The Progress., 1893-02-18
Geo. Il. Winters HOnOrably
Discharged.
The STATE PROVED THAT SOL
ROBINSON IS DEAD And
Caused the Public to Breathe q
Sigh of Relief

AS was expected large NUMBER
of people assembled in the Criminal
courtroom Saturday morning to wit
ness the preliminary trial of Mr.. j.
B. Elder, charged with tbs murder of
Sol Robinson on the night of Janu-
airy 25 last. The majority of the as
semblage was composed of white peo-
pie representing all the vOcations of
life. 1t required no keen reader of
human nature to determine from the
complexion of those present that a
case of much Importance was to be
tried. 1t could bs seen that everyone
was anxious for the mystery of this
crime to be cleared,up and that the law
would be meeted out to the guilty
man or men without regard to race
or color.
The names of the witnesses for the
State were called amid a breathless
silence as if all were anxious to know
the personnel of those who were sup
posed to know who killed Sol Robin
son, and who were ready to say on
this trial that j. B. Elder was at least
one of the guilty parties. When
some failed to answer to their names,
look of disappointment settled on
the faces of those present as if they
feared that the trial would have to be
postponed. They knew that two
white citizens, young men, enc of
whom was married, had been in jail
for nearly week with the crime of
murder lodged against them and that
m urder that of Sol Robinson whose
killing had kept the town at the
highest pitch of excitement ever
since. They knew also that the
mother, wife and father of Elder and
the sister of Winter, all of highly
respectable families, were waiting
with bated breaths and lacerated
hearts to hear the outcome. And it
was with sighs of pleasure that they
heard both sides announce / ready.
When Mr.. j. b. Elder came into
the courtroom his old father gather
ed him in his arms and sobbed like
child, and as the accused walked in
and took his seat the parent broke
down completely, his sobs being dis
tinctly audible all over the courtroom.
1t was an affecting scene which caus-
ed tears to gather in the eyes of every
man who was entitled to the name
in the audience. All, it is in
deed true that a golden, gossamer
cord of sympathy unites the world Of
mankind and teaches us that the
same God created us all.
The first witness of the State was
DR.. H. g. Coty, who, beyond the fact
that he is coroner, and that Sol Rob
inson is dead, and died from in
ternal hemoirlfge C, use Fl ON gun
shot wounds, stated nothing of in
terest.
The next witness was Mr. W. L.
Ogilvie, who stated he was ON car on
night of killing. He heard the shoot
ing which at first he though was
some one setting off pack of fire
crackers. He got off the car in front
of DR.. Fishers. Walked diagonally
across to the sidewalk. On his way
he met young man and asked him
who it was that had done the shoot
ing and received the reply, Il don't
know, but Il am getting out of the
way" When he reached Gus Kahn |
he had some sharp words with him
because he did not stop the man he
addressed on the way to. the scene,
whom Kahn told him was the
one who had done the shooting. He
could not see the man plainly be-
cause the glare of the electric light |
was in his eyes which blinded him |
while ii gave full facilities for the |
stranger to see him. Knew Elder
slightly and pointed him out in court.
The voice of the man he met resem-
bled John Levy's strongly as it did
Elders also. That Elders build cor
very well with that of the
man he accosted as did that of Gus
White, who, however was a little
taller. Could not identify Elder as
ihe man he met snd would not swear
positively to the identy of a voice ex-
.opt that of r.. n. Mckellar and L
=. johnson, which he thought he