The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1903-09-23

that the Tjllman case was not "a
child of Lexington but an adopted
child" The courts and people of
Lexington would do their best to
perform their duties with regard to
it, but Lexington litigants and Lex
ington taxpayers we're not called to
look after the interests of the adopt
ed child in preference to their
own Observation-Disclosures ccanty's.
Floods in the month of June had
prevented the attendance OF the pre-
siding judge and 10 court had then
been held. Consequently, the busi-
ness of the criminal court had large
" accumulated. When the Jones
murder case of Edgefeld county had
been transferred there had been 70
request to commence it's trial until
after local business had been dlspos-
ed of and he was informed that the
same course had been pursued when
case had been transferred from
'Richland to Kershaw. The court
should not be s'switched off, to this
case at the expense OF the peoples
pocketbooks. All day an under cur
rent of excitement had been visible
in the court room. It was due to
the Tillman case. The effect of its
trial would be to end the criminal
business of the court because at its
close the court "aould be worn to a
fraz." The Solicitor, he believed,
miscalculated when he said that the
local business could be concluded by
next Friday. He then alluded to
the special presentment of the grand
jury, who, he said, had carefully
considered the necessity Of taking
up the county's cases first.
THE GRAND JURYs WISH
The special presentment OF the
grand jury, to which Mr.. Efrd re-
ferred, received by the court during
the morning hour, was to the effect
that the number of Lexington cases
with the witnesses attending upon
them was large, that to take up the
Tillman case, not Lexington case,
would necessitate the attendance OF
these witnesses for ten days or two
weeks at the county's expense and
that therefore the reason was urgent
that they be first tried. This was
fortified by petition to Judge Gary
of the same purport signed by the
county's fiscal officers.
LEXINGTON LAWYERS
Mr.. Sharpe of counsel for the de-
fense followed with an argument on
the same line, declaring that he was
speaking not in the interest of the
Tillman case but in the interest OF
the county. He was associated, be
said, with Mr.. Earle in the Doyle
case and at the proper time would
move for continuance in that case.
He was interested professionally in
nearly every criminal case before the
court and he knew the mind of the
people-they wanted those cases
disposed of.
Mr.. George T. Graham, also Of the
prisoners Lexington counsel, argued
in similar vein, declaring that little
business had been done at the Febru-
ary term while no court had been
held in June.
Solicitor Thurmond replied briefly.
he would be the last to impose
burden on Lexington county but to
take up the Tillman case Thursday
would impose no burden, for the
witnesses in county cases would be
excused for the time and could
draw no per diem and mileage. 1t
would be a simple matter to dis
charge them, for example, until Mon
day, one week. The grand jury and
the fiscal officers were evidently
under Misrepresentation of the facts,
though he did not doubt the genuine
ness of their solicitude for the county's
intereats Mr. Earla's letter indicat.