The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-03-10
ALBERT TALBERT
FOUND GUILTY
Sentenced To Die In the Electric
Chair-Killed His Wife At Pamela
Mills, In Greenwood Some Months
Ago.-The Story of the Trial


Ago.-The Story of the Trial
Albert Tolbert, the white man who
killed his wife, in the town of Green
wood, some months ago, was tried In
the Court of General Sessions for
Greenwood county last week and found
guilty Of murder without recommends
ton to mercy, which means that he
will die in the electric chair erected
by the great state Of South Carolina
for the purpose Of Killing men. The
trial took place Friday afternoon. The
defendant was represented by Hon. c.
C. Featherstone and B. L. Mcdowell,
Esq. Tolbert himself took the stand
and gave an account OF the killing. We
are indebted to the Greenwood Daily
Journal for the following story Of the
trial:
Insanity was the plea Of the defense.
Mr.. Featherstone, who examined wit
nesses, early laid the foundation for
this when nearly all Of the defendants
witnesses were questioned on the
prisoners peculiar" actions. He pur-
sued the same course when examining
In great detail three physicians for
the state, Drs. John Lyon, Friday af-
ternoon, and R. B. Epting and S. w.
Page Saturday. Each of these doctors
declared they believed Tolbert sane.
Dr.. L. D. Wells, chief witness for the
defense, submitted an affidavit in
which he expressed the opinion that
Tclbert is of unsound mind and ir-
responsible.
Tolbert's Own Story.
There was something of the dramat-
ic in the court room scene when Toll
bert took the stand in his own de-
fense, and his story of the murder was
of course the most sensational of the
afternoon. Answering the oath admin
istered by the clerk of the court the
defendant added in low voice: "If
God spares me WILL" AS soon as he
had taken his seat he whispered a
word to the sheriff who Immediately
asked that all ladies leave the court
room.
A sordid tale of infidelity, or his sus-
pecting of infidelity, on the part of
his wife was told by the prisoner in a
connected story couched in fairly good
English. Referring to her always as
"she," never once mentioning her CIV
en- name, he declared that she had
throwed up other men" to him so often
that he could stand it no longer"
The climax was reached this Sunday
morning, Dec. 18th, when she men
toned the name of young man with
a threat, left the defendant in his bed
early that morning, went into their
kitchen, thumbolted the door and re-
manned away until about II o'clock
When she came back he attempted to
kill her with a hammer. but she es-
capped into the room of the Ellenburgs.
In a few minutes she came back tc
"straighten up" the room and he
"downed her then" The witness de-
clared that when he came to himself
he had his wife around the throat. He
didn't know that he had broken her
neck, but realized that he had choked
her.
"Came Quarrcling.'
At the suggestion of Mr.. Feather
stone, Tolbert made his statement to
the jury covering the incidents of the
day of the killing as we'll as unhappy
happenings of their married life. 81
heard her say after she got away from
ne and went back into Mrs. Ellen
bur's room, 81 can draw his time, but
he can't draw mine. When she came
back 1 didn't know what I was doing
and when I saw that I had crushed
her throat 1 phoned for the undertak-
or to get her and for the sheriff to
come and get me-" He had knife in
his hand, but didn't remember wheth-
CT or not he cut her.
Asked about his life history. Tolbert
said that he was 40 years old and was
born in the lower part Of Abbevillc
county. He had been married six years
but had no children. His wife was @
when she was killed. eve got along
like two cats and dogs" he declared