The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-12-16
The Facts in Full
AS TO THE WILLIAMS
WHITE HOMICIDE.

&aauGCO ooi' tu eQc,0O0 ~
chanan, the papers in the case have
been returned to Solicitor Nelson
The testimony before the Coroner
jury shows more thoroughly that the
shooting swas done iu selfdefense.
than any statement yet published
Mr.. w. IL. Yeldell was the first
witness and he throws additional
light on the case. After church he
says, Mr.. j. V. White called to Mr.
Williams while the latter was get
ting into his buggy to drive off.
White spoke without passion. say
ing: sLeon. l want TO see you a
minute. White then called Mr..
Press Callisoni and himself to where
she was standing, telling them he
wanted them to hear certain cues
tions he was to ask Mr. Williams and
his answers to them. When Mr..
Williams came up White said
ssLeon, want you to tell me what
YOU meant in that letter which you
wrote, in which you said one of l..
ID. Whites brothers had said 40 and
So"
Mr.. Williams started off by say
ing Gin my statement" but just
here he was interrupted BY White,
who said he didn't care anything
ahont his statement-what he wanted
was an answer to the question Mr..
Williams said: "Joe, thought that
had been settled" but White an
swered, "No, it hasn't by d-n
sight" Mrs. Williams, mother of
j Williams, ran up and gathered
White and pleaded with him not to
start the fuss there
White pushed her aside, saying !:
eco off. Mrs. William, am not
going to pay attention to you y
White then turned to Williams and
demanded that his question be an
swered.
Williams replied that he had left
The question with gentlemen and had
no question to ask or any to answer.
White then put his first in Williams's
face and said: s.You are the Cd
d-nest liar in South Carolina" and
added: .You are Cd d-n
dog /"
Williams straightened himself mp
and said eff you want to act, act
now;;" whereupon J. V White struck
him in the face or on the head with
his fist or with ks,ife The witness
was pleading with J. V. White to
stop. Witness was on Whites left,
while Callison was on his right and
both were pleading with him to stop.
The next thing witness noticed
was that Williams was in leaning
position, as if he was trying to
dodge. L D. White reached over
Cal!ison and stabbed Williams in the
right side As soon as witness saw
the stroke he gathered L D. Whites
arm About. this time Williams knock
sed J.V. White down The next
thing he saw was j V White max
ing at Williams and the latter fired
with the muzzel ofpistol within few
feet of the breast of White
Just before the firing L D. White
e;erked from witness and ran towards
Williams. Witness didn't kno "
whether there were one or two shots
fred. However, after the discharge
OF the pistol ne saw j. V White fall
aud at the time Of the firing ] V.
White was almost exactly between
Williams and L D White. When
y. Y. White fell, Williams fred on
II. D White and. think. struck
him somewhere in the, front l.. D
White in the mentime had his pistol
in his right hand moving rapidly to-
wards Williams At the explosion
of the pistol L. D. White turned
without attempting to fire, and
walked off at rather slow pece. In
the meantime Williams was advanc
ing and firing about every second
and very deliberately Witness
thinks Williams fred his pistol four
times at L D White and snapped it
the fifth When his pistol refused
to fire Williams turned back and as
he passed Callison and witness he
said My shells are empty" l. D.
White had reached the road and was
in reeling condition Callson,
witness and Mr. Davis took hold Of
him and laid him down. Witness
then went to J. Y. White and found
him dead Returning to Williams it
was found that he was cut severely
in several places, and was bleeding
profusely from the wound across the
temple aud from one in his left arm.
Witness did not know but what the
artery temple had been severed and
pressed it with his finger to prevent
bleeding to death antil the doctor
could arrive When witness went
70 where J. V. White was lying be