The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-06-11

in the dust!'
N. T. Holley, a we'll known Aiken
county farmer living a few miles
from Aiken, and who was himself
candidate for the State Senate in the
political campaign which last sum-
mer led up to the killing Of Pickens
N. Gunter by Hugh Long, testified at
Longs trial Thursday morning that
Pickens Gunter uttered this threat
the Monday evening before the Sec
ond primary was held.
81 told him." said Mr.. Holley, on
the stand, "that he could get in more
trouble in a minute than he could
get out of in lifetime, and that if
he talked that way, Long might kill
him. Mr.. Holley's testimony was
the climax of the mornings proceed
ings. The defense began to combat
the case the prosecution Wednesday
made out against the legislator, and
Thursday morning produced some
testimony to establish the plea Of
self-defense.
''I saw Pickens Gunter in Aiken on
the night of August 81 last year, the
night of the first primary election,
said Mr. Holley. s'I was at the bulle-
tin board looking at the returns as
they came in, interested as I was for
the reason that was candidate for
the State senate. Gunter, who was
my friend, came up. He was drink
ing, saw he was mad. He said he
wanted to talk to me. We walked
out Of the crowd and into park in
the street. Then he wanted to know
what in hell' we gave Hugh Long
such large vote here in Aiken for.
I told him I had nothing to do with
it. He said, IF you'll go in that crowd
and get Long and bring him out here
I'll show you how quick can kill
him. I told him il he wanted to
shoot Long to go hunt him himself"
The threat, the witness declares,
Pickens Gunter made against Longs
life, was made at Wagner. II came
back to Aiken and seeing Mr.. Long
advised him not to go back to Wag-
ener. I told him what Gunter had
threatened" continued Mr.. Holley.
'He replied that he thought the
whole thing would blow over after
the election and that he didn't think
Gunter would hurt him"
]. B. Permenter, a liveryman Of
Aiken, accompanied Mr.. Holley when
he went to Wagner just before the
second primary, and his testimony
was in substantiation Of that OF Mt.
Holley. Mr.. Permenter also had q
talk with Mr.. Gunter at that time.
''He asked me-" said the witness, "to
deliver a message to Hugh Long. I
told him I hardly knew Long. He
said Long had better not come back
to Wagner, and told me to tell him
so. He said if Long came back he
would kill him; that the two of them
couldn't live there. He said he
would take his rifle and Shoot hole
through him and wouldn't think he
had done anything wrong"
A Minister Testifies.
The Rev. J. c. Hoiley, who lives at
WAGNER, told on the stand Wednes-
day morning how Pickens Gunter ap-
preached him during the campaign
last year and said that if Hugh Long
did not "take back" what he had said
in his paper, the WAGNER Edisto-
News, one or the other had "to take
whipping or one or the other had
to die"; that that article could not
stand without retraction and both he
and Long live in WAGNER. The min
lister added that he was friendly tc
both parties and that as soon as
Hugh Long returned to Wagner af-
ter his election, he, Long, asked him
if he thought it safe for him to re-
main there. "I told him." said the
witness, "that because of the rumors
that were aloat it would be prudent
to avoid Pickens Gunter."
Mr.. Holley added that the morn
ing of the second primary he met
Mr.. Gunter again and that Mr.. Gun
ter put his hand on his shoulder ano
led him into the Bank of WAGNER Of
which he was president. He said he
wanted to tell me that others of his
friends had alvised him the same as
! had and having heard so much
good advice, he had decided to take
it. We shook hands, and he told ne
he was done with politics and was 60
ing to drop" That was little more
than two weeks before the shooting
G.. S. Cook. farmer living near
Wagner, told of meeting Pickens
Gunter week or so before the shoot
ing, when Mr.. Gunter stopped him
and asked him what he would do to
a man that had published an article
about him in the paper. "He said"
the witness swore, "that he was go
ing to whip Long the first time he
got a chance"
On cross-examination the witness
said he never heard Mr.. Gunter
threaten to kill Long or any one else.
T. G.. Tanning. a merchant OF
WAGNER, testified that on one or
two occasions he heard Pickens Gun
ter say he thought he would give
Hugh Long - good thrashlng'
It was brought out in cross-examina-
ton of Mr.. Tanning that Hugh Long
had published in his newspaper arti'
Gle rejecting upon J. W. LEbrand and
Pickens Gunter, but the copies Of the
papers were not put in evidence. Wit
ness said he begged Mr. Gunter not
to fight Long, and that at last Mr.
Gunter told him he would not, anc
they "shook hands on it,.