The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-10-14
THE TILLMAN TRIAL.
What The State Prove Against Him
by It's Witnesses.
AN INTERESTING REVIEW.
Remarkable Strong Character OF
the Evidence and the Evil
dence Most DamninS TO
the Defendant

The Columbia State Of Tuesday
gave summary OF the case against ).
II. Tillman that has been made IN the
court at Lexington. This review IS
particularly interesting from the TACT
that it is written by Mr.. James y.
Hoyt. Jr., the present assistant to the
editor Of The State, who held that
position also under the man Tillman
killed, and was peculiarly in his chiefs
professional confidence and held his
close friendship. Mr.. Hoyt had also
been witness himself in the trial CT
Tillman, teStifying to the dying state
ment Of Mr.. Gonzales. The summary
of the trial written by Mr.. Hoyt is the
first report Of any phase OF the whole
caSe-except the question OF the as
sigDment Of trial judge-that has
been made. in The State, by a mem
Der OF that papers regular staff. Mr..
Hoyt'S review is as follows:
For six successive days the trial OF
J. H. Tlllman for the murder OF n. q.
Gonzales has been in progress. During
that time the evidence upon which the
State Of South Carolina asks the priSo-
ner's conviction has been largely pre-
sented. and with one day more it will
probably all be in. Then the defend
ants side of the case will be put be-
fore the jury, and afterwards will
come the testimony in reply and in re-
buttal. This will doubtless consume
all OF the week now beginning and as
the argument will take several days It
will be well into next week, perhaps
near its close, before the trial can be
concluded.
The ANALYSIS and Interpretation Of
the evidence for the assistance OF the
jury in determining truth and justice
is the province of the attorneys on
each side. This newspaper would not
essay such task. But the court has
ordered The State shall not be read by
the jurors, and it is therefore not un-
seemly to present an analysis OF the
proceedings 50 far for the benefit OF
it's readers who are interested, some OF
whom may have the time to pursue
the evidence in detail as it is given in
The State day by day. This analysis
is given with a full understanding
that certain persons stand ready to
charge partiality. animoSity and bias
TO its writer, as the newspaper in
which it appears.
The prosecution has proved that
Narciso Gener Gonzales, editor Of
The State was on January Is, 1908,
shot byJ. H. Tillman, then Lieuten-
ant Governor of South Carolina: that
the shooting occurred on tne cor
ner of Main aud Gervais street, in Co.
lumbia: that the shot was fred from q
Luger magazine pistol, large and
deadly weapon, unfamiliar to people
in this part Of the country; that Mr..
Gonzales died from his wound on jan
uary l9, surgical skill being unable to
save his life: that within an hour OF
the shooting be made to his assistant
and friend statement as to the Oc-
currence and that within another
hour he made another statement,
more formal but differing only slightly
from the other. TO four or five men,
each Of unim peachable veracity: that
before making these declarations MIR.
Gonzales expressed the belief that he
was going to die, that be had received
mortal wound To the establish
ment of the main fact in the case, the
shooting itself, the prosecution has
brought up eye-witDesSes to the deed
whose testimony not only agrees the
eone with the other remarkably well,
but which comedies just as well with
the statements Of the deceased.
This main fact is that \. G. Con-
sales was walking along on the east
side of Main street towards the capt.
tol and j. H. Tillman, with two men,
was coming in the opposite direction;
that as they approached each other,
Mr.. Gonzales went from the outside TO
the inside Of the pavement towards
the transfer station corner, and as ne
passed the three men Tillman fired.
AS TO what was said then testimony
does differ, but so far there has been
no evidence TO show that MI Coma
les did anything inconsistent with his
own statement that be intended to
pass Tillman and proceed to bis home.
There is no evidence that be made
any movement towards his assailant
either before or after the shot was
fired and it is clearly proven that Mr.
Gonzales face showed no sign Of hos
tilty, that be wore his usual express
sion. and that he was walking IN his
usual absent minded fashion, neglect
ing to speak to even so good friend
as Wyatt Aiken or failing in his near
sightednesS to recognize him. AS
Mr.. Ball said. yesterday, to thoee who
knew n. G. Gonzales this picture is
as true to life as it could be drawn.
No one knew y. G. Gonzales better
than the man who writes this, yet
time after time Mr.. Gonzales has
passed him on the street, close enough
to touch, without seeming to see him
At all. And the hands in the over
coat pockets with the thumbs outside.
With Mr.. Gonzales this was not only
a personal bab;u-itis is family habit.
Iurn 1rOu IulS piCooiS w ouootiei'
The first. if you will, is painted oy
the friends OF the dead editor. You
NAV disregard il you wish the declara-
tion to Black and TO Terrell OF the in
tention to kill Gonzales, you may dis
regard the conversation in Edgeheld
overheard by Arthur and Broadwater,
hut there is no getting around the en-
oharic and explicit recital of DR.. E.
T, Adams. Here is the prisoners
comrade in arms, his ardent political
supporter, who advised him to meet
his accuser face to face and resent his
accusations man to man, offering to
ensure fair play by his own presence.
There is the accuse refusing this plan
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