The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-01-28
THE DEAD AND THE LIVING.

Mr.. n. U. Gonzales, editor or Gne
Columbia State, who was shot down
in the principal street Of the State
Capital last Thursday, passed away
yesterday afternoon. His hands are
folded, hisslips, are dumb, his impet-
uous spirit will no more be disturbed
by the conspiracies of the vicious or
the frailties of the weak. He will rest
we'll, after the little space he was per-
mitted to dwell here, safe in the shell
ter of good conscience.
So it is with the dead; how is it
with the living? So it is with the
slain: how is it with the slayer, with
the voice of his helpless victim,
"Shoot again, you coward, ever
ringing in his ears9 With the rehec-
ton, in his quiet moments when there
is nobody with him but himself, no.
body within call of his soul but his
own accusing spirit. ''It was not nee
essary for me to kill him, I did not
ask him whether or not he was armed.
I did not give him a chance?" He
will never get away from it. There is
something in the stain of human blood
shed by violent hands that cannot be
washed out. 1t is always red, blood
red, and it obtrudes itself upon the
vision whatever the beauty of the
scene, whether it be the innocence Of
little children at playrthe contentment
OF the virtuous life, Q the good fell
lowship OF well-conditioned neighbors.
It does not matter to Gonzales what
happens to the man who killed him. He
has spoken his last word in condemna-
tion of his enemy. What was written
in the heat and passion Of the last
campaign mas not been blotted out by
the shedding of his blood. What he
said when be was assaulted without
notice has only been emphasized by
his death. We have not the least
doubt as to what the law ought to do
with his slayer: our only doubt is as
to how we can best aid in the enforce
ment of the law and the punishment of
the man guilty of its violation. We
have not the least doubt as to the
quality of Mr.. Tillman's ofence-we
all know that he shot down his unarm-
ed victim without notice, that he did
this, after rejecting upon the course
| that he should pursue in order to OBJ
tain vindication of his character for
the period of about six months, and
| that the element of malice afore-
thought entered into the execution OF
deliberately formed purpose.
In a better condition Of society we
should be able to predict with certain
ty what the result Of the trial Of such
a case would be: and we are almost
equally sure what the outcome of the
trial of Nj. Tillman will be in the
conditions existing in this State. But
we must not 90 into discussion of
the case. It will not be tried by the
newspapers, but by the ordinary meth
DDS of the law. If these methods prove
to be insufficient for the protection OF
society, so much the worse for society.
There have been so many miscarriages
of justice, SO many farcical proceed
ings in Court, so much waste Of dig
nifty and legal learning, so many vio-
lent men who have escaped any sort OF
punishment that we do not look with
much confidence to the orderly proceed
ure of the Courts in certain class OF
cases which are treated as above the
law.
1t would be for the highest good OF
the State if, on account OF the deep
damnation of his taking-off, the deeh
of Mr.. Gonzales should mark the be
ginning of new era in the enforce
ment of the law against murder In
South Carolina. na.-News and Courier,
90