The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-09-28
GOSNELL ON TRIAL
FOR SECOND TIME
CHARGED WITH. MURDER OF
GREENVlLLE SHERIFF-EYE
WITNESS TELLS OF SHOOT
ING JULY 4, 1sls-DocToR
AND UNDERTAKEN HEARD.

AND UNDERTAKEN HEARD.
Pickens, Sept. discharged with
the murder of former Sheriff Hen
dirk Rector of Greenville county,
Jake Gosnell, fedeal prohibition en-
forcement officer, went On trial for
the second time here today. Gosnell
was arraigned at noon and when
court was suspended shortly before
6 o'clock this afternoon three state
witnesses had testified. They were
DR.. W. C. Black, who performed two
autopsies on the dead body of the
former sheriff; W. B. Keller, an eye
witness of the shooting, and Thomas
F. McAfee, an undertaken Of this
city.
Through the expert testimony of
DR.. w. C. Black the state attempted
to. establish today that Sheriff Rec
tor had his pack partially or wholly
turned to Gosnell, when the latter
shot him. Using the person of Sheriff
Carlos Rector of Greenville County,
brother of the deceased sheriff, who
was stripped to the waist before the
jury and the court room, DR.. Black
pointed out the locations on the body
where the three bullets that hit Hen
dirk Rector and explained their
range.
DIR. Black was of the opinion that
one of these bullets, that which
struck the former sheriff in the right
side, between the sixth and seventh
ribs, and two and one inches poste-
rior to the auxiliary line, was the
bullet which struck Rector first. On
cross examination, however, he ad-
mitted that his was an opinion only
and that no man could tell which
bullet was the first fired.
W. B. Keller, who was with Cos
nell on the day of the shooting, and
who witnessed the tragedy in Bris-
GOES garage at Greenville, told his
version of the affair in a straight
forward manner. He said that Jake
Gosnell, Gosnells wife and himself
had driven into the garage to secure
grease for the car and that Gosnell
was squatting down behind the auto
mobile when Sheriff Rector entered
the front door. Rector, he testified,
said, "Hello, Jake" or "good morn
ing jake" and Gosnell did not re-
turn the greeting. Rector then told
Gosnell, the witness testified, that
he did not care whether Gosnell
spoke to him or not The witness
said that Gosnell then told Rector
that he did not care to speak to him
and wanted nothing to do with him.
Rector, he said, replied by cursing
Gosnen violently and turned to walk
off snd as was in the act of turning
around Gosnell arose from the squat
ting position he had assumed beside
his automobile and fired four times.
Rector fell forward and sunk to the
floor on his left side, he testified.
A number of other witnesses are
to be placed on the stand by the
state and it will probably be We'd
uesday morning before the defense's
witnesses begin their testimony.
Gosnell killed Rector July 4, 1919.
The case went from the sessions to
the United States court, but was
later remanded to the sessions
court by Federal Judge H. H. Wat
kins. Gosnell was tried in May of
last year, but a mistrial was the re-
suit. A change Of venue was request
ed by the defense on the ground
that the brother of the former sheriff
had been elected sheriff of the coun-
ty and the case was ordered tried in
Pickens county.