Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE VOICE OF C : ' f Patriotic Utterane Wri The Tillman Trial. arolina Spartan. When twelve honest jurors have heard the evidence and declared on ath the innocence of a citizsD, it lies i mot in the mouth of any man to question that verdiot. AU men are honest mntil the contrary is shown. The Lexington jury iras probably not materially different from the average jmry. There is no evidence of undue itvanfanc Vitt tha ^cfcnan in t.Vtfi Till am f ivh^o \JJ vuv x* wavmww man trial and for newspapers to go behind the verdict of a jury obtained in a fair trial, is anarchy. That Tillman shot Gonzales is undented. That be shot him down deliberately, as he would a dog, is equally plain. The jury has once more as it has many times before, appealed to that higher law, which decrees that the frailties and weaknesses of human nature mast be taken into account when nnder persistent persecution, the worm -turns. A brave man, honest, able, clean, and forceful in every sense, Mr. Gonzales was, nevertheless, a stirrer of strife and was fast becoming a political power capable of "puffing and crushing" at will. Like his prototype, the late Editor Dawson, be was removed from the scene while in th9 heyday of his strength. The Tillman trial is bat another illustration of the fact that juries sometimes disregard law and evidence at < the behest of a sentiment. There is no evidence of trickery. The jarors and the witnesses stand waimpeached. And yet the facts are that Editor Gonzales was shot down with deliberation and premeditation without warning or a chance for his life; and the jury says "not guilty," ef the slayer. In our view, less politics were injected into this trial than might have been expected. Less defense was set up than might have been made. Tillman went before the jury practically with the plea that he felt called upon to kill the man who had so persistently written against him in his paper. We can well imagine that in the 'jury room, the several Lexingtonians read over and over the editorials that from time to time, appeared in The State. They placed themselves in flu* ^afan/larit.'a nla/*o thnv fftlf, fchfi effect of a merciless persecution by one who had the power to hnrt. They saw as the public sees that while the charges made may have been true, there was a "ghoulish glee" behind them, that the editor of a powerful newspaper, having personal animosity and private grievance was using his paper to defeat political aspirations of this man with whom his personal relations were so strained. The jarors, doubtless, argued that if a man who had a grudge against any of them and having a newspaper should prostitute the press to the ignoble task of punishing an enemy whether the accusations were true or false, they would resent it. All this talk about South Caroline being humiliated, about civilization being set back and the verdict being unprecedented or unexpected, is the veriest rot- An even more upprovoked killing occurred in North Caro lies and the slater was liberated on almost the same day and yet the world moves on. But the effort to criticise the attorneys for the defence for undertaking this case because they had formerly been of an opposing political faction, the effort to charge without rhyme or reason that the judge, the jury and the populace generally were prejudiced, teods to undermine ini-Ti a fa f om ia nlnoA akin tn vuv j U4; ijjavwku uuvi *0 v*vwv w anarchy. To charg8 that a man who, having been tried by his peers and declared 4tnot guilty/' is a murderer, is not calculated to strengthen our civilization, to promote good citizenship or contribute to the well being of the State. Toe liberty of the press and the 'OMMQN SENSE i es of Sober Minded iters. I ' x right to criticise is a valuable and a I sacred one, too sacred to be turned to the shield of the every penny j a liner who imagines that it is smart to say that men on oath perjured themselves, that judges on the bench were partial, that witnesses were | suborned, that a whole county was prejudiced. If a writer knows facts to justify such charges, it