Gitlls Not Guilty.
Jury Kershaw's Famous
Homic.de Case Acquits Defendant
After Twenty Minutes'
Deliberation?T estimony
for the Defense.
The News of last Saturday contained
the testimony of the state
in the famous Gillis case?the
killing of McRea W hi taker bv
J. E. (Jr1111h?the trial of which
occupied several days of the
court in Camden la?t week. The
principal witnesses for thedefense
were the defendant himself and
All's. lveese, whus? testimony nt
reported for tiie News and Comer
is as follows:
J. E. Giilis, the defendant, took
the stand in his own behalf. lie
testified that he was in Camden
on the date of the difficulty, that
I his father, some time previously
I had a negro cleaning up the
ground, that he let the tire gel
^ out on the land of deceased^
mother-in-law. When defendant
came to his dinner his father sent
him to help put out the fire.
While there Mr. McRae Whit
aker came there and seemed tc
be very mad, and accused him ol
setting the fire out, which he de
nied doing, and explained hit
connection with it.
The explanation did not satisfy
Whitaker and, rather than huve
any difficultv, he left. The da^
of the difficulty he and his fathei
' were in Gainden. In the after
noon they lei t for home. A
Green Llill swamp defendan
stepped out of his buggy ant
when he looked around saw tha
Whitaker also had just driven up
Whitaker said: "You all art
blocking the road," to which hn
* father replied: "I thought yoi
i,-uId pass," and at the same timt
drove out to one side, Whiiakei
said: "1 have not seen you since
you put the fire in my woods."
Defendant replied: "Mr.Whit
aker, I did not do it, and I tolc
you 1 had nothing to do with it.'
Whitaker said, "Well 1 havt
been infoimed that you did, ant
I'll be damned if 1 didn't believt
IV.
Defendant again denied having
anything to do with the fire, am
told deceased he thought he owec
liim an apology for the way h<
treated him.
Defendant's father then spok<
up and said: "Positively, Mr
Whitaker, he didn't put the firt
in the woods. 1 sent him thert
and told him to get all the handi
that he could and to put out th
hre, no matter where it was. To
this Whitaker said: "Well if ]
J" have been misinformed, I reckon
1 owe yon an apology and would
take back what I said."
Defendant aaid kkWell ic
nil right, I am done with it." I)e
fondant and his fattier got in
their buggy and drove on.
Whitaker overtook them and
1 passed them. When they reach
ed Boykin's Whitaker said "El
Gillis, God damn you, hold up
there, I am going to settle thie
damn fire fuss." They stopped
and looked back and saw it war
Whitaker and Ancrum Boykin
i'u : - :j
? uny Tvnin uuiujuk hi a. mpiU
speed. They drove up near and
both jumped out. Whitaker said :
^(lod damn it, I am going to have
a battle." Seemed to be pulling
off hie coat, Ancrum Boykin said :
"Come, this damn tiling has to be
settled right now." Defendant
" said to him: "l'he matter is set,
tied so lar as I am concerned.
Ancrum said,No, it is not settled,"
and Whitaker said: Yes, I am
going to have a battle."
He had his pistol at the time
iu his hand. Defendeut said to
> Boykin: "We dont wan't to fight
anyone, and if you all will let us,
we will go home." Boykin said :
"No, you won't do anything until
Whitaker gets satisfaction," and
shoved defendant's father aside
and said : "Damn you, get out if,;
you arn not in it" Defendant
then said to him: If he is not in
it you are not in." Boykin
said : "Yes, I am in it, damn it;
I urn ivnituv Iiuuq anmnfliinot fn
JL n in nu, i'w 111% v v nwiiiv i ij i i>u? ?"
i do with it right now." About that
i time Mr. Sam Hoy kin came up
? and Ancrum Boykin said to him :
"You take charge of him," meanj
( ing defendant's father. Mr. Bar-1
: field was standing near, and a<1 - j
vised against a light, but it they
were to fight to have a fair fight.
Defendant said : "1 don't want
any," but Whitaker told him he
was looking to have it right now.
AnePum Boykin said. "Give me
your pistols, Gillis." He refused
' to do so. Whitaker then said:
"That is all right; I will fix the
' (4?d?s?o?b. I will kill him."
Whitaker then threw his pistol
over his head and said : "I am
going to have a duel, and nothing
else will do me," and stepped out
and threw out his pistol on defendant,
and about that time he
realized that unless he acted and
acted quickly he would be killed.
$
He drew his pistol and fired
about simultaneously with Whitaker.
Defendant fired twice in
quick succession. Cannot say,
as it was done so quick, how manv
r . *
times Whitaker fired. He knows
once at least, just at the time defendant
fired, and a little in adt
*
j vance, he believes, of defendant's
shot. With defendant's second
' shot Whitaker fell.
