The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1885-11-19
Tl1T s,srTI.Tnal1I, T,sInf,.
The Case Heard lssforo Judge Cotiiran and
Jury in ChAtlesson- sSnppsis OF the

Jury in ChArlssssn- sSnppsis OF the
5 Evidence sThs RSsult. l}S y NJ w "
The trial of DR.. A. N. Bellinger for
the killing of Stephney Riley on the
End October last, was had before Judge I
Cothran in Charleston last week, com I
inencing on Tuesday. Solicitor Jefvey |
appeared for the State, while the de-
fence was represented by Messrs. |
Mitchell 80 Smith and the Hon. A. G. |
Magrath. After several challenges a
jury, composed of twelve white hien, |
was empaneled and sworn: The first |
witness for the State was DR.. Hinloch, |
who simply described the five wounds
1.-Two in the head and three in the
body. ".. ...... ...
w. w. DeVeaux described the en-
counter-or so much of it as he saw.
He stated that Riley was advancing on
DR.. Bellinger with his head down and
his right arm outstretched, and that
DR.. B. fired FIVE times rapidly. Riley
fell, and DR.. Bellinger walked off.
James Wells, colored, stated the Cir
cumstances ofthe encounter, and swore
that after DR.. Bellinger fired twice
Riley fell, and that after he fell DR..
Bellinger shot him three times.
Selma Carter, colorcd, described the
ing, but her account did not greatly
differ from Dr. Bellinger's, summariz-
ed below. She saw only two shots.
being in the house, and then GOT
ISiley's pistol and raised the alarm.
When she got to Riley he was dead.
.Alexander Williams, colored, stated
that he saw the morning encounter,
and, after DR.. Bellinger shot Riley
twice he (witness) saw him standing
over tiley's PROSTATE body, and fire
three times.
Joseph Cain testified to the encoun.
ter, and said he saw DR.. Bellinger
ssstagger back", and fire, and that the
Doctor fired twice into Riley's pros-
trate body, and snapped his pistol after
that. -..
Joseph Kennedy, colored, brought
out nothing new. He denied that he
said before the coroner that DR.. B. re-
treated from Rilcy into the middle of
the street, and then fired.
Tho State here closed its case.
DIR. a. N. BollinRer, the defendant,
was now sworn. He stated that on
the night before the killing he was in
the streets, attending to his regular
professional business, and that when
he came to a point on Bull street, be-
tween Smith and Rutledge, he heard
loud strokes of whip, and curslng.
lie said to the man (whom he found
to- be Riley), "You ought to be
ashamed of boating that horse in that
manner; why don't you lead him on?"
Elley became angry and abused, cursed
defendant, tlourished his whip, and
came on him with knife in his hand.
Defendant went off, leaving Riley
cursing and threatening.
The morning of tho homicide, de-
fendant went on his usual rounds, by
no unusual route, and fearing violence
from Riley, put pistol in his pocket.
he met Riley ut the corner of Bull
and Smith streets. He saw Riley with
his back to the fence, his arms akimbo
anu legs stretched apart and glaring at
him in this manner. AS got opposite
to him he said: 81 took you for q
gentleman, but never made such q
mistake IN my life; you are a d--d
white - -" That was pretty GAL
ling. I turned and l said: "lailev,
this thing has got to stop here. You
cursed me shamefully last night and
threatened me. Now you have got to
retract this" l said this in a voice
not louder than am talking in now.
Preserving the same position, he said 4:
VI have got nothing to retract, and |
won't take back anything" and he
said, "If you want to fight l am a
better man than you are and | will
give you HI" / said: 81 don't
want to fight, but you have got to take
these things back and he said cd
Oh yon, l will give you HI anyhow, ;"
and with that he made crush at me,
and as stepped back, having on low
quartered shoes, my foot turned and
stumbled off the pavement and my hat
fell oil. | then jumped back q couple
or steps into the street, and when
looked again he (Riley) was coming at
me with his knife in his hand, SO.
&Wltness indicated the position thus:
lead bent down, the left arm thrown
up as shield and the right hand with
the knife in it drawn baCk.)
q. Was the knife open?
a. Yes, open.
e. In which hand?
A. Right hand.
q. Had you lost sight of him when
you stumbled?
A. Yes, my hat fell off and l lost
sight OF him for moment. I then
backed nearly to tho middle of the
street, and he followed rushing at me
with his knife drawn so (indicating as
abovc). 1 then pulled out my pistol.
1t was self cUcking pistol, and I kept
=" pnlling the trigger until he fell to the
ground. then picked up my hat,
wiped It with the tail of my coat and
walked back to Capt. Daw Son's house.
Garter stating that he started down
town to deliver himself up, but, after
going TO Capt. Dawson's house, he
turned back, went home, and informed
his wife of what had happened, the
prisoner testified as follows:)
y. How far was Riley from you
when you fired the first shot?
a L can't say how Gloss, but he
was very close. You cannot make
very accurate calculations under those
circumstances. l kept backing and
Kept pulling the trigger and running
backwards. He rushed at me with
HE head bent down and knife in his
hand.
q Where were you when you fired
tho first shot?