Rural Retreat times. [volume] (Rural Retreat, Va.) 1892-1918, 1903-10-02
IMAES TILLMAN
ON TRIAL
To Answer to the Charge of Killing
Editor N. G. Gonzales.

Editor NJ G. Gonzales.
James II. Til1man, former lieutenant
governor of Southe Carolina, wa,
placed on trial last Monday in the cir
cult court for Lexington county, N. G.
under an indictment, charging hin
with the murder of N. G. Gonzales
editor of the Columbia State. Judg,
Frank B. Gary presided.
When the solicitor for that circuit
]. ]. Thurmond, announced that tn,
state was ready to proceed with thu
trial of the case, and by the time mid
day recess was taken at 1:30 D. M, thu
defense had been arranged jury
drawn and charged, and all was il
| readiness for the introduction of testi
mony. The courtroom was we'll filled
but not crowded. Probably never il
/ the history of that judicial circuit has
there been so great an array of counse
| engaged in the trial of a case in the
circuit court, for perhaps the entire
state, as the trial of the former lieu
jtenant-governor The solicitors are as
sisted by five attorneys, while the de-
PENDANT had eleven lawyers. with G. w.
Croft, representative in congress from
Aiken, as chief counsel, conducting the
defense
a y
Mrs. J. H. Tillman and the mother
of the defendant, We're present at the
opening of the court, and remained
throughout the days session, occupy
ing seats within the railing.
A vigorously contested legal battle
IS in progress. In fact, it was mani
tested at the very outset of the trial
that every inch of ground was to be
ontested.
He was calm, and when asked to
1lead replied in a clear and firm voice:
Not guilty"
the jury will not be permitted to sep
arate until a verdict is rendered. Men
from the country and from the mills
compose the jury. The state objected
to five of the panel and the defense te
ten.
| G. e. Bollard, a member of the Co
Ilumbia police force, was. the first wit
ness called by the state. He said he
| took Tillman to the police station in
| Columbia from the scene Of the shoot
| ing on January Is, describing where
Tfl1nlan was standing in the street
with reference to Gonzales. He testi-
fled that Tillman said to him: 81 re-
leeived Gonzales message" The witness
Isaid he asked Tillman: did you shoot
Gonzales?" to which he said Tillman
replied that he did. He said the de-
fendant carried pistol in his hand,
and that another was found in his
pocket when the station was reached.
Tillman, he said, wanted to keep the
pistol until the station was reached for
his protections-sbut witness insisted on
taking it He said Tillman was walk
ing diagonally across the street when
he first saw him and looking toward
Gonzales. The two pistols were exhib-
tied to the witness for the purpose of
Identification. One was an automatic
lDistol, the one which witness said Till
nan held in his hand. On cross-ex-
animation he said Tillman submitted
quietly to accompanying him to the
station
| w. H. Coleman. sheriff Of RichlanC
county in which Columbia is located
| identified the pistols as those turned
over to him. ]. F. Walker, clerk O
i Riehland county, was asked to demon
strate to the jury the working of thu
automatic pistol An overcoat and
Isuit of clothes were exhibited whicl
were identified by ]. A. Hoyt, Jr., an
Il G. Wood, Jr. members of the edi
torial staff of the State as garment
worn by Mr.. Gonzales. The attentio
lof the Jury was drawn to the bulle
lholes in the coat and overcoat, TIL
cross examination of witnesses by tn
defense was brief