is his duty to give them. If he cannot do this, it his duty, under the salutary rule of presuming innocence until guilt is proved, to refrain from wholesale accusations. I The Tillman Trial. Orangeburg Patriot. The Tiilman trial is over. The result is no surprise to those who have watched not only this particular trial, but others of like kind in the past. Every newspaper in the State is delivering its own special and particular opinion about the jury. The verdict has evoked some very caustic m.nn Kvnof) tnoimiofinno Ui QiblUiCMilf 1X1 auj Uiuau iUOiuu&wivug^ | and a few direct and very serious charges. We entertain certain views on this noted case but we have little or no hope that they will suit the partisans of either side. In the first place, it was a political trial warp and woot. It was not only political, it was partisan and there is no use to deny it. Therefore the verdict pleases one clas9 of partisans and outrages the other. Having nevfer advocated Col. James H. Tillman in his political aspirations, and having never endorsed the late editor Gonzales' methods of political warfare, we can not justly be accused . of being a partisan of either. Our comments shall be made chiefly upon the jury, upon the witnesses and upon the attorneys. Many have insinuated and quite a number have asserted that the jury was "packed," that witnesses were bribed to swear falsely and that the entire trial was a farce and an outrange. All this may be true, but not to an un biased looker on, most of the newspaper comments upon "purchased" jurorB, "perjured" witnesses and "bribed" witnesses seemed to have based their assertions upon the presumption that every witness for Tillman lied, that every circumstance in his favor was trurapted up and that all the witnesses for the State told the truth?that the jurors should believe all that the witnesses for the prosecution said and nothing that the witnesses for the defense said. In all of these presumptions they may have been right, but we shall not essay to judge. But why should those jurors be accused of being "bought up?" Did not the Judge charge them to give the prisoner the benefit of the doubt? And was there enough conflicting testimony to awaken a doubt in their minds if, as they swear, their minds were unprejudiced when they went on the jur}? It must be remember that these jurors were sworn and instructj ed to bring in a verdict, not accordI ingto ther personal beliefs, prejudices or predilections, but according to the evidence, giving the prisoner the benefit of the doubt. How were the jurors to know that all the lying was on one side and all the truth on the other? Most of the witnesses were strangers. Those for the prosecution testified one thing: those for the defense, another. Was not a reasonable doubt inevitable to all ex. . cspt to tnose partisan wnc, on tne one band, bad made up tbeir minds, before the trial, that Tillman should be acquitted and, on the other band, to those who had made up their minds that he should be hanged for murder? How were the jurors to determine? "Look at the mob that testified for the defense," one partisan will say. "You j would not be surprised at the verdict j had you seen the jurors," says another partisan. Such remarks as these bring us !o the main point we started out to stress. We recognize tbe daDger to society when men may be shot down for criticising, in a legitimate way, tbe records of public men. But is there not a greater daDger to society in the presumption that men are more truthful and trustworthy because they wear better clothes and use more polished language? We have no patience with any such theory. A man'3 varacity is not to bf? mpp.Rnred bv the color of his neck tie, nor the height of bis standing collar, nor by the crease in his trous. ere, nor by the polish on bis shoes. A man is not neceesarily purchasable because he wears patched breeches and a seedy haf; nor is he more ; likely to be a perjurer because he earns his liviDg by muscle instead of by his wits; nor, perchance, he hasn't enough education to know a sight draft from a promissory note. Lastly, the