The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-01-27
MANNING, WEDNESDAY. JANUARY2 a. 1915

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what happened to me. I feared wa
going insane. I took some more o
the liquid (chl raj 'mixture), don
know how much, and the last re
member was that I swallowed SOM
clear water to wash a very disagree
able taste from my mouth.
| II haven't the slightest recollection
about going into the hall that nigh
barefooted, clothed in pajamas ant
| wearing a raincoat," he said. IN.
mind is blank as to the shooting.
recall nothing about being overpoW
cred by members Of the crew. II
fact have 10 recollection as to how
Hinman looked. Yesterday when Mr.
Wright was testifying 1 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 the
boat. I had no quarrel with any
one."
Perkins testified that he took one
dose of choral, a teaspoonful in
water, according to directions This
was to relieve a fearful headache
Contrary to expectations, the effect
was just the opposite. The pain was
intensified, and the defendant was
haunted by "damnable voices OF de,
mons" shouting at him. "They ours
ed me. They screamed at me. never
heard human voices like that. They
were not Of this world. They were
either from the spirit world or from
the imagination. One said get the
electric battery. Another would di-
rect that it be applied to my feet or
to my back. Always I felt that part
OF the body indicted twitch."
The witness spent the night prior
to sailing at the Hotel Martinique in
New York. He did not sleep any at
all, nor did he hear voices then, but
was haunted by nightmare. ut is
difficult to describe" he declared. 1T
was all like a waking nightmare.
was in terrible distress. What I 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 One
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-
fein citrate, the former for insomnia
and the latter. for nervousness.
Describing his actions Immediately
prior to the shooting, Perkins said he
had a light dinner, and went early to
his room, explaining that he knew no
one on the boat and was feeling
every badly" "The visions had dis
appeared, but I began again to hear
those awful voice.. Things happened
very rapidly then, and this awful hor-
ror came upon me, ten thousand
times more horrible than anything I
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 chlorsl miIture). I don't
know whether drank the whole con-
tents Of the bottle or not. don't
say I took this liquid with intent to
get away from the world" he quick
ly answered 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 all
looked sad. Then one read a paper
OF something about killing. pre-
sumo It was q warrant; nobody has
ever explained. I wasn't much in
terested until I heard my name. Then
wondered II 7 was q murderer.
Have I killed some one? Am I a
murderer" I asked. The man who
had read the paper said, Yes, sir!
reasoned, too, that it was strange
that If I was 8 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 testt-
mony Wednesday. Perkins said he
carried & pistol for three reasons.
The irst was a 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 or
eight times. In remote places he
found it necessary to be armed, as In
crossing the Andes mountains.
A third reason was his opinion OF
a death by drowning.
81 was particularly anxious to have
a revolver with me after the Titanic
went down. Several people went
down with that boat whom knew.
Since then I have wanted pistol
with me that I might have one to
turn to my temple should l ever De
caught under the same circumstances
as those on the Titanic. I would pre-
fer death from a revolver bullet, mr.
ed by my own hand, to death by
drowning. 7 have feared drowning
as a very painful death"
"I have no recollection Of shoot
ing any one," said Perkins, with IN
usual emphasis. ''I have no recol-
lection OF how Mr.. Hinman looked. "
He made no other reference to the
man he had slain, but looked with
some slight degree OF interest at Mrs
Hinman, seated near him, who began
weeping afresh.