The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1903-10-07

that this is the States side of the case
and that the defense in due time will
have It's turn. What the defense will
prove nobody knows or can know, but
one thing even now is plain, and that is
that the States case is immensely
strong. Why? For the good reason
among others that the witnesses who
have been are men of known
character n of established reputa-
ton. They may be mistaken in some
of their recollections of the tragedy en-
acted i'm Columbia-a tragedy, by the
way, which according to the testimony
of DR.. Adams today, had at least one
prophet (the prisoner)-but in general
confidence in their recitals cannot be
broken Town in South Carolina.
Whether or not their joint testimonies
have as yet mad out q case of murder
is to be judged by others than the
writer, but the issues involved in this
trial are so tremendous in their i'm
port that they deserve the careful con-
sideration of every intelligent citizen
OF South Carolina. Men like Talbird
Aiken, Lancaster. King n Cause and
numerous other of the witnesses are
known all over the State the read
ers of the stenographic testimony, APP
pearing daily, are able to judge for
themselves whether or not these wit
nesses are to be believed.
The testimony for the prosecution to-
day was in the first place as to threats
and In the second OF eye witnesses to
the shooting or it's accompanying Incl
dents. Not all of the witnesses to the
assault on Mr.. Gonzales have as yet
taken the stand, some of the most
important remain to be sworn, but
enough have been heard to convince
the most ncredulous that no ordinary
peril confronts the accused and no or
binary ask lies before his eXtraordin-
arily Jealous array of
A new theory of the defense was
foreshadowed In the cross examination
of some of the witnesses by Mr.. Nelson
today, namely that the possibility eX~
lists that after all Mr.. Gonzales had a
pistol on his person which may have
been extracted Surreptitiously after he
was wounded. The prosecution in
stantly met this suggestion and wit
nesses were sworn who testified con-
corning the person of the wounded man
and his clothing almost from the mo
ment that the missile of the Luger piS-
tol pierced him. The new theory re-
ceiVed n distinct setback, too, in the
testimony of State Senator Talbird,
who was one of Tillman's two acct
dental companions when the lieutenant
governor of South Carolina shot the
nan he hated in the streets of Column
bia. After the shot, says Senator Tai
bird, he sprang w the two men
eXclaiming, This must sop!" Talbird
declares that in the Jail the same after
noon Tillman said that he would have
| urea Al: ScCoIlu SUOt ndu he nOl leiiIeu
that the bal would strike Talbird. In
the time that Talbira vas a barrier be-
tween Gonzales and his aSsailant had
not the wounded man the opportunity
to draw his weapon had 1t been upon
his person?
The spectators saw and heard I'm the
cross examination of August KOhn this
morning a fair sample of nat an able
and accomplished lawyer cannot do by
methods of questioning most uproar-
ious in declam9tion and terrific In man
ner. Mr.. Nelson commenced with Mr..
Kohn, who is The News and Courier's
correspondent in Columbia. Now il
there is any living man within the bor-
ders of South Carolina who has
achieved a reputation as n specialist
man is August Kohn. 1t Is probably
no eNaggeration to say that he has told
the truth more times than my two
men of his & in the State. h reason
is that he IL an nivor gatherer of
news. indefatigable in gathering it and
writing it for his newspaper. Informed
people know o rarely has he been
asked to make a correction as to facts
I'm the IL years or more of his profess
Sional work. Nevertheless, this was
the man whom Mr.. Nelson and Mr..
Croft esSayed to rattle, to stampede
and entice into contradiction They
went at 1t with magnificent ~gallantry.
Mr.. Nelson e~ndeavored to find out IL
Mr.. Kohn knew of the personal feeling
entertained by the dead editor towards
the late lieutenant governor, now the
prisoner at the bar. No, Mr.. Kohn did
not know Mr.. Gonzales feeling in this
matter. lie associated Familiarity with
Gonzales for years, but Gonzales had
not mentioned Tillman to him. Did
not Mr.. Kohn recall an editorial of The
State in which the prisoner was de-
scribed by various strong terms which
Mr.. Nelson delights, or seems to de-
light-perhaps IL ie painful to him after
all-in reiterating with a glibness
highly iattering to his memory. Mr..
Kohn observed that Mr.. Gonzales
might have written those terms from
a sense of duty to the people without
feeling any personal animosity towards
their object. Mr.. Kohn's answer did
not soothe his assiduous questloner. In
some way, Mr.. Croft got into the game
all of a sudden. He advanced. Mr..
Croft has a superbly modulated voice,
of a singularly touching d~olorousness.
That voice he raised. And advancing
raised his hand. The whiting of Kohn
was imminent! IF you have tears,
prepare to shed them now" whispered
one of the covering reporters in the
remote corner of the press gallery to
another as he viewed the appalling dis
aster lowering over their coinrade in
the witness box. Again Mr.. Kohn's
replies, his accents do not purl with the
dulcet music of n brook, did not seem
to appease. I'm the presence of the
Living God, Mr.. Kohn, in the presence
of the Living Christ-face that jury
take down your harras-do you mean to
say that a man may describe another
as a coward, blackguard and scoundrel
and not AVE enmity against him?" or
words to that effect. So the voice rose
and scared and roared and thrilled to
the ethereal vaults of sublimity-and
yet the hardened Kohn remained UNI
wilted. 1t was a beautiful storm. 1t
lulled for an instant and Mr.. KOhn
came in with something like this: "An
editor may be like you lawyers, Mr..
Croft. who in performing their duties
to their client may say severe things
without entertaining ~animosity." Mr..
Gonzales might have. / think. spoken
of President Roosevelt as O traitor to
the white mans party and yet not have
entertained personal hatred of Roose-
welt when he wrote It," For literal ac-
count see stenographic report. Mr..
Croft's style OF cross examining a wit
ness as illustrated in this instance is
not uncommon to lawyers. 1t ia re-
garded Legitimate by a highly ethical
profession and it is not for a layman
to criticize.
Mr.. G.. j. Terrell, editor of the John
ston Monitor, was sworn by the pro-
secution. He testified to q conversation
In Edgeheld last summer with the pris-
oner I'm which the prisoner said among
other things that unless the editor of
The State ceased his attacks he would
| shoot him and give him No mnre chanpa