Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-10-13
Gonzales, got your message ane

| Gonzales, got your nessa6e'
fired.
"When he started to cut across the
pavement toward me his overcoat was
| tightly buttoned up and both his hands
were thrust in his overcoat pockets
The thumbs Of both Of his hands were
outside of his overcoat pockets until
he started to cut across that SIDE
walk, coming directly toward me, and
then the thumb Of his right hand dis
appeared in his pocket; and 1t nap
pened almost directly in three or -FOUR
seconds after that / was expecting 70
shoot and said. I got your message
and fired.
Did Not Mean Message"
II was unfortunate. perhaps, In call
ing it a message. What was IN my
mind was the conversation he had at
the state house with Capt. White ana
Mr. Holzenback. That Is what l
meant when spoke Of a message.
II expected instantly to be shot
down. We were watching each other
as intently, sir, as any two men ever
watched each other in their lives. Ar
ter I shot him, Senator -Talbird .sprang
in between us and threw up, think,
his left hand and said. This thing mas
got to stop right here: He looked at
me and looked at Mr.. Gonzales.
"Mr. Gonzales came on past me to
the corner; he never did take his
hands out Of his pockets. did not
fire a second time because Mr.. Con
zales did not return my fire. was
expecting him to. :,
when Ared I did not know wheth-
er the pistol had worked or not, and l
threw the barrel over on my overcoat
sleeve, and I was expecting Mr.. Con
zales to fire on me and was fixing 70
shoot again. He did not hre ana
took down my pistol"
"Mr. Gonzales has said In some OF
his dying declarations that he said to
you, shoot again, you coward! ls
that true?" asked Col. Croft.
Says Remark Was Not Made.
Il regret to say it Is untrue" the
witness answered. Nobody else who
was around there ever heard such a
remark. Senator Talbird was the
many who was closest to him OF any
body.
II did not go anywhere Immediately
after shot. Mr.. Gonzales passed on
by me to the corner Of the transfer
station and went around 1t rev Ieet
and seemed to stop and hesitate, ana
then he turned around and came back
to the corner and faced down Main
street looking In the direction OF the
what was in his mind and I thought
would be attacked from that quarter.
and that Is what made me side-step on
the sidewalk. I did not want to be
shot In the back.
II had my pistol by my side watch
ing Mr.. Gonzales and the State office.
had heard about that ONCE being
kind of arsenal. Policeman Boland,
dressed in. citizens clothes, came up
In hn I
told him I had shot Mr.. N. G. Con-
zales. He told me that he would have
to place me under arrest, and I went
along quietly with him. told him
there was no need to arrest me.
Did Not Want to Be Butehered.
"Boland wanted me to give up my
pistol, but 1 told him did not want to
be butchered up there, as I did not
know who my friends and enc.
mics were. He said he would protect
me, and I gave him the pistol with
which / had done the shooting, which
1 still had in my hand.
LAS I was being taken to the sta
ton house Judge Buchanan, my
brother in-law, came running across
the state house grounds toward me
very much excited and came rushing
up saying he was unarmed. He want
ed to borrow the pistol I had turned
over to the policeman from him. At
ter I had been moved to the jail j.
Span Bowling did call on me, and
asked him where Mr.. Gonzales had
been hit. I was very anxious to knew
about it.
II did tell him that If 1 struck him
where I aimed l had killed him, but
the truth Of the matter Is that I did
not aim at all. He was not hit where
I thought I was pointing my pistol"
In giving his version Of the shooting
the defendant recited the happenings
in his room on the night Of the close
of the campaign at Columbia, as testi-
fled to by Cole Blease, one of his coun-
sci, yesterday. He did not contradict
the testimony of DR.. E. c. L. Adams,
whom he characterized as lone Of the
highest toned young men in South
Carolina" but maintained that his
threats always were contingent upon
his being attacked by Mr.. Gonzales.
Heard Attack Was Planned.
He said he had heard the opera
house was to be packed the night he
was to speak there, and that Mr.. Con-
zales had planned that he, Tillman,
should not leave it alive.
Tillman told Of having been warned
by friends that Mr.. Gonzales intended
attacking him.
On cross-examination by Col. Bel
linger for the prosecution, he admit
ted that at different times he and
Gonzales had become friendly since
the unpleasantness resulting from the
first anonymous publication by him In
[Continuad on Fourth Pagsl.