J AN EYE WITNESS, MK8. A. M. REESE,
a ... I. ~ ? .1 ? u
' WHO ttljtcu cl n JJUP l IJJ I M l l <11 i?U^?
J kin's I'ostoffice, in the absence of
1 her husband, who was the postr
master, testified that on the af?
ternoon of April 'J, 1904, she was
at Boykin's, when Mr. NVhitaker
- drove up in a buggy toward the
1 depot. Shortly after J. A. (Jillis
' and the defandant rode to the
' postolKce and asked for their
! mail. She nave it to them and
* they rode off, her attention was
attracted by Ancrum Boy kin and
ii Mr. Whicaker. Their bujiiiv was
l! hitched near the depot and they
1 were walking very rapidly in the
s direction of Ci ilis. VVhitaker
seemed very much excited and
* was Oilrfling the (jrillises, who
J were sitting in their buggy. They
^ were acting in a quiet manner.
* Whitaker was the aggressor. De*
fondant <1 id not draw a mark on
* the ground and dare Whitaker to
> cross it. .lust before the shooting
[ I heard Mr. Sam Boykin ami An
i crum insisting on a fair fight
I Giliis did not decline a fair light
Said he would give up his pistol,
i Did not hear Whitaker say he
would give up his. Lleard Whit
> aker say he would fight a duel,
accompanied by violent language
11 and then the shooting took place.
The case was concluded Saturday,
the jury rendering a verdict
of not guilty in twenty minutes,
i Among the attorneys for the de
I fense was Mr. E. I). Blakeney, of
i Kershaw. The Hon. M. L. Smith
assisted in the prosecution.
Marion Stands by Cotton Asi
sociation.
1 Marion, Oct. 7.?Special to
News and Courier : Cotton situation
anomalous. Two hales sold
yesterday and none today. Faim
ers will not accept less than 11
1 cents. Meetings largely attended
and pledges signed today.
#
Assaulted a Magistrate
And Shot at Another Man,
are the Charges Against a
Laurens County Citizen.
Special lo The State.
Lament*, Oct. 8 ?John Manning
Abercrombe of Dials township
was lodged m the Laurens
ail yesterday afternoon by Sheriff
T. J. Duekelt and his deputy, A.
B. Sullivan. Abercrombie will
probably have to answer to two
indictments loras-aultand battery
willi i nl out In Lill iiu !m u i^liiinr
" *,,'v,,v *,r ,,vy
ed with maKing a brutal assault
on Maoist rat e M lie lams Friday
afternoon and of filing upon a
neighbor, Morgan Gwinn, short*
lv alter the attack on Magistrate
Ilellams.
11 seems that Abercrombie had
a grievance against Magistrate
Li el la ms because the latter had
been employing Abercombio's
children to pick cotton alter he,
Abercrombie, had notilied Inm
not to do so again. Tnis is said
to be Abercrornbie's alleged
reason 1 o r his treatment
of t. e officer. It is stated that
he called at Magistrate Ilellatns'
home and was cordially received
at the door by Mr. Llellams himself.
Alter exchanging a lew
words Abercrombie, who armed
with a big pistol, told llellatns
that he was going to kill him,
whereupon llellatns retreated to
ward his room, presumably for
the purpose of his gelling his
gun to protect himself. Belore
reaching,the weapon, however,
Abercrombie entered the room
at another door and secured the
gun himself and then proceeded
to kick and cuff Mr. Ilellams in
a verv brutal 111 inner. Abercrombie,
it, is said, appeared to
i I .1 1 IlU
lit* (l n 111\ 111 <1111 it 111 i lit .
Hellams' lie shot at Mr. Gwinn,
who picking cotton with liis wile
in a liehi near tiie road.
Black Brute Lynched by His
Own Color.
H linhridge, G ?., Oct. S. ? News
j has just reached Bainbridge ol
the lynching ol a negro today,
eight mile s West of here by ?
mob ol his own race. The necrn
had eriminaliv assaulted a
negro girl and had attempted to
assault another who cut him in
the breast. He was arrested by
Deputies .lames Ivey and Mur
1 kerson, who were bringing him
to Cambridge, when they were
slopped by a mob of negroes who
saio they must have I lie negro
They got liiin and forced the deputies
to go away on another
road. The negro was strung up
to a tree and riddled with t>ul
lets.
Sot lee to all Persons Inilebte.il to
the Lancaster Mercantile Co.
As you well know, we made
some business changes the first
of last year, and it is absolutely
necessary that we must collect
all past due notes and accounts
in order to settle with the late
members of our concern ; theree
i f_i \
lore, we now ass our mends,
whom we have been so liberal
with, to now make arrangements
at once to pay us. All past due
notes and accounts not settled
promptly will be placed in the
hands of our lawyer for collection.
Yours truly,
3t Lancaster Mercantile Co.
The Lancaster News eight
pages, twice a-week, $1.50
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