The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-10-28
The Damnable Deed!

The damnable deesd is done! The
advocates of all that is base and cruel
are triumphant for the time being. In
the conflict truth has been crushed to
earth and trampled upon, but by the
eternal God it will rise again.
We realize that there are those who
dwell in Cherokee County who rejoice
that j. Il. Tillman has been aquitted.
They do not rejoice because they be-
lieve it right for quiet, law-abiding
citizen to be assassinated in his tracks
as he walks public thoroug hfare, but
they rejoice because their political
faction has triumphed through force,
whether it be right or wrong.
We wonder if these men who have
fought to bride an incorruptible press
think that because they have been
victorious in this instance that they
will be able to cover honest men from
expressing their opinion OF men and
things that are corrupt? If that be
their idea we believe that the express
ions Of the press for the past few days
will dispel that illusion.
n. G. Gonzales is dead. He died
the gentleman that he lived, and no
one who knew him and understood his
motive is ashamed of him. ]. 81. Till
man lives to go on through this world
wearing, with his other infamies, the
mark of Cain upon his brow, and all
the verdicts of all the jurors in the
world cannot efface that mark. It will
remain with him until his dying day
and the white face of his dying victim
will ever haunt his memory.
Something, we know not what,
teaches US that n. G. Gonzales never
gave his slayer the slightest excuse
for his deed at the time it was COM
mitted. It was political murder and
a political acquittal.
From the first witness on the stand
for the defense could be observed the
black thread Of deception. It grew
and grew, like river Of inky black
ness until it finally emptied into an.
ocean Of hellish foulness. What a
spectacle! Such farce in the name Of
justice! And thus enacted in a county
that had been noted by the press for
its fairness! We bury our face in
shame for poor old Carolina. Never in
all time will she be able to hold her
head SO proudly as before this outrage.
What else could be expected Of
twelve men who had expressed them
selves on the case before they went on
the jury and then took an oath saying
that they had not? Nothing.
We never expected a conviction,
although it was the only proper verdict
that could have been rendered, but we
did not expect that twelve men so base
could be put on jury. We did expect a
mistrial. We knew thejury was packed.
You ask: How did you know it? We
asnwer: We have never seen the Rocky
Mountains, but we KNOW they exist,
We did not see the jury packed but we
KNOW it was. No man with particle
of intelligence and a spark Of honor
could gaze upon or watch the proceed
ings in that court five minutes with
ont knowing that there was leaning
for the defense from the highest to
the least officer connected with it.
Rash words you say? Perhaps they
| be, but they are true words. 81 Do you
think they will stop the press from
exposing well-bred liars, gamblers,
thieves and murderers? Not so long
as there remains spark of manhood
within the breast Of a single man in
South Carolina who follows the Fourth
Estate.
Again we say, the damnable deed is
done We accept the decree, not be-
cause We want to, but because we
must.
We know that there have been some
men whom we believe to be honest
that have sympathized with ]. q.
Tillman and wished for his release.
We have no quarrel with them. We
can't understand them. God in his
infinite wisdom has decreed that poor
| weak humanity should not understand
all things We cannot understand why
He should allow Truth and Honor to
go down in conflict with Falsehood
and Infamy, but He has done it,
therefore we bow in humble submis-
son to the decree. e.-Gafney Ledger.