The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-01-27
MANNING, c., WEDNESDAY. JANUARY e. 1915

what happened to me. I feared I wa
going insane. I took some more G
the liquid (chl raj mixture), don
know how much, and the last I re
member was that I swallowed som
clear water to wast very disagree
able taste from my mouth.
II haven't the slightest recollection
about going into the hall that nigh
barefooted, clothed in pajamas an
wearing a raincoat," he said. IN
mind is blank as to the shooting.
recall nothing about being overpow
cred by members Of the crew. l!
fact / have 10 recollection as to HOY
Hinman looked. Yesterday when MI
Wright was testifying I tried to re
fresh my memory IS to the dead man
I don't remember seeing Capt. In
gram. There was no reason why
should want to shoot any man on tn
boat: I had no quarrel with an
one"
Perkins testified that he took on
dose of chloral, a teaspoonful Il
water, according to directions. Thi
was to relieve a fearful headache.
Contrary to expectations, the effec
was just the opposite. The pain wa
intensified, and the defendant wa
haunted by "damnable voices Of de
mons" shouting at him. "They ours
ed me. They screamed at me. neve!
heard human voices like that. The!
were not Of this world. They were
either from the spirit world or from
the imagination. One said get thu
electric battery. Another would di
rect that it be applied to my feet o.
to my back. Always I felt that par
Of the body indicted twitch."
The witness spent the night priol
to sailing at the Hotel Martinique il
New York. He did not sleep any al
all, nor did he hear voices then, but
was haunted by nightmare. "It il
difficult to describe" he declared. II
was all like waking nightmare.
was in terrible distress. What saw
was with the inner eye, or 18th the
eye Of the mind. Three nebullous
figures came tumbling toward me
They grew as they advanced. They
had no definite or fixed form 0ns
assumed the shape of high building
with windows. Another that Of an
Egyptian mummy case, without the
face, or like one Of Robins statues. .
The following morning Perkins
consulted DR.. Roberts, and received
the prescriptions for chloral and caf-
fem citrate, the former for insomnia
and the latter. for nervousness.
Describing his actions Immediately
prior to the shooting, Perkins said he
had q light dinner, and went early to
his room, explaining that he knew nc
one on the boat and was feeling
"very badly" ''The visions had dis
appeared, but I began again to hear
those awful voices. Things happened
very rapidly then, and this awful hor-
ror came upon me, ten thousand
times more horrible than anything
had ever experienced. The voices
were demonical, shrieking. They
drove me into a frenzy. I did not be-
lieve man could feel fear of that in
tensity. I wanted oblivion. I took
some more out Of that bottle (con-
tanning the chloral mi1ture). don't
know whether drank the whole con-
tents Of the bottle or not. I don't
say I took this liquid with intent to
get away from the world" he quick
" answered q question Of this pur-
port from Attorney Waring.
The first the defendant knew OF
the killing, he said, was when he
awoke from the comatose state IN the
Roper hospital in Charleston.
"a line OF people fled in by my
bed" averred Perkins. They al
looked sad. Then one read a paper
of something about killing. I pre-
sumo It was warrant; nobody has
ever explained. I wasn't much in
terested until heard my name. Then
I wondered II I was = murderer
Have I killed some one? Am I a
I asked. The man who
had read the paper said, Yes, sir!
I reasoned, too, that it was strange
that II I was q murderer the man
should sir me-. He should have an
swered Yes
Just why Perkins should have a
pistol on this trip figured in the testi'
mony Wednesday. Perkins said be
carried q pistol for three reasons
The first was precaution against
panic. He had been on ship that
caught fire, and q panic was fore
stalled among the passengers and the
crew OF negroes by the threatened
use of firearms.
A second reason was for protec'
ton In foreign lands. The witness
had travelled around the world three
times and through Europe seven OF
eight times. In remote places ne
found it necessary to be armed, as II
crossing the Andes mountains.
A third reason was his opinion o'
death by drowning.
"Iw was particularly anxious to have
q revolver with me after the Titanic
went down. Several people wen
down with that boat whom I knew
Since then I have wanted pisto
With me that I might have one t1
turn to my temple should I ever be
caught under the same circumstance!
as those on the Titanic. I would pre-
fer death from a revolver bullet, mr.
ed by my own hand, to death b!
drowning. I have feared drowning
as a very painful death"
81 have no recollection Of shoot
ing any one," said Perkins, with un
usual emphasis. "I have no recol
lection Of how Mr. Hinman looked.
He made no other reference to thu
man he had slain, but looked will
some slight degree Of interest at Mrs
Hinman, seated near MIN, who begal
weeping afresh.