The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1901-03-15

'front.' gate ano nave talk with him and
make friends. Thomas accepted the
invitation very readily and went, but in
stead of making friends, the converse
| ton led TO fuss, but he did not hear at
the beginning of the conversation God
! frey tell Thomas that after night Of
restlessness, he had concluded to come
and tell him what he thought of him,
and that he was a dirty, low down
scoundrel. Godfrey told him that he
had been informed that be (ThomasD was
circulating the report that he Godfrey
was gambler and Shiskey drinker
| Thomas denied it: said that the man
who said it was liar. and Godfrey said
that the man who said it was liar, and
from that they got into hot words about
I it, Mrs. Thomas came down to where
they were, but ! did not hear her order
Godfrey away, nor see her get in be-
tween them to prevent difficulty.
4 When Godfrey asked me to take the
message to Thomas, he told me that Mr.
/ Lip Beard would also be there, but he
did not tell me that he would be there
TO act as witness in case any difficulty
occurred. Mr.. Beard was there when
/ the conversation took place. can't
say that instead of making friends God
/ frey provoked the difficulty. Thomas
/ gave occasion TO him TO get his mettle
| up. Thomas never told me he didn t
want any difficulty with Godfrey; never
asked me to keep him away from there.
/ All that 10 new to me. | never told
Thomas or Garter Stone to keep Godfrey
off the place, that he had squandered
some of my grandchildren money and
would squander the balance if he got
hold of it. No such conversation ever
took place. / did not state to Thomas
or any one else that | would not have
gone after him, aud invited him there to
make friends, and then had this trouble
to occur for $3.50.
After Godfrey and Beard had left that
day, | did not stay and talk with
Thomas and his wife at all. Didn't
meet Stone afterwards and tell him
about the difficulty at the gate, and say
that / would give $3.50 to settle it
Godfrey's manner that morning at the
gate was not over-bearing. He had
nothing in his hand and was not armed
that know Of His general character
was not that of an overbearing, tyrauni-
cal man. | didn't go back afterwards
and tell Thomas that Godfrey had trade
bloody threats against him, and that
would give $3.50 to settle the dispute be-
tween them: never told Thomas or Stone
that Godfrey had threatened to Kill
Thomas. | never asked either of them
to attach the wheat or told them that
Godfrey had already squandered $500
of the children's money, and that ne
I'LL
sary to get the balance. | never hearc
Godfrey make any threats against
Thomas or any other man.
Thomas hitched his horse about 80 OF
60 yards from the oak tree. He was
behind me then. When he passed mt
his left side was towards me, and | saw
the knife in his left hand. | could no
ste his right hand then, but when h'
turned north at the oak tree his hand
was extended in front of him, when
saw the pistol in it don't think God
frey saw Thomas until Thomas spoke
then he threw up his right hand anC
looked scared and said he did not wan
difficulty and started as if to run. anC
Thomas said: ''If that's your gam,
we'll play it," Godfrey did not have ;
stick in his right hand, and did no
strike at Thomas with it; he did not pu
his hand in his back pocket. | didn'
see him draw his pistol; if he had any
| didn't know it,
know Carter Stone; saw him Their
after the shooting. didn't say to him
Godfrey ran his hand into his pisto
pocket, and that Thomas was too fast TO
him. | didn't say it to Frank Moore
either. made no such remark
didn't have any such conversation witt
Jonas Erwin in Columbia. met DI
G. A. Forgey after the difficulty and h
, asked me about it, | didn't tell hin
that Godfrey pulled his pistol, and tina
it was found there.
We rented the place to Thomas il
+; January, 1899, for three years, for 500
per year, payable semi annually. II
F.. paid the first two notes promptly.
The cross examination was finished a
, noon, and at the AFTERNOON session tn
witness was turned over to the Stat
for re examination.
Wednesday Afternoons Session.
t Mr.. Geo. w. Howell, who had been o
( the witness stand all the forenoon, wa
g still on the stand when court convene
j. in the afternoon He had been exam
8 ined in chief by the State, and cross
D examined by the defense, and was nov
g again in the hands of the State to be re
I amined by them. He was asked turtle
questions as to what was said at Thomas
' gate at the famous peace conferanC
9 which came 50 near resulting in battle
r He said that when they got to quarre
{ ing-Thomas and Godfrey, he told ther
t both that he had come there for peac,
= not for trouble That Thomas becam
) so beligerent and angry that he propose
4 to Godfrey that they fight it out RICH
4. there ana then, but that Godfrey neithe
/ accep' ed nor declined the challenge
That when Mrs. Thomas came upon til
scene, Prof. Godfrey said he respecte
I too much the presence of lady to figh
g or quarrel in her presence, and that bot
4 he and Godfrey got on their horses an
left the scene.
e Question: On the day of the diff
Guilty, when you left the scene of tn
, tragedy, where was Godfrey and wha
was his condition.
= Answer: He was lying on the ground
$ still alive, but in dying condition.
left to make arrangements for the II
( moval of his body, and to notify m
e uauA liter, his wife, of his condition.
Question: Was the pistol foun
4 there, found before or after you ha