Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1903-10-21
A jery o. Ms Peers Declares Him awot
auIIty'--close q Remarkable Trial.

A jery oi Ms Peers Declares Him mo
aullty'--close oi q Remarkable Trial.
Lexington, October is. -sJaues II
,riiiman is to-day free man. A jury
charge % murder.
Thus ends ono OF the greatest aud
most important trials that has ever oc-
CURED IN Sonth Carolina, lcertainly the
most important aud far-reching within
the last quarter OF q century.
1t Is perhaps due and proper that the
verdict of q jury should be final. Under
| American laws this ought to end the
1 matter Whether or not that verdict u
| mot guilty" win be satisfying it Is no;
for me TO say. 1t is for me to record, as
have undertaken during the progress
OF the entire trial, what actually ,oeour-
red, and what was sDid, and 1t f&,ieSt 10,
| others to draw conclusions. Jt viii not
however, be aniss for me TO suggest thai
this verdict of "not guilty.'' While on.
tirely expected, will mot satisfy yer,
many people In this State. The evidence
In the case has all been published, and q
reading people will form it's own con.
olusions as did that jury in Lexington
| Court House.
Already Lean hear the suggestion tina,
the trial was q simple farce, and thai
nothing other than what occurred was
to have been expected from Jury com.
posed as was the Tillman panel.
Already one can hear that such YER
diot was The result of politics, and that
the nephew gof Senator Tillman ha d
nothing to fear in county that had al.
ways shown o larger proportionate vote
in support of Senator TilIman than any
county In the State. It is not, Judge
violating any confidence for me to say
now that counsel for the prosecution
soon after the jury had been drawn
said that nothing but an acquittal would
be the result of the trial
| And then, as the trial progressed. they
hoped for q mistrial, but never did Il {
prosecution expect a convictions. Itmay
then be asked why the stri2lP 10
There had to be q trial Of the case Al
some time; the testimony aud story o.
the tragedy had to be presented to the
world, and it was thought thatit was al
least due the memory Of the dead edito,
TO make the strongest presentation OF
the facts In his defence, not only to thu
jury, but to tue world, 1t is not for mt
to judge James FL. Tillman, nor is IL 70,
any one else 60 do SO now, as he ha,
been tried and acquitted according "a
the laws and forms Of this great State.
When the jury retired to its room yes
terday afternoon, shortly before :
/ oioShS oho hAo1 ItbulUGQ ten u
to two in favor of an acquittal. 1t II
understood that the two jurors who in
sisted upon a conviction for manslauph.
| ter held out for hours. While, Of course
it is not definitely known what occurred
in the jury room, it is said that the frs
of the jurors to insist upon q verdict OF
manslanghter, who Joined the majority
was j. b. Jumper. sal
| This, then, left Milton Sharpe as the
only juror who stood between James H
Tillman's acquittal. For hours and hours
the other jurors argued with him go as
to secure his consent to, a verdict.
| At breakfast time Mr.. Sharpe was
alone and insisted upon his position.
At about half-past 10 O'Clock he finally
consented to verdict, and the foreman
OF the jury called for pen and ink with
which to write the verdict, and knooked
on the door to announce to tho expec.
tant crowd that the verdict hid ilbeet,
agreed upon-twenty houts zafterS the
jury had retired to frame its verdioH n
Early in the morning, when f6=w as
understood that Juror Jumper, who >is a
pale-looking young mill operative, had
acquiesced in the verdict of acqaittal,
the impression grew strong and fast that
it would not be long before mot guilty''
would be written across the face of the
| Indictment.
THE JURY COMES INTO COURT.
After the jury filed into the Court
room and took seats the situation was
critical and the stress intense. Ever,
one seemed TO be expecting something
and every one knew what that some
thing was.
Before the reading of the verdict Judge
Gary said: "Sheriff, if any one in this
Court room makes any demonstration,
or IL there is any violation of the rules oI
| Court will
and bring the party before me, and ]
will deal with the case. There must be
no demonstration in this Court" And
| whom the verdict was read, all was qiiiet
| AS soon as the verdict was announced
Col. Croft and the other members OF
counsel for the defence gathered arounc
| Tillman and congratulated him warml,
upon his acquittal.
! RELEASED FROM CUSTODY.
| 1t took only few minutes to draw ar
the formal order releasing Jas. III. Tilf
man from the custody of the Sheritfs OF
Richland and Lexington counties, as the
result of the acquittal.
While this formal order was being pre-
pared, Mr.. George, the Clerk of Court
took the two pistols, those Tillman wore
on the day of the tragedy, out of his
drawer to hand them to Tillman and as
he did 80 Tillman waved both of his
nanus, as III TO spurn the offer, and said
81 never want to see those things again.
TILLMAN's CARD OF THANKS.
Tillman dictated the following card o1
thanks, which he asked should be given
the widest possible publicity:
VI feel very grateful as to the result OF
the verdict, but at no time did l appre
hend any serious consequences. l, oi
course, deeply regret the death of Mr.
Gonzales, but | was forced to do what
did. have never apprehended con,
viction, for l felt that / did no more
than any other man would have done un
| der the same circumstances, and what
was compelled to do. My position was
fully stated in the testimony gave or
the stand. / did ask for change OF
venue because | was convinced, on &C
| count of prejudice in RicAland, county, ]
could not get a fair and impartial trial
| in that county. felt as soon as my case
could be presented to an impartial jury
| / hn x,iu ba L.,