The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-01-18
CONVICTED or hAASLAuGNTER
JURY BRINGS IN VERDICT OF
GUILTY AGAINST JONES
wives of Both the Dead Man and of
the Prisoner Among the Listeners
at the Trial.

Orangeburg, Jan. 13.-John J..
Jones, attorney of Branchville. on
trial FOR the killing Of Abe Pearlstine
a merchant Of the same place. was
tonight at 9:15 o'clock found guilty
OF manslauShter. The jury had been
out only an hour when they brought
in the verdict. Sentence will be pro-
nounced by Judge Memminger to-
morrow. Jones is tonight in the
Orangeburg Jail.
The court room was crowded 20
its capacity today by an eagerly in
terested crowd. Among the spccta-
tors was Mrs. Abe Pearlstine, wife of
the dead man, Mrs. Shep Pearlstine,
his sister, the wife Of the prisoner
and his niece.
The interesting feature of the
days proceedings was when the pris-
oner himself took the stand and told
his story of the killing.
The jury has been kept in CUSTODY
since the commencement OF the tria.,
being guarded by constables during
the dinner hours and last night. The
jury was quartered last night at Mrs.
w. G. Albergottis boarding house.
The court was opened pramptly at
$3.50 this morning and the defense
proceeded with its testimony. The
first witness put up by the defense
this morning was l.. II. Fairey.
Fairey, who is vice president of the
Bank of Branchville, testified that as
far as he knew and from what ne
heard the reputation of Jones and
Pearlstine were good, but he had
heard Of Pearlstine being in a few
rows.
w. w. Connolly testified that he
had conversation with Pearlstine
the Saturday night before the killing.
He said Pearlstine told him Jones
was dirty puppy and that he was a
man that had caused him a heap of
trouble. He also told the witness that if
Jones didn't let his business alone. he
intended whipping him. He said that
the conversation took place on Pearl
stine's steps,
T. E. Fairey said that Pearlstine
told him that he made one Pink
Thompson beat Jones. He said
Pearlstine told him that at a barber
shop. Thompson was a heavier man
than Jones, the witness testified. On
the cross eHa minatiou it vas Brought
out that lairey had been in courts
before charged with stealing a watch
and of being connected with The .,ill-
WE Of ono Reeves, but that the
grand jury threw out the indict-
ments.
j. w. Kinsey, who lives at Smoaks,
but does business at Branchville, tes-
titled that during last August Pearl
stine told him that Jones would have
TO get out of Branchville.
j. j. Jones, the defendant in the
case, was the last witness for the
defense. He said he was about 81
years old, was born at Smoaks cross
roads and resided at Branchville dur
ing the past three years. He is an
attorney and interested in furniture
business at Branchville. He read law
under G. p. Brunson Of this city and
Griffin & Padgett Of Walterboro. He
is married. but has no children. He
knew Pearlstine all Of his life. He
was reared about eight miles from
Branchville, in Colleton county. He
said Pearlstine was not a friend of
his, but he had nothing against Pearl
slime. only he didn't want him to
bother him. He gave Pearlstine no
cause to have feeling against him.
Pearlstine came in his office a few
months before the killing, he said,
and cursed him, because he had writ
ten r. Pearlstine concerning a claim
Of long standing.
"Pearlstine said / was writing him
too much. / told him that 1 was not
He said. DO you mean to dispute my
word, if you do, will knock your
teeth down your throat?"
He said he held a number Of claims
against the r. Pearlstine store. He
thought Abe Pearlstine was manager
Of this store. The day before the
killing, Jones said, he received a small
claim against the firm and he mailed
this claim Of $3.50 or wrote r. Pearl
slime Of the claim, early the morn.
ing Of the killing. This letter was
introduced in evidence and read to