Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1903-10-07
a AREvlgw OF THE TlLLMAN TRIAL.
An Analysis Of Tho Testimony for the Prose.
cu,lon During tho Week.

Gonzales has been in progress. During
that time the evidence upon which the
State of South Carolina asks the prison
er's conviction has been largely presented
and with one day more it will probably
all be in. Then the defendants side Of
the ease will be put before the jury, and
afterwards will come the testimony in
reply and in rebuttal. This will, doubt
less consume all of the week now begin
ming, ard as the arguments will take seve-
raj days it will be well into next week, per-
haps near its close, before tho 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 a
task But the court has ordered that
The State shall not be read by the jurors,
and it is therefore not unseemly to
present an analysis of the proceedings SO
far for the benefit of its readers who are
interested, some of whom may not have
the time to peruse the evidence in detail
as it is given day by day.
WHAT HAS BEEN PROVED.
The prosecution has proved that
Naroiso Gener Gonzales, editor of The
State, was on the 10Th of January, 1908,
shot by j. FL. Tillman, then Lieutenant
Governor of South Carolina; that the
shooting occurred on the corner of Main
and Gervais streets, in Columbia; that
the shot was fired from a Luger magazine
pistol, large and deadly weapon, un-
familiar to people in this part of the
country; that Mr.. Gonzales died from
his wound on January 10th, surgical skill
being unable to save his life; that within
90 |, ,l, 7 IL - I. -
assistant and friend statement as to
the occurrence 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 peaceable veracity; that before MAX
ing these declarations Mr.. Gonzales ex-
pressed the belief that he was going to
die; that he had received mortal wound.
To the establishment of the main fact in
the case, the shooting itself, the prosecu-
tion has brought up eye-witnesses to the
deed whose testimony not only agrees
the one with the other remarkably we'll,
but which comedies just as we'll with
the statements of the deceased.
THE MAIN FACT.
This main fact is that N. G.. Gonzales
was walking alone on the east side of
Main street towards the capitol, and j..
III. Tillman, with two men, was coming
III OuC oppOolGC GndO dS tnGH
approached each other, Mr.. Gonzales
went from the outside to the inside of
the pavement towards the transfer station
corner, and as he passed the three men
Tillman fired. AS to what was said then
testimony differs, but so far there has
been no evidence to show that Mr.. Con
zales did anything inconsistent with his
own statement, that he intended to pass
Tillman and proceed to his home.
There is no evidence that he 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 hostility, that he wore
his usual expression, and that he WAS
walking in his usual absent minded
fashion, neg}ecting to speak to even 81
good friend as Wyatt Aiken or failing
in his nearsightedness to recognize him.
AS MI. Ball said yesterday, to those who
knew N. G. Gonzales this picture is as
true to life as it could be drawn. No
one knew N. 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 overcoat pockets with The thumbs
outside-with Mr.. Gonzales this was
not only personal habit--it is family
habit.
ANOTHER PICTURE.
Turn from this picture to another.
The first, if you will, is painted by the
friends of the dead editor. The second
shall be drawn by the friends of the
if you wish the declaration to Black and
to Terrell of the intention to kill Con
zales; you may disregard the conversa-
tion in Edgefeld overheard by Arthur
and BrOadwater, but there is no getting
around the emphatic and explicit recital
of DR.. E. l.. Adams. Here is the prison
er's 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
insure fair play by his own presence.
There is the accused refusing this plan
and declaring, 81 will snuff his light
with this" taking up pistol. There is
the accused commenting on the imputa-
tion of melo dramatic tendencies to him
self, asserting: "He can call it mock
theatricals if he wishes to, but l will
make it the God damnedest tragedy
that ever happened in South Carolina p
And how the end bore out this predic-
ton!
"Ned" Adams is too well known in
Richland county to admit of the thought
that any effort will even be made to
impeach his veracity, yet the tragedy
itself was sufficient to sustain the truth
the witness stand-indicating a straight
forward fearlessness, an inherent and in
herited love of justice and manliness-
could but make an ineradicable impress
sion on all who heard him.
TWO OTHER PICTURES.
There are two other pictures.
One is drawn by another friend of the
prisoner, Representative III. Spann
Bowling, of Bamberg, who roomed next
to Tillman at the Caldwell, was in his
room that morning and with him during
: the day., AS soon as he heard of the
tragedy he went to the Jail and expressed
his regrets that his friend was in trouble.
Then, at his request, he went to ascertain
the condition of the man lying so sorely
stricken, and returning with his report
was told by Tillman: "If 1 hit him
where / aimed, he Is sure dead man.
The ball used won't change it's course"
In connection with this, remember Sena-
tor Talbird's testimony rs follows:
so Do you know or not, did Mr.. Till
man ever say why he did not shoot again
A. Well, sir, about that he gave two
reasons when | went around to tho jail
One was, he said that he did not shoot
again because he was afraid of hitting
me; the other was, that when threw up
my hands and said, This thing must
STOP, he did not shoot again"
The other picture is about tho sam
time as this. The wounded man is be.
ing carried TO the hospital in an ambu-
lance; he is accompanied by mono of his
family nor his friends, only physician
who knew him but slightly. 1t is DIR.
Jas. III. Mcintosh who portrays this
scene:
80. On the way did he ask you any
questions about his condition? A. Yes,
sir; on the way to the hospital he looked
arOun0 tbe ambulance and saw thera v ae
no one else in it, and he said to me
Doctor, want you to tell me frankly
whether am mortally wounded or not.
/ replied to him: Yes, Mr.. Gonzales, ]
am afraid you are mortally wounded, >
and he simply said: eyes / think the