The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1919-09-05
FORMER SHERIFF SAYS
THE RIGHT MAN HANGED
Persons Who Recall Killing Of Wes-
ley Wychoff Over 40 Years
Ago Say So.

was known by every resident of
the Sherrill's Ford community, that
sent Bob McCorkle, a negro. to the
gallows and caused Aunt" Sarah
Wycoff to furnish the basis for an
interesting newspaper article on a
poor old woman who had remained
in the state penitentiary for 40 years
Before proceeding farther, persons
here who recall the homicide, who
knew the characters involved and
who heard the trial and saw the hang
ing say that the right man was con-
victed and that Aunt" Sarah Wycoff
went to prison for her part in an af-
fair In which harmless old man was
killed over a bad woman.
Former Sheriff ]. w. Blackwelder
remembers the event and incidents
clearly and he related to this corre-
spondent today the facts>as developed
at the preliminary hearing, at the
trial and at the hanging. and he SAYS
the man who fired the shot that
killed Wesley Wycoff paid the penalty
and that 1T was not old man Wesley's
son, who died few years ago.
WesleyWycoff was comparatively
good citizen, given to drinking. but
not to violence. A widower, he marri-
ed handsome young woman without
character. He had a family of several
children. The woman was notorious
in the Sherrill's Ford section. Mr.
Blackwelder says, and another man,
who was never brought into the af-
air. probably was back Of the murd-
er.
Bob McCorkle, negro who spent
his days and nights hunting and who
carried sawed-off shot gun all the
time, was convicted of the crime. His
gun made peculiar noise when il
was fired. One night about II O'Clock
an old negro wheelwright. living not
far from the Wycoff home. heard a
gun fire. THAT was Bob McCorkle's
gun, he told his wife, as they both
We're aroused by the sound. A half
hour later somebody came to the
old darkey's house to inquire about
the murder. He told what he had
heard. II was Bob McCorkie's gun
for he knew the sound. He did no
know that man had been murdered.
Officers went to McCorkle's home
and arrested him. They took possess
sion of his shot gun, powder horn and
pouch and compared the paper in
McCorkle's pouch with that found
as wadding at Wycoff's home. Not
only were the pieces alike, but they
fitted together and one could read
down a column after they had been
pieced together.
At the trial. which was held in
Alexander Superior court. the old
negro's testimony was unshaken and
the facts were plain enough to cause
jury OF 2 men to pronounce a ver-
dict OF guilty. The woman, called
Aunt" Sarah, was given a term in
the penitentiary for her part in the
affair.
McCorkle did not confess to the
murder. Just before he was swung
up. he removed his boots and gave
them to one of his boys. He remark
ed that he was made Judas and that
he was betrayed for 80 pieces of
silver
The inference, Mr.. Blackwelder
said. was that McCorkle. had com
mitted the murder for some white
man in the community. In any event
the case was not pressed further.
That is all there is to the story, so
far as the public knows, but IL the
old woman. in the opinion of Mr..
Blackwelder, cared to tell the whole
affair she would give very enter
tanning narrative. The killing was the
result OF plot to remove old man
Wycon so that his handsome young
wife and the men with whom she
was thick would have least trouble.
There was much interest here in
the story. which is familiar in all
parts OF the county. Mr.. Blackwelder
was glad Aunt" Sarah was so popu-
lar in the penitentiary and with many
others here, he would like to see her
last days spent in peace. He doubts
whether she recalls the details of the