The Savannah morning news., 1903-02-20
MUST STAY IN JAIL
EVIDENCE AGAINST TILLMAN TOO
DAMAGING.
PETITION FOR BAIL REFUSED.
MANY AFFIDAVITS PRESENTED BY
BOTH SIDES.

FIRST Time in His Ten Years
the Observation-Disclosures showed Till
man Had Made Threats Against
GOnzales-Ante-MOr Statement
of the Victim Was Presented-Had
Sent TilIman no Message De-
scribed the Encounter.
Columbia, S. c., Feb. 19.-Chief Jus
tice Pope to-day refused bail to James
H. Tillman, charged with the murder
of N. G. Gonzales, editor of the Column
bia State. In his ten years on the SUI
preme Court bench this is the first
time Justice Pope has refused bail, and
the defense was taken by surprise.
George w. Croft, o. w. Buchanan,
P. H. Nelson, Col. L. Blease and G. r.
Rembert were counsel for Tillman. B.
r. Tillman, Jr., the senator's son, sat
with them.
Solicitor Thurmond, for the prosecu-
ton, was assisted by former Attorney
General G. Duncan Bellinger and Judge
Andrews Crawford.
There were dozens of affidavits sub
mitted. The object of the prosecution
was to discredit Edward Holtzback, the
Edgefield man, who made affidavit that
he heard Gonzales tell Doorkeeper j.
A, White of the Senate that he would
make Tillman show the white feather.
Holtzback's immediate neighbors made
affidavit that they would not believe
him on oath. In reply to these, the de-
Tense had affidavits from other Edge
field men, including Senator Tillman,
that Holtzback could be believed. Two
men made affidavits confirming Till
mans statement that Gonzales made a
threatening motion with his hand. This
was contradicted by a lady and three
or four citizens.
why TiIIman Was Armed.
In Til1man's affidavit he explained his
being armed, by saying as he was about
to leave the Office of Lieutenant Gov
ernor, he was removing his effects from
the Presidents room in the State
House, and on the trip on which he
met Gonzales, had these pistols on his
person.
A state senator and two young men
testified to having seen Tillman the
evening before with two pistols
strapped around his waist. 1t was
also shown by affidavit that the pistol
with which Gonzales was shot was re-
paired at gunsmith's the day prevl-
Gus, being taken there by F. S. Dom
mick, a friend of Tillman, who urged
the gunsmith to make the repairs at
once. Dominick and Judge Buchanan,
who is Tillman's brother-in-law, were
near him when he shot Gonzales.
E. ]. Watson testified that in August
Tillman told him to tell Gonzales if he
didn't let up on him he would kill Him.
Watson refused to take the message.
Tillman submitted an affidavit denying
Watsons statement.
Numerous affidavits were submitted
by the prosecution to prove that Con
zales was not only not armed on the
day of the shooting. but had not car
ried a pistol for years.
Threats Tillman Made.
There were three vital aff1davits.
w. B. Gauze, a member of the Legis-
lature said
ION the 18th of January deponent
met ]. H. Tillman, then lieutenant gov
ernor, in company with several mem
bers of the House of Representatives
that while said members, in company
with said Tillman and said deponent
were in the city of Columbia, the ques-
ton was asked as to where we were
Ctn I'M Nf lar
named their respective lodging houses
and others told where they were stop
ping, whereupon Lieut.. Gov. Tillman
spoke up and said When l left home 1
did not tell my wife where / was go
ing to stop. ] just took those edito-
rails that Gonzales had written about
me in my pocket, and told her that l
might be stopping in the penitentiary
before l got back home
Displayed His Pistol.
By o. D. Black: 81 am the fagman
between Columbia and Jacksonville,
Fla. At the time Hon. James H. Till
man was coming to Columbia to count
the official ballots, about three weeks
before the shooting of N. G. Gonzales,
/ was fiagman between Columbia and
Augusta, and heard the said James Fl.
Tillman say, in the Smoking car, that
he was going to whip or kill said n.
G. Gonzales. Along in November /
was in the Abs Hotel, in Augusta,
Ga, with said James II. Tillman, and
then | saw a blue magazine pistol
Said James H. Tillman intimated to
me that it was the pistol that he in
tended to kill N. G.. Gonzales with. |
said, Don't xiii him: whip him. TILL
man replied. BY God, 1 am going to
kill him. Said Tillman pulled the
pistol above referred to out of his nip
pocket"
Robert Latham, stenographer, who
took the dying statement of Gonzales,
at the hospital testified that N. G.
Gonzales said:
Gonzales own Statement.
ct started out of the State office.
walking as usual on the right-hand
side of the pavement, going towards
the State House, and as | got close to
the corner, the intersection of Main
and Gervais streets. where / had to
turn to the left into Gervais street on
my way home, l observed Tillman.
Two men were with him, Senator Tai
bird of Beaufort, and another man.
whose face l did not observe. Talbird
was next TO Tillman. and this other
man was on the inside. Tillman was
on the outside
knowing that If / kept straight on
I would collide with him, because the
three men were walking abreast, and
Tillman was on the outside. I also be-
ing on the outside. ] cut dlagonally to
the left. intending TO turn into Ger
vats street as could have done