The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-03-06
.FA|RpLAY TRIAL IN WAlHAlLA
SIN WHITE MEN CHARGED
WITH KILLING NEGRO.
solicitor Puts up Half Score Wit
ncsscS to Bring Out Facts i'm Re-
gard to December Race Riot.

Ndihoid, MdrCn Wv nen court
convened at 10 o'clock work was
promptly begun on the Fairplay riot
case, in which six white men are
charged with the killing Of Green
Gibson, negro, on December 20,
1914. The men on trial are w. c..
Mcclure, Woodrow Campbell, C. c..
Kay, S. a. Jones, William Kay and
John Mcdonald.
There was very little delay in Sc
curing the jury. The entire panel
was allied. The State excused five,
the defense 13, and six were disquali-
fed for cause.
All jurors were put on their voir
dire. The solicitor asked many Of
the jurors the following question: ::
will you convict a white man or
white men for killing or lynching a
negro if the fact is proved beyond a
reasonable doubt ?" two of the Jurors
answered in the negative and were
excused.
j. A. zimmerman, a young business
man of Westminster, was appointed
foreman. The other jurors are as
follows: j. c. Seaborn, T. c. Burns,
j. p. Walters, W. T. Burton, A. NJ.
Brown, j. l.. Barker, Elias Woodall,
j. Carroll Lee. r. E. Fendley, ]. B.
Satterfleld and w. B. Stephens.
After the adjournment Of court this
afternoon Solicitor Smith stated that
he had sworn ten witnesses whose
story was as follows: On Saturday
night previous to the killing on Sun
day, December 20, Tom Speights was
severely whipped at the plantation of
one OF the defendants. On Sunday
morning five of the defendants went
to Speights' home, had him put on
his clothes put him in a buggy and
started toward Fairplay. The defend
ants carried three other negroes
along. Before they reached Fairplay
they met three negroes in a buggy.
They halted the negroes and took
George Gibson, a young negro, out of
his buggy and beat him over the head
with pistol which they took from
this negro. They then proceeded to
Fairplay with both George Gibson
and Tom Speights, where they were
Joined by the sixth defendant. From
Fairplay they went to Knox's bridge,
where they crossed the river to the
Georgia side. After reaching the
Georgia side, the defendants made
two OF the negroes brought along
hold George Gibson and Tom
Speights and the third negro beat
them. Some OF the defendants also
beat them.
While this was going on, old Green
Gibson and two other negroes came
up with shotguns and asked what
these negroes had done to be whip
ped. The negroes were told to put
down their guns and they would be
told what they had done. The ne
groes did not put their guns down
but began to retreat toward the
bridge. They were then fired upon
with pistols and returned the shots,
using shotguns. George Gibson died
the next day and Speights some days
later in Georgia.
Green Gibson then came back to-
ward Fairplay, was pursued and was
overtaken near the home of a negro
Nose Williams. and was shot. He
fell, arose and fired upon his pur-
suers and started to run. He was
shot and beaten to death.
Five Of the defendants were present
when the negro was killed and the
sixth came up later, having been
wounded at Knox's bridge. One of
the defendants was wounded by Glib
son.
The solicitor stated that tomorrow.
he would put up several witnesses.
Among those who testified today
was j. II. Godfrey, who as nows-
paper man had interviewed John Nc
Donald soon after the killing but be-
fore any arrests had been made.
Every inch of the ground today has
been contested by the defendants at
torneys. One ground Of contention
was that this was not continuous
act. The solicitor held that all these
iacts were relevant to the case and
his contention was sustained by the
court.
The interest here is intense The
court house has been packed all day.
Scores Of Anderson county people are
in attendance.
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