred
dollars on his furniture. To obtain this
he should have had nearly eleven hun
dred dollars worth of furniture, as insur-
ance companies propose to insure goods
at only three f0urts their value. In n
few months, while Graham and his wife
were attending a concert Mt the college
here his house burned down. No cause
for the fire was assigned, but many peo-
pie knowing the extent of his insurance,
believed the house was burned to obtain
this insurance. A part of the furniture
was saved, which Graham got back. He
also got the eight hundred dollars. He
bought the vacant lot of Mrs. Fry, giving
his note therefor, at the price of two
hundred and fifty dollars and afterwards
sold it for one hundred dollars This was
fire No. l, and occurred In May, 1895.
In following he rented the
Presbyterian manse here and again be
gam house keeping. The directors of the
manse did not propose to be caught nap
ping so they Immediately insured their
manse, which had never been insured.
On March 5, 1896, just nine months
after fire No. i, Graham, without money
and without any visible means OF sup
port, borrowed FIVE dollars from his sis
ter-in-law, and left ON a visit TO Salisbury.
Before leaving he engaged board at the
Summerrow House. Was this present
ment? He was gone but little more than
half an hour Graham says two hours
when his house was found to be on fire.
The house was broken open and the
fire was found in closet locked up.
The closet in no way connected with any
fine or chimney. The furniture was a.
gain heavily insured.
There was but one opinion as TO the
cause OF the FIRE. Graham was violently
and openly denounced as an incendiary.
Graham at this time was Democrat.
He soon returned to Newton where he
found himself soorned and despised and
accused of incendiarism. The insurance
companies refused to pay the loss and
offered reward for the conviction of
the incendiary. Some weeks later the
happy thought struck him to join the
Republican party and cry political perse-
cution. He no doubt knew there would
be knaves and tools who would take up
the cry and help him out
He was known to be out of money, so
concluded to visit Salisbury again, and
having no property to insure against fire
he became greatly alarmed about him.
self. So he at once investigated in an
accident policy to the amount of fifteen
thousand dollars This he did none too
soon for about ten days later when he
was playfully Swapping his pistol first
at his head and then at his toe, it went
off and slightly wounded his toe. lie at
once applied for his insurance but the
company refused to pay his claim. In
vain he plead with them told them how
he was prosecuted on account of his poll
tics told them OF HIS terrible suffering
from his wound, told them that when his
arduous duties at the coming term OF
court were over that he would then have
his foot, or perhaps his leg, amputated.
But the company was obdurate. They
sent q physician to examine the injured
toe, and though Graham limped painful
Nv at this time, the physician declared the
little wound entirely healed. Ills need
less to add that the company refused to
pay his claim.
Lately detectives came here and worked
ND the case and had Graham arrested.
When he arrived at Newton in custody
of an officer there was not citizen OF the
town at the depot to meet him except
an old crippled negro, who had recently
been one of his political pals. He was
no doubt, happy to see that Graham
was not handcuffed. And yet lying
newspapers are saying a large crowd
was in waiting at the depot, many of
them indignant because Graham was not
in hand cuffs.
When aqragned Graham removed his
trial from before Mayor Shuford also
plead not to be sent before the only lie
publican justice in Newton, ana so got
his trial before Populist magistrate who
declined 10 hold him. His trial only
strengthened public opinion as to his
guilt. One OF his own lawyers remark
ed since his trial that he was guilty
as any dog"
These are the facts in the case as they
are known to all our people. There are
about three hundred dwellings in this