The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-06-16

Gan tHc pdfdpeU ana MI. Rose says II he,
Haywood, was standing upon the parapet
"a mans line of vision, standing where
GwaItney said he did, would have been
fourteen feet ten inches away from Hay
wood to his east, out Of Gwaltney's sight
fully ten feet. They are both witnesses
for the State, and yet that is their testi-
mony. Their contention all the time has
been that Mr.. Skinner left the post office
at the middle door and went Immediately
across the street; and that Mr.. Haywood
shot him on this side. If you will reflect
a moment you will see that that would
have thrown his right side and pack IN
line with the trajectory of a pistol held
anywhere on the southern steps of the
Federal court rooms. = Was he shot there?
Not at all. There were rumors that went
everywhere, Shot IN the back.' But
when the evidence is produced he is shot
left-handed in the left side and instead of
retreating as he would have been doing to
have been shot in the back, the position
Dr.. Knox said the ball entered and ranged
down one inch and back two inches. Now
If your Honors please, will bear with ne
| Will call your attention to the fact that
except according to the theory of the de
PENDANT there Is no way of accounting for
Mr.. SINNERS being anywhere near the
southern steps of the post office. Yet at
least a dozen witnesses Tor the State put
aim there. If he had not come down the
sidewalk meeting Mr.. Ernest Haywood
and if he did not rave an alteration with
him pray tell me what he was doing down
at the southern steps of the post office?
Their statement and theory is that he
came out of the middle steps thirty or
forty feet away and going northeast to-
ward the drug store. But we are now
told that he was at or near the southern
steps and going southeast toward DentOn's
or the Marlborough. l call your attention
to the statement of John Stevens, a wit
ness for the State. He heard shots and
looked around and saw Mr.. Skinner leav-
ing the sidewalk at the lower steps of the
post office, the southern steps. Mr.. Willis
Briggs said he heard the shot and turned
around ana saw Mr.. Skinner on the side
walk at the lower end, near the southern
entrance. What was he doing there? Ac-
cording to the theory of the prosecution he
was never at the lower steps. Now that
is the kind of testimony that the State
has introduced. I am not going to dwell
upon the evidence of the State. There IS
not a single witness, if your Honors
please that during this hear
ing has placed Mr.. Skinner
where he could have received a
wound where he did receive it, if he went
into the street from the middle steps of
the post office; not one. Do you remem-
Der the testimony of Mr.. Austin? He put
him at the lower steps and put HIM gong
around the carriage which was standing
even with the lower steps of the post office
and the only way he could get him IN DO
sition to receive the shot was by stating
that after he got into the street he turned
up toward the Capitol and walked par
allel with the street car track; contradict
ing every single witness for the State and
every single witness for the defendant.
Not another soul has testified to anything
Of that kind except Mr.. Austin. But every
other man who has testified at all. has
testified to the contrary. There are forty
witnesses | suppose for the State, and out
of them all no one except MI. Austin put
Mr.. Skinner in such a position that he
could have received this wound. They say,
most Of them, that he entered the street
from the side Of the middle or lower
steps across the sidewalk and came across
the street; some Of them say he went
toward Denton's or the Marlborough, and
while in that position the first shot was
fired. The witnesses for the State say That
his back and right side were presented to
Mr.. Haywood. But he was shot in tie
left side, the ball ranging backward. How
to Jllty hbtcuIiC vi Ito oAi'i '>'
the first shot was fired they say he turned
a little this way or the left, but among
those who said he turned it IS remarkable
that all of them said he merely turned
his head. His right side was to the de-
PENDANT and not a single witness TESTIFIED
tina he turned around, and the only way
that a person going from the middle steps
of the post office to the Marlborough House
could get his left side In a position to
receive that wound would be going turned
round and walking backwards. Not a
single witness land they have swift on1s)
could be found who would say that. They
found one man who said he was trying
TO pick up his hat, but he did not pick
It uD; and they say he must have received
| the wound from the second shot because
! he did net walk very far, and that he
died soon afterwards. DR.. Knox seems 20
be impressed as an honest man with tilat
idea; but he stated as an honest mas that
it would nave been instantaneous. He
stated as an honest man that death re-
suited from hemmorrhage and shock,
hemmcrrhage mostly. He stated that the
man bled, and we all know that bleeding
stops almost instantaneous with me- tiaI
as death comes the bleeding practically
ceases; and yet Dr.. Knox tells Us that ne
thinks this man bled nearly four quarts.
4 i ne Olle1 OOtJOIS tOi1C I'll tiS 'N' '
tell us how long it would take that bleed
ing to occur thirty two ounces to the
quart: probably not more than half that
blood being lost through those orlficcs IN
the aorta. and five or SIX OF our reputapie
! physicians give it as their opinion that
life and locomotion would not cease Tor
about a minute. That a man could walk
there in not more than ten or twelve sec
onds Is certain. 1t Is thirty feet from the
sidewalk curbing to street car track
Double this and make it sixty feet, and
Mr. Skinner could have made 1t IN flftee1i
seconds. The doctors say he must nave
lived at least sixty seconds. We THINK
that a man in an ordinary walk could 90
the distance that Mr.. Skinner walked from
tho time he received the shot until ne
fell and died within ten or eleven seconds.
And these physicians testify that he might
have lived and walked for about a mlnutc
So that is out of the way.
Now, if your Honols please, 1t IS very
nlcasant for us to think that our theorE
does neither the living nor the dead any
:;,-, - rnnrt2tion IT I9 not claimed by