Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-12-05

done his youthful offence. He was
tried and confessed to the killing, but
disclaimed any malice in the matter.
heard his statement in open court,
and he said that he thought that Chris
tian, the man whom he shot, was ad-
vancing on him with an open bowie
knife, and believing that his own life
was in danger, he fred in self.defence.
"The jury was disposed to be lenient
with him and he was found guilty of
manslaughter. The judge imposed
the lightest penalty under the law for
the crime, two years in the common
Jail of the county. A cousin of mine
was jailer, and he knew Tillman well,
and had a great deal of respect for
him. They were both Free Masons,
and when Tillman was sent to jail to
serve out his sentence he made
proposition to my cousin, the jailer.
He told him that if he would permit
him to occupy certain room on the
ground floor of the Jail he would fit
it up comfortably and remain in there
during the two years of his sentence.
He gave the jailer his word as q
Mason and gentleman that he would
never set foot on the ground during
his term of Imprisonment. The jailer
took him at his word, and he proceed
ed to furnish the apartment in COM
Portable style. He had lot of books
carried to the Jail, and in his room for
two years he lived, receiving occa-
sional callers and transacting good
deal of business as legal adviser to
those who chose to avail of bis skill
and knowledge as lawyer.
"But never did he cross the thresh-
old of that room. The door stood
open when the weather was fine, and
the outer gate of the prison was fire.
quently left Enclosed, so that he might
have walked out at almost any time
without molestation while the jailer
was occupied with his duties about
the prison but George Tillman had
given his word that he would not set
his foot on the ground until his term
expired, and he valued his promise
too highly to violate it in the slightest.
have seen him sitting on the porch
with his feet dangling over the edge;
but he never let them 20 any nearer
the ground. He was hard student,
and during the two years of his incar.
ceration he read great deal, and &C.
uuired vast fund of information.
He had travelled so extensively that
with the. large fund of book learning
he was one of the best informed men
in the state when he came out Of
prison.
"When the tYo years we're out he
packed up his things and left the place
where he had resided more liked an
honored guest than like state con-
vict, and resumed his law practice,
People seemed to have lost sight of the
fact that he had served term in Jail,
and he soon established himself in the
estimation of the community, and it
was not long before he was nominated
for congress and elected with very lit
tie opposition. For 16 years he rep
resented his district, and only recently
he suffered his first defeat. His has
been one of the most remarkable ca
reers in the history of his country
II. has surmounted every obstacle that
fate has thrown in his way, and has
overcome some difficulties that must
have debarred other men of less deter
mination and strength of character,
but that experience in Jail, of which l
had personal knowledge, before the
war, was, I think, without parallel in
the prison history of the country"