The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-01-21
PEOPLES ACQUITTED.
ATTORNEY GENERAL FACESCOURT
ON MURDER CHARGE
KILLING WAS ACCIDENT

Richland County Court House Scene
of Trial in Which the Jury OBJ
solves the Attorney-General After
DeIiberating Three Minutes-Pee-
pies Explains Accident.
Attorney-Genera1 Thos. H. Peoples
was exonerated of all blame for the
accidental shooting of a negro por-
ter, Robert Marshall, in the Elks'
Home in Columbia by a jury in the
Richland county court Monday
morning. Three minutes after they
got the case the jury returned YER
dict of "Not guilty" to the Indictment
charging Attorney-General Peoples
with murder.
The Richland court house was fill
ed Monday morning at 10 O'Clock
when Judge George E. Prince, who is
presiding, took his seat. Solicitor
Wade Hampton Cobb called the case
of the State against Thos. H. Peoples,
Assistant Attorney General Fred H.
Diminick announced Mr.. Peoples
ready for trial. Many Of the mem
bers of the general assembly dropped
in during the trial. The larger part
Of the members of the Richland bar
were present and the spectators
benches were filled. Coroner ]. A.
Scott sat beside Solicitor Cobb.
Attorney General Thos. Fl. Peoples
was arraigned and pleaded not guilty
to the charge of murder The draw
ing of the jury began at 1920. Two
challenges we're used by the defence,
Mr.. Dominick excusing ". E. Hop
lins and B. NJ. English. The jury as
drawn consisted Of E. A. Hedgepath,
". D. Rabun, D. K. Pratt, D. W.
Boughnight, Edmund Roberts, W. L.
Coleman, J. c. Carpenter, J. R. Full
mer, William Watson, R. E. Camp
bell, S. B. Hyatt, R. L. Burnett
Judge Prince directed R. E. Campbell
to act as foreman.
That Attorney General Peoples
came into the Elks' Home On the
night Of December with a pistol
which he had taken from his car
and while in the act of handing it 70
Capt. J. F. Weaver in the buffet OF
the club it was accidentally exploded
killing the negro porter, Robert Mar
shall, who was entering the room
and that the Attorney General was
wholly without blame and much dis
tressed at the accident. was the testi.
mony which was given by s. F
Wheeler, A. H. Martin, George j.
Howell. James F. Weaver, who were
present in the buffet at the time. It
was developed that the attorney gen.
eral did not even know the negro was
entering the room. that he turned to
hand the pistol to Capt. Weaver on
the resuest of the latter to let him
see it, and it was accidentally dis
charged. presumably by being knock
ed against the counter.
Sheriff Mccain, who took charge
of the rooms after the shooting, cor
roborated the others, and Arthur
Cayden, a negro porter at the Elks'
Home, testified that he was at the
phone ordering some milk for the
| attorney general when he heard the
shot. He said that Mr. Peoples al
ways was polite and considerate OF
the servants and all liked him. All
Of the witnesses testified that they
had never kncvn the attorney gen
eral to carry pistol.
DR.. M. NJ. Rice, who examined the
negro after his body was removed to
the undertaking establishment. testi-
fed that the bullet entered mis- right
temple, ploughed through the brain,
and came out on the left of the head.
The testimony showed that the bull
let then glanced against a wall and
fell on a hearth. The flattened bullet
and the pistol were put in evidence
by Solicitor Cobb.
Attorney General Peoples took the
stand in his own behalf. and was
the only witness for the defence. In
straightforward, manly way, he
told of the sad occurrence. How he
had only received the pistol some six
weeks prior to the occurrence from
an uncle in Texas. How he had put
it in his automobile that morning for
the protection of his mother, who
went to Lexington in his car. On
the return he rode in his car to the
Elks' club about 10 o'clock. and took
out the pistol intending to leave it at
the club. as he never carried one. He
went into the buffet and was in the
act of laying the pistol on the cash
register when Capt. Weaver asked
him to let him see it. He turned tc
hand the pistol to him when it sud-
denly went off and the bullet entered
the head of Robert Marshall. a negro
porter, who entered the room. The
attorney general stated that he didn't
know the negro was in the room until
he lay stretched on the floor with
the bullet through his brain.
Solicitor Cobb cross-eXamine the
attorney general briefly. No argu-
ments we're made by opposing counsel
and Judge Prince charged the law on
murder, manslaughter and accidental
killing, and then gave the case to the
Jury. They filed out at 1928 and
three minutes later returned to their
seats and handed up the indictment
with the words: "Not guilty, R. c.
Campbell, foreman written across
the back. Attorney General Peoples
was shaken by the hand by many Of
his friends on his complete exonera-
tioO