The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1919-07-18
Father of Boy ParOled by Gov
ernOr Visited by Disguised
Crowd.
DENIED ANY KNOWLEDGE
Union County, N. c., Citizen Told
the Crowd He Did Not Know
the Whereabouts of His
Son.

Monroe, n. c., July 17.-Twenty
or 80 men disguised so as not to be
recognized, drove to the home Of G..
ID. Stegall, in Lanes Creek township
about midnight Friday night and af-
ter asking for his son, Roy, who was
conditionally paroled on June 80 by
Governor Beckett after having been
sentenced to two years on the chain
gang for an assault upon a white fe-
male, and being told that the boys
whereabouts was unknown informed
Mr.. Stegall that he must get out of
the community by January 1.
Marked by Quictness.
The affair was mark ed by it's quiet
ness. The men acted in an orderly
manner, did not seem to be drinking,
showed no firearms and allowed one
who seemed to be the leader to do
all the talking. To forestall any ef-
forts to summon officers or aid, the
telephone wires had been cut in three
places before the party approached
the house.
Mr.. Stegall gave an account Of the
affair. He said that it was about II
o'clock Friday night, old time, when
he heard several automobiles stop in
front of the house. He said that
neither he nor his wife was asleep
as they had got word that a party
was coming to make demands that
night. Officers, he told the corre-
spondent, had been informed concern
Ing the visit by party of men be-
lieved to be impending, but placed no
credence in the report and so were
not there to meet the disguised ones.
Mr.. Stegall declared that when he
thought he heard automobiles stop he
inquired of his wife If she didn't hear
them. Upon her replying that she did
he said that he made his way to the
room of his 19-year-old son, Frank,
woke him and told him that some
body had stopped in front of the
house. Mr. Stegall declared that be-
fore his son was fully dressed some
one approached the front door and
said:
"Open that door or we will knock
II down"
Upon this Mr.. Stegall opened the
door, stepped out upon the porch ano
leaned against post to talk with the
party.
AS to who composed the party Mr..
Stegall said that he could not tell. He
hn hol a
and that in the moonlight he could
not recognize any member of the call
ers. Their faces appeared pastry
white, and blue and colored, he as
serted From this it is thought that
the members of the party must have
daubed their faces with some coloring
matter. Asked whether they seemed
young, old or middle aged men, Mr..
Stegall declared that he could not
tell. He thought there were 90 or 80
in the crowd. which seemed ominous
in its silence and quietness. The cor
respondent wanted to know If the
men seemed to be drinking or dis
played any firearms. Mr.. Stegall re-
piled in the negative.
Asked for Boy.
When Mr.. Stegall stepped out on
the porch and leaned against a post
man who appeared to be the leader
addressed him in words reported as
the following. where is the boy?
You have moved him?" The boy re-
ferred to was Roy Stegall. 16 years
old and recently conditionally paroled
by Governor Beckett. Mr.. Stegall re-
piled that he did not know where he
was. and the leader reiterated the
question several times.
The man doing the talking for the
party wanted to know where Roy had
been moved. Mr.. Stegall repeated
that he had not moved the boy and
did not know where ne was. Thel
leader then referred to Rev r. M.
Haigler, who was one of a number
who appeared before Governor Bick
EFT and urged that he pardon the boy, |
Roy. According to Mr.. Stegall. the |
leader could not recall the name OF |
the minister at the time saying, "You