On this day, July 20, in 1892, Mary Ellen Smith was murdered in Winston, about a half mile behind the Zinzendorf Hotel, in what is now the West End neighborhood of Winston-Salem.

 On this day, July 20, in 1892, Mary Ellen Smith was murdered in Winston, about a half mile behind the Zinzendorf Hotel, in what is now the West End neighborhood of Winston-Salem.

Smith was a maid at the home of a local merchant, and just 19 years old. She had miscarried or delivered a stillborn baby that she says was fathered by her lover, Peter DeGraff. DeGraff denied that he was the father and the two fought, with him telling her never to contact him again. According to many accounts, they had a huge fight on July 17th, but then he apologized and asked her to meet him on the night of the 20th—the night she was killed. It is also speculated by some that DeGraff himself told multiple people where to look for a body the next day, as he seemingly wanted her to be found.

DeGraff fled to Mt. Airy and lived under an alias for almost a year. He returned to Forsyth County in June 1893 and was subsequently arrested. He was convicted of the crime, despite his pleas of innocence during the trial, and sentenced to hang. He was hung in February 1894, and admitted his guilt to the crowd gathered to watch his execution. The execution of Peter DeGraff marked the last public execution in Forsyth County's history. 

The song “Poor Ellen Smith” was a popular murder ballad around the turn of the century, written about this story.