The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1903-10-21
From Wednesdays State.

NNNoSN
to the @ two naked questions, the one
by the defense, the other by the prose.
ton:
For his ed torial u~tterances in the
Columbia State was not N. G.. Con.
z,les justly punished with death?
Is murder q crime?
To the one the defense answer
eyes"
To the other the prosecution answer
eyes"
Tho one affirmative destroys the
other and It is for the jury to say
which is true aud shall survive.
These are the questions let mot
questions asked by me) when the ar
gumen S of the two arrays of counsel
have been stripped of superHuous mat
ter aud the stark bodies left.
Originally, the prosecution asked a
very different question. 1t was: Is
JAMES Ii. Tillman guilty of murder?
It's question has been modified,
changed, translated ard converted by
the defense, for the defense has, not
assertively or confessedly, yet actually
almost If not wholly abandoned the
theory Of self-defense. Yesterday, en-
ploying Mr.. Johnstone's apt phrase. L
said thaS the d%efense's two contentious
that anger was heated I'd frenzied hate
In Tillman and that at the same time
he struck to ave himself from immi-
nent death were ''cannibalistic" of
each other. Another day has passed,
two more arguments for the defense
have been heard and the first of these
contentious has practically devoured
the last.
Between the gaping jaws of the
theory of Sufficient Provocation to Jus
tify a Mortal Blow, its fangs dripping
with blood, the tattered theory of self
defedse embodied in the person OF
Dick H~olsenback has about disap.
peared.
MI. Asbill spoke for the State in the
morning. Mr.. Nelson followed for the
prisoner, Mr.. Crawford then for the
State and Mr.. Croft for the prisoner
Mr.. Crawford spoke rarity before and
partly after the recess aud Mr.. Croft
addressed the jury for an hour proceed
ing adjournment. Mr. Croft will speak
for another hour this morning aud Mr..
Bellinger will follow him with the final
argument of the trial. The Judge
probably expects to charge the jury be-
fore the midday recess but whether or
not he will be ablo to do 50 remains to
be seen. The number OF spectators
was larger yesterday than during any
day Of the trial so far. A score or more
ofladie, were among them, some COM
ing over from Columbia.
To my mind the defense appeared
yesterday to have made q strategic
blunder, though it must be said that a
nero reporters impression on such a
subj ct is of small value. Nevertheless
here it is. Mr.. Johnstone should have
been reserved for thereby. Mr.. Croft
conducted the case up to the argu-
ment with consummate skill, much as
some of his methods my or may not
be jnst'y criticised. Ii M might have
safely estimated his attachments by his
management of that part Of the case,
one must have set him down as O
strong lawyer. But when the time
came for Mr.. Croft to speak yesterday
afternoon one was conscious of an anti
climax. Ones mind reverted to the
real oratory of the day preceding. The
big guns had spoken. With their echoes
still family heard in the distance, the
explosions of a small field piece did not
seem effective. 1t is not to be limited
that Col. Croft failed to speak well--to
say that he is not a capital speaker,
would be absured. But it is not absurd
to say that he suffers by contrast with
his junior counsel in this case.
But bark to Mr.. Croft! He brought
up from the past the killing of Editor
DeY0ung of the San Francisco Chroni-
Gle. The editor of The State, he said,
was of the same pattern and wrote
with n pen stepped 10 gall" Then he
alluded to the killing of Brann of
Brsnn's I%conoclast, and in connection
with Mr.. Gonzales, said that men of
that stripe must meet a similar death.
Referring at another time to Mr.. Con
zales and OIL the same line Mr.. Croft
said: "He Is dead; he brought about
his own destruction" Further on he
declared, "Abuse with honorable gen.
tlemen does not go down" "This case
originated in politics." he asserted. j.
Ill. Tillman, as n mere boy espoused the
csuse of his uncle in Winnsboro. Later
he characterized the dead editor as a
"frebrand," "settiDg brother against
brother, son against father and neigh
Dor against neighbor--he had stirred
up strife and run rough-shol over the
best people Of South Csrollna--had done
more OF evil politically than any other
10000 men together In the state"
lie referred to Mr.. Gonzales as OPP
posing Senator Tillman when he wished
to build for the farmers Clemson col
lege and for the girls Winthrop col.
lege.
IL this sort of an argument meant
anythlDg, did it not mean that the
prisoner was right In shooting down
GoDz lies? III MIR. Gonzales were the
monster Of wickednes, that Mr.. Croft
held up to the affrlgbtcd eyes OF the