The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-02-27
IS EV|NS GUILTY.



cause John Evans attorneys assert their
belief in their clients innocence, we
could not convince you at all.
The next reason why Mr.. Dockery
thinks Matte Cole mistaken in her iden-
LITIGATION of Evans lis because $50 many
mulattO negroes were arrested. He does
not claim to have any positive and
direct evidence that these arrests were
made from the description made by
Miss Cole, but argues that they must
ihave been made from the description
given by her. l am possibly as we'll ac-
quainted with the facts from which
these arrests were made as amy police
officer engaged in the pursuit My opin-
ion about this point in the case ought
TO be worth more than Mr.. DOckery'k
for | caused the arrest of a number of
the parties, and throwing aside the hit
tie professional dignity j had, aided
directly in a great many of the arrests.
After reaching the scene of the crime
and taking IN the situation as best /
could. / ran to the Main street of the
town to alarm the people and put them
on the lookout. Before left the scene
of the crime where ten or twelve men
had congregated or in my race to the
main part of the town / heard some
L
it was a mulatto, with a mustache aS
passed Mr.. Coles residence there
were d good many people standing on
the streets near his house and / may
have heard this statement there. But
Matte Cole was mot there and had not
been there after the assault. / ran on
to the depot to notify the agent and
ask him to watch for any suspicious
character who undertook to board thu
train which was abut due, l probably
told the agent the rumor | had hearC
rs to the description of the man; ]
returned from the depot and found tbs
report general that it was a mulattt
man with mllstache, how this report
originated and how it spread so mono
of us engaged in the pursuit have ever
been able TO understand; Matte COX
at this time had not given any descrip
ton that we have ever been able to as
certain other than such as she gave "a
she ran screaming towards Pee Dee fac.
tory. No description was phoned "a
coming from her from Pee Dee factory
certainly not before Matte made ths
statement to Mr.. William Entwlsule.
which describes John Evans with &C
curacy as TO dress and lips and genera
description as he brought her from Pes
Ice IdpIOTE I'D 1ucutI1N SuSpSNt N1A
had been arrested on this rumor thai
the criminal was a mulatto man Will
a mustache. The first arrest was made
in this way: some of the colored people
said there was a foreigner in town.
mighty mean looking, who looked Ike
mlllatto. about this time the foreigne
came walking down the street and
band of patriots who were excited.
without any officer of the law took
charge of him. He was turned ove1
to the Mayor, the crowd were ordered t
stay back and the Mayor and / CARRIE.
the foreigner to Mr.. Coles residence
to be identified; Mr.. Cole knew nothing
of the mans description and did not
claim to know it; Miss Lille who was
greatly excited could not describe tht
man, saying she only saw hmm as he ran
off from her across the field, that he
pulled her bonnet over her face and
she could not see. but that Matte saw
him, she reckoned. We 'phoned the
Superintendent of the factory to bring
Miss Matte over at once. Ia the meal
time orders were put out TO watch out
for any mulatt0 leaving town, or up ana
about at the hour of the assault, WHEEL
Mss Matte arrived accompanied by
MIR. Entwistle, the superintendent of
the factory, | cautioned her before she
saw the man under arrest to be careful.
and not make a mistake, that the man
she identified would almost surely die.
and il she made mistake she would
be responsible, she said she was satisfied
she would know the man il she saw
him again; we carried her around the
house to where the foreigner was; she
looked at him and instantly said he
Ia Al. 4.
and had too much mIlstache. About
this time the sheriff and others arrived
with mulatto, a rather dark one, Miss
Matte said he was not the man, then
for the first time those of MS who were
conducting the arrests had some intelli.
gent conversation with her about the de-
scription of the man; we had all been
greatly excited and acted with very lit
tie discretion lrp to this time; she told
us how she saw the man and as | re-
member it, her statement then was sub
stantially as she gave it ON the stand
as / have heretofore quoted it; as TO
the description of him she said he was
not 'pium black, and he was not yell
low. and had a light mustache." j
asked her if his mustache was about the
color of Mr.. w. G.. Leaks, a gentleman
standing near who had light, sandy
mustache, she replied: Il don't mean
light coIored, but just a little bit" This
was as definite as anything we could get
from her except she described his dress;
while we were talking with her, the
boys were bringing mp yellow negroes
every few minutes and Matte prompt-
ly disposed of them by saying they were
too bright. But as the report had gone
out that the assailant was mulatto,
the boys were catching every one they
could hear of being up at the time of
the rape, after Miss Mattie's descrip-
tion was secured suspicion turned to q
negro seen by Mr.. Taylor, % clerk in w.
]. Everett's store, and Mr.. A. l.. Me
Donald before Miss Matte Cole had re-
turned from Pee Dee, while the people
were docking for mulattoes and just af-
ter the Mayor and / had gone to Mr..
Coles residence with the foreigner Louis
Steele, colored, ALSO told of having seen
the man suspected by Mr.. Taylor and
Mr.. Mcdonald. at the nearest street to
the scene of the crime which connects
with the MAIN street of the town some
time before Mr.. Mcdonald, Mr. Taylor,