The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-10-29
COMMENT OF THE COLUMBIA
STATE.
The T,limaH Trial as Viewed by ,he
Paper Whose Editor Vas Killed by
the Late Prisoner.
Columbia State. 10th.

Columbia State. 10th.
The execution OF James H. Tillman for
the assassination of n. &. Gonzales
would have carried no comfort to the rel
atives of the martyred editor; would not
have ameliorated their sense of personal
loss or caused one less Borrowing hour
The taking of a hundred such lives would
not atone in any degree for the loss OF
the one; hundred years in the peniten-
tiary an eternity in the hell of a lost
soul would not compensate for the alb
sence of him who was so foully done to
death just nine months ago. That is
their personal viewpoint.
But every citizen of South carolina,
worthy of exercising citizenship, had
citizens interest in the verdict OF a jury
in case in which the State of South Car
DINA was the prosecutor. Every man,
woman and child who believes that la WIS
are made to be obeyed and not to be vio-
lated was concerned in the result OF the
trial of J. H. Tilman ii they were con-
cerned in the good name and honor of
the State in which they lived. Every
citizen of South Carolina who daily read
each word uttered in the court room at
Lexington is competent to find verdict.
On one point these readers OF evidence
have been at Il disadvantage; they could
not test the witnesses by their appear
ance and demeanOr on the stand, but
| their failure to do SO was entirely in
| favor of the defense, the men and women
| who testified for the prosecution being
admittedly unimpeachable.
! The citizens of South Carolina who
read have heard the evidence and the ar
! guments. They have seen the defense
abandon the ground of self defense; they
have seen them leave the only position
which might shield the manslayer from
the charge of murder, abandoning it be-
cause it was untenable and then, practi
cally admitting the malice and the assas-
sination they have seen them appeal to
the lowest passions and political ha;reds
as the sole ground for saving q life for
feited by the law of God and man.
| There is just one important piece OF
information possessed by the Lexington
| Jury which has been withheld from the
| great body of citizens who have heard
| the testimony. The Lexington Jurors
knew that before the trial began the in
clinations of almost every man on the
panel had been secured and that when
| the case was entered upon a ma jority of
| the twelve men who sWore they were i'm
| partial and had never expressed an opin-
| ion were partiZans for the defense. That
| the jury would not convict under any
| circumstances was aforegone conclusion;
| it would not have found the defendant
| guilty had no testimony been madein his
| behalf. And the county of Lexington
must forever bear the shame of mon
| strous crime committed against our sys-
tenn of government.
But what is the verdict of the public
jury, the free and unpurchaseable epn-
ion of the intelligence of South Carolina?
| In expressing our convictions as q citizen
we believe the views OF that portion of
the public to which reference is made are
given voice. This newspaper has re-
| peatedly called attention to the miscar-
riage of justice in this State; it has often
seen evidence of tampering with the ju-
| ries and of sharp practice by attorneys,
the employment of any and every means
to secure the release of the red-handed,
and it has begged the public to heed it's
warnings So this is by no means the
first time justice has been outraged in
our courts, but never before so shameless
| ly never before SO brazenly, in the full
| light of day, have the men sworn to
| guard, to shield and to honor that repre-
sentation of public virtue holding the
scales of justice, 50 defiled, corrupted. de-
bauched her South Carolina is the vic
tim, ravished of her honor by unnatural
| offspring Well may the worthy sons
| and daughters bow their heads in abject
! shame!