The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-03-10
HWhy Did You Kill Her2"

men to me and I couldn't stand 1t,
was the prompt reply. "She broke up
house keeping for me two times"
do you believe in God?" was an
other question from the defendants at
torney.
Eyes, I believe in God,' said Tolbert.
81 have been a church member, but
] lost out after went to the mill when
quit going"
The defendant said that he had
"hosts of relatives in the Buffalo Sec
ton of Abbeville county" He didn't
know how long he had gone to school,
but was unable to read or write now.
Cross Examined.
Cross examined by Solicitor Cooper
Tolbert said If his wife hadn't thrown
I'D other men" to him shes supposed he
would not have killed her. He estimat-
ed that the two had lived together a
total of two years in the six years OF
their married life. He acknowledged
that he didn't support his wife when
he was away, but added: "She took
every cent I ever made"
In an effort to get the prisoners
own opinion as to his insanity, Mr..
Cooper asked him if he thought he
was crazy. "I don't know" Tolbert re-
plied, "but I have known all my life
that I wasn't bright" He couldn't tell
the jury just why he thought this. He
acknowledged that he had always
known how to work, but very often he
had to quit on account of sickness. He
that he had three of four
doctors in six years. 81 usually doctor
myself" he told the solicitor. He knew
DR.. L. D. Wells, who had practiced in
his family.
Given an opportunity to make Ion
ger statement the defendant with
hands clasped and eyes on his knees
said, after a considerable pause, that
he cared to say nothing further, and
left the stand.
"TOlbert is Sane"
DR.. John Lyon was perhaps the
most material witness for the state.
He was called among the first to sub
stantiate the confession which Toll
bert made to Supt. McCuen, of the
Pamela Mill, Immediately after the kill
ing, DR.. Lyon having been summoned
by the sheriff. However, the import
ant part of his testimony was that re-
lating to the prisoners sanity. He had
or 20 minutes each time, and he be-
talked with him twice at the jail, Is
l;eved Tolbert is sane man. DIR. Lyon
declared that he was convinced Toll
bert feigned after the prisoner sus-
pected that he was being examined for
his sanity. 81 stuck him with a pin un-
awares," said the doctor, "and he
Jumped. I stuck him three or four more
times when he was expecting it and
he didn't finch" The physician had
the same experience with the prison
er on the second visit.
Mr.. Featherstone cross examined DR.
Lyon at great length, going into the
question of insanity in all of its RAM
ifications, but the witness insisted, af-
ter all sorts of hypothesis on the part
OF the attorney, that he was convinced
Tolbert was a sane man. On redirect
examination he declared that he could
find no evidences at all of an unsound
mind
Other Witnesses.
Other material witnesses for the
state were Mr.. and Mrs. NJ. d. Ellen
burg, their son Claude, and Mr.. R. K.
McCuen. Mrs. Ellenhurg told of seeing
Tolbert over his wife cutting at her
with a large pocket knife and of hear
ing Mrs. Tolbert pleading: albert,
please let me up, am so weak" Later
she saw Tolbert at the rear door OF
his home with an open knife in his
bloody hand. Claude Ellenburg gave
somewhat the same testimony as to the
knife. VI. D. Ellenburg was not at home
at the time of the killing, but he saw
Mr.. and Mrs. Tolbert at breakfast and
was impressed with the fact that nei-
ther of them appeared to he out OF
sorts.