latitude allowed attorneys in which they may honorably go counter to their personal convictions, either in defending or prosecuting a case, is entirely disapportionate to that allowed witnesses and jurors in testifying and deciding a case. For the sake of arguments, or illustration, let us suppose that an attorney takes the wrong side of a case for a "fee". Suppose then, a juror on the same case decides the same way for a "consideration." In what way shall we measure the moral quality of their respective acts or differentiate the moral quality of the moral principle involved in each? How much better or worse, how much more honorable or dishonorable is it to advocate a wrong cause for a "fee" than it is to decide a cause the wrong way for a consideration? These are questions that an unb;ased public must answer before it undertakes to heap moral obliquity upon the jurors and witnesses in the Tillman trial. The one may have been bribed and the other may have lied be their judge. There is more Catarrh in this section of the country than all j other diseases put together, and until the last few years was supposed to be incurable. For a great many years doctors pronounced it a local disease and prescribed local remedies, and by constantly failing to cure with local treatment, pronounced it incurable. Science has proven catarrh to be a constitutional disease onil rcnnirca /?nnfif.itnfinriftl CIUU VUUV1V/1U fcl\j,VlllVV treatment. Hall's Catarrh Cure, manufactured by F. J. Cheney & Co , Toledo, Ohio, is the only constitutional cure on the market. It is taken internally in doses from 10 drops to a teaspoonful. It acts directly on the blood and mucous | surfaces of the system. They offer ! one hundred dollars for any case it j fails to cure. Send for particulars and testimonials. Address, F. J. Cheney & Co, Toledo, 0. Sold by druggists, 75c. Hall's Family Pills are the be3t. In the Coal Trust. New York, Oct. 21.?It is reported here today from Montreal that the Dominion Coal company had reduced the dividend on its common stock from eight to eix per cent, a year. The( Salve that Heals I Without leaving a scar is DeWitt's. The name Witch Hazel is applied to t * TTT t many salves, out jjewitts witcn Hazel Salve is the only Witch Hazel made that contains the pure unadulterated witch hazel. If any other Witch Hazel Salve is offered you it is a counterfeit. E. C. DeWitt invented Witch Hazel Salve and DeWitt's Witch Hazel Salve is the best Balve in the woild for cuts, burn?, bruises, tetter or blind, bleeding, itching and protruding piles. Sold by all druggists. The Extra Privilege. One has to pay 815 for a license to shoot deer in Maine. Aut, theD, the license also carries with it the right to shoot some other hunter, by mistake for a deer. Have you Rheumatism? Stiff Joints? Sore Muscles"? An old fore, a burn, bruise or any flesh wound? Ramon's Nerve and Bone Oil cures such aiiiictioDB. Remember the name ?R^.mon't; 25 cents. -%?3'^i.. :r:'-Hr. J ' ' /' * 0** m? | APPEARANCES GO A GREAT WAY Especially with the man of to-day. If you want to make a presentable 'appearance at home or abroad, on the street or in the drawing room, you need the services of a good Tailor. No Two Men are built alike, but THE INTERNATIONAL TAILORING CO., New York and Chicago, makes clothes to your individual order that fit, no matter what your build may be. Every man has a peculiarity of his own, and unless he has this taken into consideration, ready-made clothes cannot possibly f.t him. SUITS TO ORDER - ^ - $12.00 to $40.00 600 Fall and,Winter Popular Patterns from which to select. * ' * "C * We have them and invite your inspection. if ii iii umii of at vuip Lexington, S. 0. Cook Stoves! Cook Stoves! AT REDUCED PRICES. To reduce our stock we will sell Cook Stoves at a big disconnt. We mean business. Call and see our variety and prices on all goods, at STANLEY'S GHINA HALL, NEXT DOOR CAROLINA NATIONAL BANK, COLUMBIA, S. C. September 2,?.?3m, FITZMAURICE FlTZMAURICE 1704 AND 1706 MAIN ST? COLUMBIA, S. C. Mil m WINTER ilRV GRAIN lilLLi ililll IllillUll UUl uuwuu. The grandest exposition of Fall and "Winter Goods e^cr brought to Columbia at old prices and Jess, Read carefully the goods advertised in these columns and we will abide the result. We want you to give us a call, because we can be of great benefit in the matter of dollars and cents. Special Bargain Sale of Clothing for Men and Boys. 100 odd coats for men at S2.00, regular price $5.00. 