The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1915-03-04

| VI hhoA DTluBe, tHat the ueleDQa0tD
told him and others to rouse the peo-
pie as crowd OF negroes had met them
and had opened fire on them; saw
George Gibson on December 81; he
was dead ;Over on Georgia side: saw
| rom Spights and he was alive; saw
| Green Gibson same day; he was dead
| down I'm McClure's field; saw two
broken guns lying near his body. On
| redirect examination witness said that
before killing of Green Gibson Me-
Clure told him to get his gun and
| come help get the Gibson negroes,
who were over In a patch OF woods.
Charlie Merritt OF Cleveland, Ga,
who was enroute to Fair Play on
December 20. and who happened along
| about the time the shooting at the
bridge occurred, said he saw collec-
tion OF SOME six or eight men at
knox's Bridge;. recognized Mcclure
and Campbeli: stopped TO inquire
| cause OF shooting: Paul Merritt told
us three white men had been shot;
heard groans coming from store;
walked out to store and found negroes
In bad shape; seemed to be suffering
terribly; one negro was leaning
| against counter; other was sitting in
door; George Gibson was the one
leaning against the counter; his face
was drawn and haggared; other
negro Tom Spights. seemed TO be not
| 80 badly injured; saw no blood on
| either negro; Mcclure told me one of
the negroes had threatened to burn
Mr.. Woodrow Campbell's barn and
that other one had drawn a gun on
Mr.. Kay and had threatened to shoot
him; coming on toward Fair Play we
saw negroes coming down road to-
ward us. carrying gun; he disap-
peared In bend OF road and we never
saw him more. On cross examina-
tion said negro was going toward
knox's Bridge; saw many fresh tracks
along road.
Gibson Testifes.
Will Gibson, brother nf George Glib
son who was beaten to death and son
| OF Green Gibson. who was shot to
death testified that on December 20 he
went by his, fathers house and he and
his father and another brother set out
for Fair Play; each had one shot gun;
| went oil to Knox's Bridge; father ask
cd Mcclure, Campbell and Mcdonald
what they had George. his brother,
| for; asked IL George was under ar
| rest why they didn't let law take It's
| course; white men told us to throw
up our hands; we backed of to the
bridge; some OF the white FOLKS shot
FIRST; my brother was shot through
leg; all OF us shot once: grabbed
. brother John up Off bridge and car
ried him back to South Carolina side:
| left. my brother at Uncle. Scott
Browns; went ON to my fathers
house; my father left me between MIR.
Merrietts and Knox's Bridge; at
kuox's Bridge saw three or four
negroes; my brother. George. was
only one recognized: we didn't shoot
until we got on bridge.
On cross examination denied that
he told anyone az he was going down
road toward Kno&'a Bridge that he
was going to get him O. d
white man; was going along road at
ter white men with gun; at store near
Knox's Bridge saw his brother George
standing out under o tree blindfolded;
when father asked white men what
they had George for they didn't reply;
father asked why they didn't let law
take It's course; they told us to drop
our guns and throw up our hands;
we turned and ran toward bridge;
they shot at us some Is or more
timeA; on reaching the bridge wa
turned and shot; shot only twice;
denied that he and his father and
brother surprised white men In store
and fired on them without warming;
no other negroes Joined them that af-
tcrnoon.
On redirect Examination said he
and his father and brother didn't get
any closer on white men at store than
100 yards. r-fi.s
John Gibson.
VxH, H.
Gibson and q brother o. Gscrge aud
Will Gibson. testified he was at his
home on December 20; got his gun
and Joined his father and brother on
way to Knox's Bridge; when Ug seth-
err asked white men what tauy lad
my brother for Mr.. Mcdonald sa:d
II was because they had found pistol
on George; we got no further answer
from white men, one who was stanti-pI
Ing In door said. "Kill them" we
backed OF then toward bridge and the
shooting began; was shot afte-
reaching the bridge; saw brother
walking cut from front Of store under
q tree; heard Mr. Mcdonald tell him
to look r2: he seemed to be biindfold-
ed.
On cross examination said white
men fired on them i3 or Ia times be-
fore they fired.
DR.. w, G, Mays, the next witness
called, being absent from court. testi-
mony 'whicN he gave at the prelimi-il
nary. hearing was read into the rec
ord. The testimony was with refer |
ence 10 wounds he found on dead body
OF Green Gibson. He said he found
IoSr wounds on negroes body. two
made by shot guns, one. by rifle or
pistol anti one by club; any one OF
wounds would have caused death:
wound with club was or nesro's head.
frances Nichols, who lived on Mr..
McClure's place last December, said