The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1913-06-11
REPRESENTATIVE LONG
ACQUITTED OF MURDER
Slayer of Pickens Gunter
a Free Man.
DECISION REACHED
WITHOUT ARGUMENT
Hugh Long Tells his Story Of How
f1ckens Gunter Followed Him Dur.
Ing the Campaign Meetings and
Threatened TO TAke his Life.


threatened TO IAke his Life.
AIKEN, Juno 5.-One minute and q,
halt after the jury which since Tues.
DAY morning has been hearing th,
mass of evidence in the Hugh I,onr
case MED out to the court room this
afternoon the l2 men filed back ip,n
the jury box and rendered the ver-
dict, acquitting Long of the murder
oil ilckcns n. Guntcr The case was
turned over to the jury at 1858 ~.
AL 3:57 the charge which has rcstnd
over the legislator since Il few days
aitcr his election last September was
declared to be without foundation ana
iiuSh Long stood Il free man.
The defense closed Just after the
morning recess When court CON
Vencd this afternoon at 3 O'Clock tb.
state put up several witnesses in re-
Duttal and as soon as the evidence
was all in James r. Lcgarc, foreman
oi the jury, requested Of Judge Gary
that the jury be excused n momcn,
Ihc Jurors filed into the jury room
and were surrounded by the fore
man. /, was the work of n moment
returning to the court room. Mr..
League requested to the Jury, thus
dispensing with argument of coun.
sci
Minds Made Up.
we have made up our minds" he
declared. I'VE are all of one mind
We have heard the evidence and Moth
ing the lawyers on either side can
say can have any effect on the YER.
dict we shall render"
Judge Gary objected and Solicitor
Guntcr and attorneys for the prose.
cullon resisted the suggestion.
Judge Gary pointed out that under
tn" constitution the accused had a
right 10 be heard, whcrcupon MIR
Croit OF Longs counsel informed tn
judge that Mr Long was absolutely
willing to turn to turn the case over
to the jury without argument az.
abide by the verdict, so clearly had
the plea of Sclf-dcfcnsc been made out
The solicitor made two short argu-
mcnts against the suggestion, but the
foreman of the jury insisted. and
Judge Gary began charging the jury
both on murder and .nslaughtcr,
after which the jury retired only to
record the verdict
The state had intended making
three arguments and the dcnfenscs
two. The verdict was received quiet.
ly, but Hugh Long sprang to the box
and shook hands with each OF The
jurors. Mrs Long, overcome with
gratitude, the tears streaming down
her checks, thanked each Juror SEN
aratcly, after which something like q
reception was accorded Long.
Long on Stand.
Long was called to the witness
stand at l1:45 o'clock. Briefly he
told of his early life in Moth Caro-.
lima, having been born i'm Union
county, near Monroe, in that STATE,
Of teaching in country schools be-
fore going to Wake Forest college
and teaching afterwards until he wa
admitted to the bar in both North and
South Carolina, taking up newspaper
work in the meantime. He stated ne
has four brothers, three of whom are
ministers.
In 1911 Long moved to Wagencr
and began publishing the Wagner
Edisto News and opened an office for
the practice of law. The citizens
elected him, as ne stated, against his
wishes as intendant or mayor In
1912 he became a candidate for The
legislature.
Long told how fractional feeling iai
developed in Wagner, and said that
when he began his campaign for the
legislature, Pickens Guntcr, the man
he killed, followed him from place To
place over the county, appearing at
campaign meetings. held at AIKEN.
New Holland, Wagner, where. he
said he was interrupted by Gunter
Perry, WinsdOr, Langley and other