The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1866-03-08
he saw Stowersin in his night clothes a quar-


1t may be said, in reply, that these
witnesses are drawn from Showers home;
so they are But impessibilties are ex-
acted of no man. The most stringent
law of evidence never went further than
to require that the best evidence which
the nature of the case permitted should
be adduced; and how is any one to show
that he slept at home in his own house,
except by the testimony Of those who
live with him2 A family affection is
urged. That does not apply to Richard
son and Henry and they, independently
of all others, prove that Showers could
not have been there.
An attempt was made to contradict Hen
ry as to hearing of the guns. tits enough
to say that the guns were heard that
night, loudly and distinctly, half mile
from Showers house.
The two stories cannot coexist; one or
the other must go down. Brown is ell
| ther mistaken, or all these witnesses per-
iured. Their testimony has not been I'M
fpeached The Court must go according
to the record, and if they find them per-
iured, it will be without shadow OF evi-
,dence.
4 So far all reference of the testimony
of Ed and Squire has been avoided, pre-
ferring to rest the case on undoubted
testimony. 1t is necessary to anticipate
the Judge Advocates argument; and
therefore proper to allndc to their eyi-
dence although my own view is, that as
-perjured, their testimony ought to be dis
regarded
| Having testified, these witnesses, few
days after, come into Court and confess
to have told each a lie. They come here
to purge themselves of their sins ar put
their consciences in good sleeping order.
They attribute the change entirely to
conscience; and the Judge Advocate,
with tender regard for modest merit,
that does good, by stealth, and bushes to
! find it fame, has no. accorded to US the
opportunity of cross-examining Clark on
his talent for converting sinners from the
error of their ways. Enough was Incl
dentally obtained to show the motive that
influenced them; fear-fear lest in some
form or other, they might be implicated.
With abundant opportunities for confes-
sion, Ed never confesses until Dr. Pills
bury returns. DR.. Pillsbury seems to
have been the great bugbear of their
llives-the Old man of the Mountain to
I these modern Sinbads.
1t is singular, too, that Squire, although
Ed tells him of the lie he has told, and
how it affects his conscience, does not heed
the caution, and cheerfully puts the sin
on his conscience, and holsters up Eds
lie; and then, when Ed is doubtful,
Squire says, eff you stick to the lie, |
will; if you confess, I will"
Counsel here commented at length on
the Inconsistencies of Eds second story;
that Ed testified to Henry having made
the fire and slept in the house with him
that night; yet, when asked, on cross
examination, where Henry was that
night, answered he could not tell; also
upon Eds intending to go to his wife's
that night, and yet being asleep at mid
night when Garrett came in; that neither
Squire nor Ed ever offered the slightest
opportunity of. contradiction; they con-
fessed to lies only as to those matters
which passed between themselves and
Showers without witnesses. On only one
point did the opportunity exist-namely
as to whether Squire told Ed Of the shoot
ing, or Garrett; and Garrett has not been
brought here to contradict or confirm
him. Eds second story is not only in
consistent with itself, but inconsistent
with the testimony of Miss Showers and
Henry-Miss Showers testifying that Ed
called her father, and Henry testifying
that he never saw Ed that night In
both these particulars, Eds first story is
corroboratod.
AS to Squire, that he got brandy, and
gave it to Cesar, is perhaps clear; in the
first story, he got it from Showers in the
second, from some at his mothers. Pro
liabilities are that he got it from Showers.
Here an important fact is developed
Squire swears that, after he came homo,
he went to sleep, and never saw Showers
till next morning, and yet the first thing
Showers says to him, on Monday, is about
Cesar and the brandy; and Squire having