The Savannah morning news., 1903-01-21
WHAT ABOUT TILLMAN.


the fate of the man who shot him down
on the street? For several days before
the death of the wounded editor the
people of Columbia were asking each
other the question and discussing il.
The Columbia correspondent Of the New
York Herald wired his paper on sun
day night that the consensus OF opin-
ion was that if Mr.. Gonzales died. moth
ing would be done to Mr.. Tillman. 1t
is not because public opinion does not
condemn the killing of an unarmed
man, but. as unpleasant as it may ap-
pear, it is nevertheless a fact that
white men of standing are not convict
ed in South Carolina of murder where
they have the slightest provocation,'
says the correspondent.
Nor does the Charleston News and
Courier look forward to any punish
ment to be inflicted upon Mr.. Tillman
for the killing of Mr. Gonzales. I'VE
have not the least doubt as to the
quality of Mr.. Tillman's offense." it
says ." an a better condition Of
with certainty what the result of the
trial of such a case would be; and we
are almost equally sure what the out
come of the trial of Mr.. Tillman will
be in the conditions existing in this
state" In another place the News
and Courier refers to other crimes of
blood that have been committed, with
just as little fear of punishment as
Mr.. Gonzales was killed on Thursday"
These opinions may be regarded as
those of experts, who are in touch
with public sentiment in South Caro-
line. The matter resolves itself into
this; that, assuming the story of the
tragedy, as it is now known, to be
the whole and complete truth, with
no extenuating circumstances beyond
those already in possession of the pub
lie, Mr.. Tillman will be arraigned and
tried and acquitted. The only incon-
venience he will be called upon to bear
will be the short time that he must
await in Jail for the calling of his case
to trial. 1t is assumed that, no matter
lOM tOAu-DlOOuGu anu QGllDGIdlt may
have been his shooting down of his vic
tim, he will not be convicted, because
he is 4" a white man of standing" and
that six months ago Mr.. Gonzales said
some extremely unpleasant things
about him in his newspaper 1t means
that with Mr.. Gonzales dead, Mr.. Till
man stands much less chance of being
punished for the shooting than if Mr..
Gonzales had survived and become the
prosecuting witness against him in an
action for assault. Public sentiment
might have stood for a conviction of as
sault with deadly weapons6 but it will
not stand for conviction of murder.
If all this is true, it shows not only
a regrettable, but a dangerous condi-
ton of society in South Carolina. 1t
means that white men of standing
are at liberty to shoot and kill at will,
in bold defiance of the law. 1t means
that such persons are held superior to
the law, and that there is no justice for
those whom they may wrong. 1t means
that life is not safe in that state if a
white man of standing" chooses to
take it.
Yet it is possible that good will come
out of the evil of the killing of Mr..
Gonzales. 1t will be recalled that it
required the killing of Mr.. Shannon of
Camden by Col. Cash of Cheraw to
arouse public sentiment to the point
of putting a stop to dueling. Mr.. Shan
non, one of the ablest and most popu-
lar lawyers in the state, was forced
into a duel with Col. Cash. 1t is be-
lieved that Shannon fired into the air,
while Cash sent a bullet through his
heart. There resulted at once a revolt
in the public mind against dueling and
the most stringent introducing laws
were passed. Since that time there has
been no meeting on the field of honor"
in the state. The people are now stir
red by the Gonzales tragedy, and it
may eventuate that the affair will be
followed by revolution in public SEN
timent that will force the punishment
of those upon whose head there is
whether they are
white men of standing" or not.