The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-10-11
|;lUGnmhA 'OAst COMMENCED
ELEVEN MEN PICKED no TRY
CASE-PANEL WAS Ex.
HAUSTED.
Two Witnesses, DIR. Holman and J.
". Bateman, Brother of A. NJ.
batcman, Put On Stand "Wednesday
Morning - Many Spectators, and
Much Interest Manifested.

The trial of the case against T. b
Caughman, charged with the murde,
OF A. M. Bateman. a former rural
policeman Of Sumter County, was
cpmmenced In General Sessions cour,
Wssnesday morning. Only two wit.
nrsses had been examined up to the
time that court adjourned for dinner
Wednesday. These were DIR. +. X.
Holman. who had examined the
wounded man at the hospital and ],
bateman. a brother of the de.
ceased.
The drawing Of the jury COM
menced about IL o'clock and con-
sumed more than an hour. the case
finally going to trial with only eleven
men sitting In the jury box, both the
defendant and the State having
agreed to try the case with this num-
Der of Jurors The eleven men who,
with Judge Sease. will try the case
are: ID. M. Dick. foreman: w. @. Nc
Coy. II. ]. Windham. ]. b. Allsbrook,
bianding Ardis. c. r.. Ardis. +. B..
Grier. c. +. stubbs. Jr., A. j. Moses,
w. q. Moses. II c Tucker.
In drawing the Jurors the panel vas
exhausted when the eleven men were
settled upon. The defendant In most
cases asked 10 see the registration
certificate of the jurors as their names
were called and when they were not
signed by at least two OF the alleged
qualified supervisors OF registration.
upon motion of the defendant they
We're told to step aside by the court.
One witness stated that he had form.
ed an opinion and was therefore set
asi'le by tho court. others stated that
they had talked of the matter and
expressed their opinions from hear.
Ing and reading of the case, but were
not biased and could give the State
and the defendant a fair and i'm
partial trial In most OF these cases
the defendant objected. or the court
set the Juror aside. The State used
Its challenges in the case also. r,
The nrst witness In the case was
Dr. II. X. Holman. He testified that
no had been called to the hospital to
examine a. M. Bateman and found
him dangerously wounded. He de-
gcribed the passage ~ the bullets, one
having struck Bateman In the back
TO the left Of the spinal column and
ranged upward. stopping near the
skin on the right Of the abdomen.
The other bullet struck In the abdo-
men and stopped under the skin near
the spinal column. Either wound,
no stated. In his opinion would have
been mortal. as the intestines were
punctured I'm several places.
j. II. B0teman. a brother OF the
deceased. who conducts a furniture
store Mt Camden. was the next wit
ness He told OF having seen his
brother on the Sunday morning, the
day following the shooting. on which
he died. He stated that his broth
er told him of the shooting. after the
operation when he thought he was
dying. His version was that Bateman
had stopped Caughman In the road
and told him that he would have to
take the liquor from him. Caugh-
man told him to go ahead, IL he con-
sidered that TO be his duty. When he
was placing the package In his bug
Ky he heard the first shot and felt
something like a hot iron I'm his back.
He turned and caughman had his
pistol levelled with both hands.
Caughman shot again and then both
commenced she oting until Caughman
got In his buggy and left.
On cross examination an effort was
made by counsel to show by the wit
ness that Batelnan was q bully, but
the witness stated that he had known
little OF his brother for the past ten
years and could not say.
At one time tilt occurred between
special counsel for the State and for
the defendant. when a reference was
made by Mr.. Jennings to the States
special counsel. M. l.. Smith. one of
the special attorneys for the state OBJ
jected to such reference TO his being
a special attorney In the case and
stated that he would not put up with
any aspersions from counsel on the
other side. The state Is represented
by the Solicitor. Harmon ID. Noise and
Mcdei L. Smith OF Camden. The at
torneys for the defendants are l.. ID.
Jennings. j. III. Clifton, Il. Frank
Ksllx