The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-11-24

scribed by your church,"
| -Four of my friends tried to settle 1t,
without avail. Then / wrote out my
charges and secured members OF the con-
| ference to prosecute the case, but blshop
Fitzgerald asked me not to press the mat
| ter, but let the white flag wave over the
conference told him would seek my
redress elsewhere"
"Do you think any of the conference has
anything against you"
| Eyes: those men who, after delibera-
ton. published that speech about me"
.Didn't you borrow fifteen hundred dol
! lars from Mr.. Duke?"
| Eyes: on his endorsement l got money
from bank, but paid 1t back with per
| cent interest.
| This. he said, was about six years ago.
Touching his bankruptcy the witness was
closely questioned. He said the bank
ruptcy was voluntary and that among his
creditors was the Methodist Publishing
House in Tennessee.
"You bring a suit for damages here for
running your business. AS matter of
fact, were you not ruined in business
from the start?''
II think not; it was the speech made
| by DR.. Kilgo. have no doubt that some
of them so wrote when they quit trading
with me-
What was your stock worth in 1882"
81 think some three or four thousand
dollars
Then why did you give 1t in for one
thousand and ninety-five dollars?"
my son gave in our taxes, and If he
| gave It in for that it was mistake.
| Asked as to the cause of his failure, Mr.
Gattis said so many of the preachers were
indebted to him and after investigation
| some of them have not paid there is some
| sixteen hundred dollars still unpaid
| Mr.. Hicks questioned the witness in
detail about his circuit in Granville and
finally asked: Wasn't it a good cir
cult 2"
1.-THE people on it were fine folks, but
| financially they were not so we'll off, for
| they were tobacco farmers and they don't
get much for their crop"
This caused great laughter in court on
account Of the American Tobacco Com
pany's connection with the case.
| Attention was now turned to an in
surance policy in the Equity Life In
surance Company of Virginia. This policy
| iapsed and in renewing it Mr.. Gattis GER
| titled that he had suffered no impairment
| of health, but soon became i'll and the
company sued him for surrender of the
| policy alleging fraud in securing the re-
newal He surrendered the policy on re-
| ceipt OF it's cash value.
"How much had you paid on the pol
| icy?"
About four hundred dollars.
| How much did you get for the policy?"
"Seyenty-tWO dollars"
| Asked if he was not an opium eater, the
witness said he was not. but that his
| physician had administered morphine
number OF times for collie.
Were YOU not dismissed by the pre-
siding elder for unminis tcrial conduct"
| Eyes, SIR
What was the charger
"That l had sued brother ir the con-
ference"
| On further questioning, the witness call
ed Dr. Kilgo's speech "slanderous ar
: ticle' and declared that in it Dr. Kilgo
4. stated falsehoodS. III conclusion OF his
} testimony, the witness again denied giving
I Judge Clark names of those in South
Carolina from whom he could learn of
the reputation of DR.. Kilgo, and added:
f. Not a single person from whom evidence
was obtained, so far as l know, ever
talked to me-"
On redirect examination. Mr.. Watson
Sasked: "You say you demanded trial
(of the church. Did Dr. Kilgo demand
| trial?"
/ mot that l ever heard OF"
This completed Mr.. Gattis' evidence.
| JUDGE SHUFORD EXAMINED.
| 1t was exactly 80 o'clock when he left
the stand and Judge George A. Shuford
of Asheville was called. Judge Shuford
| said he was frequently in South Carolina
with relatives in the spring of 1894 and
he learned something of DR.. Kilgo's repu-
t9tion there.
DO you know DR.. Kilgos general repu
tation in South Carolina?"
81 think know it at Spartanburg S. c.,
his former home. and | have heard 1T
discussed elsewhere in that State. | spent
six weeks there in the spring of 1894, and
| | heard him discussed on various occa-
| sicns during that time. l think he has
! the reputation in Spartanburg of being
man who sometimes reaches his objects
by indirect methods. The reputation he
bears is that of a manipulation and &C.
| clesiastcal politician man who manip-
ulates bodies and gets position for him
self and others. He also has the reputa-
| ton of being a vindictive man.
| On cross examination, Judge Shuford
| said he did hear DR.. Kilgo accused of
being a politician of the low ward type.
| He said he was not personally acquainted
| with DR.. Kilgo, and had not seen him to
know him till this trial. "As / was a
Methodist and DR.. Kilgo had just been
elected president of Trinity College. took
| special notice of what was said and made
some inquiries. l heard no one say He
is a manipulation, schemer and poll
tician,' but they said He bears that repu
| tation here. And they gave instances
| that they had heard Of"
| The defense made a desperate fight
against this evidence, because they recog-
lnized in it complete refutation of Dr..
Kilgos charge that Mr. Gattis was the
Original slanderer,' the charge on which
| the claim to recover damages is based,
On the question of admitting the evil
dence Judge Hoke reserved his decision
| till tomorrow morning.
/ Five character witnesses were now put
on the stand, and all gave Mr.. Gattis
La good character, having known him from