The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1921-05-05
PUTNAM GETS
TWELVE YEARS
JURY FINDS HIM GUILTY OF
OF MANSLAUGHTER
NO APPEAL.

After deliberatinG for three hours
and twenty minutes the jury at 4:2s
o'clock Friday afternoon brought a
verdict of guilty of manslaughter in
the case of George Putnam, on trial
in the general sessions court at Spar
tanburg charged with shooting to
death, on December 18th last, B. A.
Buckheister, superintendent of the
street railway system of that city,
and Judge Greene sentenced him to
hard labor for twelve years.
Z The prisoner YVES calm when the ver-
dict was rendered and after confer
ence with his attorneys decided that
he would not ask for 2 new trial but
his attorneys did ask for light SEN
tence for him. The defendant is 81
years of age and his attorney in ask
ing for light sentence argured that
most of his life was already spent and
a long term would work a hardship
on the man and his family.
The court house was packed during
the entire trial and every word was
listened to with interest. The testl-
mony conflicted somewhat between
that of the states witnesses and the
witnesses for the defense about the
position of the deceased and the de-
fendant when the shooting occurred
The defendant went on the stand
in his own behalf. He testified that
he and J. P. Eubanks walked down
as far as Efrd's store together and
stopped for a few minutes to talk
business; that he left Eubanks and
started to Blackwood's cafe to get a
drink of water and telephone his wife
when he would be home. A man
was standing in the middle of the
sidewalk, and as he passed he turned
and as he did the defendants arm
iolted against the arm of the de-
ceased. WAen that happened the
man. who turned cut to be Buck
heister. struck him lick back of the
head with his left hand and made a
motion as if to get his gun out OF his
pocket. When he did that the de-
fendant pulled his gun and fired. de
testified that he knew Buckheister
had il in for him and believed his life
was in danger.
On cross examination he admitted
that he killed Buckheister, but denled
that he had any malice toward him;
that when he had Buckheister prose
cuted for the attack upon his son
that was settled. He said he was not
afraid of Buckheister man to man.
He testified that he had ben fired by
Ruckheister when he worked for the
street railway.
The defendant testified that the
shot which went in the back OF the
deceased might have been the second
one and it might have been the last
one; that he was four to SIX steps
away when he fired that the right
side of the deceased was toward him
when he fired. He turned and step.
ped off the sidewalk and then turned
heck toward him and he began firing
apain. Buckheister fell in the street
near the railroad track.
J.P. Eubanks, who was with Put
nam a few minutes before the shoot
ing, claimed to be an eye witness and
described the shooting. He placed the
deceased in the middle of the sidewalk
and described the shooting.
Several witnesses for the defense
testified as to Buckheister being In
the middle of the sidewalk when the
difficulty started. The states wit
nesses testified as To Buckheister be-
ing on the curbing with his back to.
ward the store, facing the street, and
was in that position when the first
shot was fired. He then turned and
the others were fired. None OF the
states witnesses saw the first shot