The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-10-07

crnor of South Carolina, indicted for
the murder of n. G.. Gonzales, editor
OF The State newspaper. was called at
Lexington Monday Of last week. A
jury was secured with little difficulty,
and the trial Of the case was promptly
taken up. The jury consists Of seven
farmers, four cotton mill operatives
and one carpenter.
During the whole Of last week the
examination Of the States witnesses
was in progress, and the Court was
adjourned until yesterday, when the
prosecution resumed IT. side OF the
case, which will be closed perhaps to-
day. Then tho defence will be heard,
and it will probably take another week
to conclude its testimony. The State
will have an opportunity to offer cvi
dence in reply and the defense in re
buttal. From present Indications the
case Will not 60 to the jury before the
last CT next week, us Two or three days
counsel
view briefly the testimony that has
thus far been brought out by the pros
ecution, and in the next issue Of this
paper the defendants side of the
story will be given. There is such
mass Of testimony that only the sail
ent points of the case can be given.
Policeman Boland, who arrested
Tillman, was the first witness sworn.
He said that Tillman said, when be
came up to him that "ho had received
Gonzales message. The clothing
worn by Gonzales at the time was
identified by members Of the news
paper staff, who testified that there
was no weapon on the victim body.
After considerable legal sparring the
prosecution succeeded OIL Tuesday in
Offering in evidence the dying delara-
tion Of Gonzales. In this he declares:
$50 help me God, never sent any
message. This is one of the strong
points of the prosecution, as the de-
fence will try to prove that the dead
editor sent message to Tillman. 1t
was shown by witnesses that Tillman
was armed on the day before the
shooting. and the bullet which it is
claimed fred the fatal wound was fred
from the Luger magazine pistol. w.
+. Stieglitz, gunsmith of Columbia,
testified that this magazine pistol had
been brought to him the night before
the shooting and repaired. Much time
was taken up in the examination of
the physicians who attended Gonzales
while he was suffering from his wound.
Strenuous objection was made by
counsel for the defence 10 admitting
the dying declaration. In order for
dying declaration to be admitted it
must be shown that declarant was in
extremis, that he had no hope of re-
covery. After long argument by coun-
sci, the Court ruled that it could be
admitted.
Mr. Gonzales in statements made
aIter he wes shot said that he had
left the newspaper Office to, go TO din
ner. He was walking along Main
street towards the State House, when
he saw Tillman coming along with two
men he did not recognize. He saw
that if he kept on in his course he
would brush against these men, and to
avoid it he cut diagonally across the
pavement. He was thus going across
when Tillman pulled his pistol and
fired. He turned and faced T;l!man
and said: "Shoot again, you coward,
you have killed me-" Tillman looked
at him and said, II have taken you
at your word" or something to that
effect. In his statement at the hospi-
tai Gonzales declared, so help me
Cod, never sent any message"
The whole of Thursday was devoted
to the reading Of the editorials in
The State relating to j. II. Tillman.
The prosecution read them for the
purpose Of showing that Gonzales
fight was against Tillman as a public
man and not against him in any pri-
vate capacity and that Gonzales felt
that his attacks were warranted by
the facts and tina, it was his duty to
bring them to light to keep him out of
public Office. The position of the
prosecution will be that as an editor
Gonzales did not attack any one cx.
cept in an official way and in conneo
tion with public Office.
On Friday some very damaging tcs.
timony was brought out by the State.
DR.. +. @. Adams, u friend Of g'illman.
said that he went to Tillman and told
him that he could never hone 10 be !
governor Of South Carolina until he
had fought Gonzales. Tillman re-
piled that he could not do this, as he
was lieutenant governor and would be |
impeached. After declining to 20
and see the editor, Tillmau replicd to |
comment: "But you boys need not |
worry, I'llsnuff his life out with this"
accompanying the threat with the
display of pistol. Thon Tillman |
said, when an editorial in The State
was read to him, "You may call it
mock theatricals if you wish, sir, but
Til make it the Cd d--t tragedy
;aat ever happened in South Carolina"
Other witnesses testified as to threats
made by Tillman to take the life of
Gonzales.
The brief review of the testimony
given above contains the ma;a points
already brought out by the prosecu-
0n large arrsy Of sass tesssed
during the six days Of the trial clos