The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-11-12
The GOLD LEAF.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER II, 1903
The Testimony of Perjurers.
Atlanta Constitution.

Atlanta Constitution.
Tothose acquainted with the person.
mel of some of the witnesses on which
reliance was placed by counsel to save
Tillman's neck from the halter; to
those familiar with the life, habits
and characteristics of n. G.. Consoles,
it is amazing that intelligent attor-
neys should have put them on the
stand. 1t is not conceivable that
they expected twelve honest men to
accept as truth what was SO mani
testify barefaced perjury. 1t is i'm
possible to credit the defense with
submitting in good faith testimony
which it would be an affront to ask
men of unbiased Judgment and ordi
nary sound sense to accept. The
only explanation which seems reason
able is that, assured of the fixed
ness" OF several of the jurors, they
made the bold and seemingly desper
ate play. The class OF men on whom
the defense mainly depended for JUS
tification of Tillman's crime would
not dare show their faces as witnesses
in a court in any State where human
life is held sacred and where criminals
fear the presence OF Il stern judge.
What travesty on justice that rep
resentatives of the lowest walks OF
life should be given credence when
they come into the temple with un-
clean hands, to testify in behalf OF
vice!
eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool Of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-wOrm' sting,
Lizards leg and Owlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like hell-brOth boil and bubble"
It's stencil reeks in the nOstrils of
decent people.
One outrage upon decency is that
blacklegs, thieves and thugs have
been dragged from their haunts by
the defense and induced to cap their
other crimes with perjury. These
people swore with leprous lips that
the dead gentleman used to them
coarse, blasphemous language that
his intimates are as confident never
passed his lips rs that water will not
flow up hill. Nature does not change,
and a knowledge of his nature is all
sufficient to damn us liars those wit
nesses who, common to the core.
could not even manufacture, in
months of effort, a conversation
with man of modesty, delicacy and
refinement without leaving the brand
of fraud stamped on their words.
And who were they. these vital wit
nesses who heard Mr.. Gonzales speak
violent threats or saw him make a
hostile motion against Tillman?
Does the public realize who they are,
what they are? We have not their
records in their entirety yet, but we
know that one is keeper of u dive,
another a gambler who is said to
have killed one man and who in his
home county is rated as utterly dis
reputable; another has been publicly
arraigned for theft; another is held
by his respectable neighbors to be of
bad morals and unworthy of belief
on Oath-he suggested to one man to
kill an enemy, promising to swear
that the victim made the attack.
That is the character of the alleged
threat bearers and. eye witnesses.
There are some others. We are in
possession of conclusive proof of the
perjury of three witnesses, rated as
important for the defense-and we
believe that never before in South
Carolina was there such fragrant
wholesale false swearing.
1t was on this streaked and striped
gang that reliance was placed to es-
tablish the plea of self-defense-some
OF these men swOre to hearing Mr..
Gonzales make threats; two of them
to seeing him shove his hand down
in his pocket. Not one strata of de-
cency was represented in that mud
wall of defense built to withstand the
strength of evidence-irresistible to
to honest minds-hurled against it
by Senator Talbird, Representative
Bowling, DR.. Adams, Mr.. Lyles, Rep
resentative Cause, Mrs. Melton, Mr..
Lide and, host in itself, the dying
declaration of the man whose life was
guided by the star of truth
The employment of such pariahs
in the courts-defiling by contamina-
ton the temple of iustice-is a fear
ful blow at the one institution stand
ing between the people and anarchy