The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-10-07
The THLhlk TRllL.
Resume of the Proceedings by W.
w. Ball.


with delays that weary the patience Q.
shs non professional spectator consid
cradle progress was made today II
She trial Of James H. Tillman, charged
with the murder Of n. G. Gonzales.
a number of witnesses for the prose
cution we're examined and several i'm.
portant phases of the case we're par.
sially developed.
A prominent feature Of the proscu.
sion's testimony today was that OF Mr..
Ambrose e. Gonzales, president Of The
State company, publisher of The State
newspaper and eldest brother Of the late
editor. He sworn for the purpose
of Identifying the files Of The State fol
the whole year of 1923 period cover
NO the Democratic campaign In which
the prisoner, then lieutenant govern
or, vas candidate for governor, and
by The State.
It was developed today that sub
poena duces tecum had been issued by
the defense to Mr.. Gonzales to bring
with him the files dating from April
IS to September Is, 1902, five months,
but it will be noted that the files
offered in. evidence are for IL months.
Mr.. Gonzales was subjected to Sc
we're cross-examination by Mr.. Nelson
of the defedant's counsel. His replies
were deliberate, positive and measured.
rs Considerable of the testimony was
directed to showing the attitude OF
the prisoner towards the man he shot.
DIR. S. D. e. Lancaster, member OF
the house OF representative from
Spartanburg, sWore unqualifediy to
seeing pistol on the prisoners person
on the day preceding the shooting and
so did Vedder Zimmerman and Francis
Weston Smith. respectively IA and 12
years old lads Of Columbia. This tes-
1imony was admitted subject to its be-
ing shown to be connected directly
with the shooting of Mr.. Gonzales at a
later stage OF the trial. The appear
sance Of the two lads was perhaps the
most dramatic incident Of the day.
They were confronted by their afhdav-
Its nsed on the bail hearing in which
they referred TO the tall man they had
seen on the 18th Of January near the
kye-scrapsr' with pistol as s'wear-
ing a Prince Albert coat' and Mr.. Nell
son cross them with his usual
advoitness. They explained that they
did not. know the meaning Of the term
- Prince Albert coat but insisted
that the man was wearing long tailed
coat. Both identified the prisoner
IN the court room as the man they had
seen.
Perhaps the most important teti-
mony OF the day was that OF Spann
DoWling, member Of the legislature
from Bamberg county. It bore directly
on the matter of alleged preparation
on the part of the defendant for the
shooting, the witnes declaring that he
saw two pistols resembling those in
evidence, one Of them a magazine pis-
FOL, on the morning Of tie assault on
Mr. Gonzales. The witness also gave
perhaps tie first testimony Of an oral
expression about the shooting on the
part Of the defendant-relating con-
versation between himself and Tillman
in the Jail on the afternoon Of January
Is In which the prisoner said, If /
hit him where aimed for he is a
dead man.'' DowIing did not make
IAN afHdayit for the bail hearing !;
shence his testimony will be entirely
new to the public.
Still another member of the house
: OF representatives, was witness yester-
day, Mr.. Cause of Florence county,
sgho te;tiGed to an expression used by
she defendant which the State appar-
.raotsy holds indicated an intention in
the DEFENDANTS mind to attcak Mr..
GONZALES. Mr.. Arthur of Edgefeld
ssasti6ed TO an expression used by the
defendant some months earlier, which
r5he State coustrues as of kindred ra-
:ls1re.
Drs. Query. Taylor. Pope and
Griffith testified in the morning as to
Mr.. Gonzales wounds, their nature
and treatment. Mr.. Nelson questioned
them perseveringly concerning the ad-
ininisyration cf anodynes to MI. Con
1.ales subsequent to the shooting, his
sobiect being, presumably, to establish
that Mr.. Gonzales was iHcapacltated
by them to make cying declaration
competent under the rules of practice.
Dr. Taylor was permitted to testify
as to how II his opinion Mr.. Gonzales
zaust haye stood in relation to the pis-
Sol from which the fatal bullet came,
Judging from the nature of the wounds
and course of the bullet through Mr..
Gonzales body.
Another importanht witness exam
med yesterday was W. F: Steiglitz,
the gunsmith, who testified that he
repaired the magazine of the German
magazine pistol-which be identified
at the request Of F. 81. Dominick on
the evening preceding the shooting
and turned it over to Dominick on the
morning of the shooting VIXEN the lat
Ter called for it.
It was expected that at the afternoon
session Mr. Elliott would read the ed
fsorials from The States files intro
duced by the prosecution in the morn
zng. NJ. Elliott was about to begin
s7ith an editorial of Feb. % last
Sshen the defense claimed the right
10 scrutinize them. A long colloquy
ensued. Mr Elliott explained that
a,hen the defendants counsel sent for
she files Monday evening he was using
them and could not deliver them. So
lscitor Thurmond took the ground
that nothing would be gained by de-