The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-10-30

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forward manner, with an earnestness
OF speech that made even his opponents
feel less bitterly towards him.
| Solicitor Johnston made several at
tempts to trip him up in his testi-
moDy, but did not succeed to any great
extent. McLendon stood the search.
ing cross-examination splendidly and
upheld his side of the story with great
positiveness and stuck to his state
ments with a determined grip, not
withstanding all efforts to trip him up.
The defense relies upon the plea OF
self-defense and under the able direc-
tion OF Colonel Aldrich and MIR. III. Fl.
Brunson q very complete chain OF
circumstances has been forged around
the prisoner tending to show that he
shot in defense of his own life.
The constable took the stand at 10
o'clock and for an hour aud a half, or
little more, he answered questions
and explained various situations on the
eventful and fatal day.
lie stated that he was from Orange
burg County that he had been State
constable and was in Darlington for
eight or ten days before the trouble.
He was ordered here and did not come
OF his own accord.
Witness said that he found the peo-
pie much opposed to the law and there
was so much feeling against the con-
stables that they concluded to get the
Sheriff to servo all warrants so as to
keep down a disturbance. Four places
had been raided on Wednesday, and
other proposed searches had to be
abandoned because the work was being
interfered with by crowds of people
| who followed them all about. Some
two or three hundred would follow
i,rr Nd
They did not have sufficient force
to conduct the searches and the chief
and the Governor were telegraphed
to for reinforcements, which were
sent. He detailed other instances
where the constables were called the
vilest names and said he saw men
armed walking in groups about the
streets. He also saw white men give
pistols to negroes and tell them to
shoot the constables. This was on the
occasion of the raid of colored mans
house.
Coming down to the fight at the
depot. he said Floyd and himself were
standing on the upper end Of the plat
form talking. They walked to the
other end and heard some one say that
Rogers had cursed out Floyd. The
latter asked Rogers what he had said
and Rogers said: 81 said you were q
damn rascal and I'm man enough to
stick to it," Floyd hit Rogers in the
face and broke his eyeglasses, making
his face bleed. While they were
fighting q mulatto came up and started
to separate the cOmbatants. Witness
told him to stop. 1t was white mans
fight and he had nothing to do with it,
Rogers went up street, but soon re-
appeared with eight or ten men or
npnha h1Xy FNbo,y
were. Rogers said something about
Floyd. The chief of police stopped
him. He asked Rogers who had in
terfered with him and the latter
pointing to the witness said: "There's
the damn rascal" He told the chief
it was not so, he had not interfered.
About this time Redmond came up
and said: Z" You are damn liar, you
did interfere" Witness cursed him
back.
Things had quoted somewhat when
he saw large man elbowing his way
in the crowd'and pushing them aside.
He came up in front of witness and
said: You Cd d-n =, you
caused all this trouble" and at the
same time-he pulled pistol.
Then | shot" said the witness.
81 emptied my pistol. The firing i'm
mediately became general. / cannot
tell who fired the first shot. l may
have done so, but to the best of my
belief we fired at about the same time
There was hardly seconds difference
fired as quick as | could. l learned
afterwards that the man / shot at and
who shot me was MIR. Normcnt. |
didn't know Mr.. Norment. l had no.
thing against him. shot i'm because
he was about to shoot me and did it
to protect my own life"
Witness said he did not tell DR.. Gar
ner he fired the first shot. I told him
the man | shot first pulled his pistol
can't tell who tiredfirst. 1t was done
Mt about the same time. He didn't
know how many were engaged in the
shooting. 1t was general. He was
getting weak, lay down on the platform.
was taken to the waiting room and
afterwards to jail.
On crOss-examination Solicitor John
ston attempted to pick inaccuracies in
his testimony. He denied that he had
offered to bet that Floyd could whip
Rogers; he did not say to Floyd that
he was bis friend and thus encourage
a row he heard white men offer ne
gr0es pistol to shoot constables, but
he did not know the men, they were in
a big crowd. AS far as he could recol-
lcct one was medium-sized man. 1t
was the time they raided negro's
house. He stood guard at the gate
and was told to admit no one. A negro
came up and said he had room in the
house and wanted to go to it. He was
refused. Some one told the negro to
go over the fence. 81 told him | would
shoot him if he did,"
Solicitor; "You would have shot
him 2"
Yes, SIR"
What Shoot man for going over
the fence to get to his room ?"
Yes, sir. My orders were to admit
no one and | would have shot the ne
gro rather than see him go in"
Witness did not remember how many
warrants the constable had, but he
knew some were not served on account
of the excitement. He could not ro-
member any place where they were
actually prevented from making
searches. but he know that the sheriff
had stopped making them on account
of the condition of public feeling.
In answer Colonel Aldrich asked wit
ness other questions. He told why he
ordered the negro away from the fight.
1t was white mans fight and u nigger
had nothing to do with it. The shots
between NOrment and himself were
fired almost simultaneously. lie didn't
know who fired first and didn't care
for no was defending his own life.
Constable Holloway corrohorated
McLendon. He hI srd the man curse
Mol ,endOn and the latter nulled hi,