50 odd coats for men at $2.50 regular price S7.oil 150 boys all wool school suits at $1.60, regular price $2.50. 300 Boys'school suits all wool double breasted. 'The most durable suit ever offered to the trade. DRY GOODS SPECIALS?3,0<~0 yards MEN'S UNDERSHIRTS ?50 dozen of half wooi.Dress Goods at 10c., 3d inches double brested iieece lined undershirts and real value at 15c. drawers at 95c. lor the suit. No cold will . on u i touch you if you have these. HENRIETTAS?j0 pieces 36-inch wool _ . , .. Henriettas, ad colors, at 25c. special LADIES VESTS 100 dozen ladies ribbed vests at 12?c. each, real value at 20c. OUTISG-lOO pieces 27-inch Outings. paISTS-5U0 pieces of the best caliat oc. the yard, regular price 7c. C0e3 al 5o They ^ worth 0}(._ SEA ISLAND- ?5,000 yards 36-inoh BLANKETS ?100 pairs of all wool - - * 1 - - * - lit id roul vnlna of $1 ft/1 at 4% by the piece or dc. me jaru 10 cione. uj?ua.cio a.*, ?w. ? TV. tve on . ik . , CLOTHING DEPARTMENT-We have JEANS-30 pieces school boys Jeans j\ 3 Harm an in charge ot onr Ctothat 12}c. the yard, Jng Department who will be glad to see his ~-____^ , , ,, _ Lexington triends. He will treat them CAPESt CAPES All wool double Capes lairly. We have an elegant line of. clothat $1 each, real valaeat $1.50. bargain prices MONET LOST is money paid for cheap shoddy furniture. "Why not go to JONES &' WILLIAMS where iyou can get good furniture for the price usually charged for the shoddy kind. They sell * * T- J-J Uiiairs, iviaxLrebbfcJb, opnii^D, Bed Room Suites, Pictures, Clocks, Rugs. Stoves, Sideboards, Bureaus, Beds, Washstands. qivc T?nr>lrprc: Window Shades, Chamber Sets, in fact nearly everything needed 1 y housekeepers. Don't miss the place, 1*213 llain street, next to Columbia Theatre, just as you turn into Ma,in street lrom Oeivaig. Jones & Williams, 1213 MAIN STREET, COLUMBIA, S. C. C. M. Efird. F. E. Dreheb. EFIRO &CBEHER, Attorneys at law, LEXINGTON, C. H., S. C. . WILL PEACTICE IN ALL THE Courts. Business solicited. One member of the firm will always be at office, Lexington, S. 0. une 17?6m. DR. E. J. ETHEREDGE, SUKGEON DENTIMT, LEESVILLE, S. C. Office next door below post office. A) ways on hand. February .12. EDWARD L ASBiLL, Attorney at Law, LEESVILLE, S. 0. Practices in all tho Courts. Business solicited. Sept 30-6m. Albert M. Boozer, Attorney at Law, COLUMBIA, 8. C. Especial attention given to business entrusted to him by his fellow citizens ot Lexington county. Office: 1316 Main Street, upstairs, oppo site Van Metre's Furniture btore. February 28 ?tf, jr. II. FRICK, ATTORNEY AT LAW, ? Will practice in all the Courts. Office: Hotel Marion, 4th room, second iloor. CHAPIN, ------ S. C, AtfUUbt 6. ly. ANDREW CRAWFORD ATTORNEY AT LAW, COLUMBIA, . - - - S. C. PRACTICES IN THE STATE AND Federal Courts, and offers his professional services to the citizens of Lexington County. October 18?ly, WILLIAM W. HAWES, * Attorney at Law, NEW BROOKLAND, - S. C. Will Practice in all the Courts. Prompt attention given to Collections. Business solicited. September 16?6m. iSTnili ULWe ^ Will Practice in all Courts9 KAUFMANN BUILDING, LEXINGTON, S C On the 18th (lav of October, we formed a co-partnership for the practice of law. We will be pleased to receive those having legal businecs to be attended to at our office in the Kaufmann building at any time. Bespecttully. J. Wm. thubmond, G. BELL XIMMEBMAN, October 22. 1902.? Iv. * ORa CaJa OLIVEROSj SPECIALIST ON \AR' IVOSE ' Tliroat and Lungs, GUARANTEE Office and ifdeidence, FIT OF GLASSES 3424 and 1426 Maridn. St, March 15?ly. COLUMBIA, S. C. s? Dr. P. H. Shealy, DENTIST, LEXINGTON, - Si. C. Office Up Stairs in Roof's Building, JAMES HARMAN, STT^GKEZOIfcT LEXINGTON, S, C., (Office in rear of tbe Court House.) INFORMS THE PUBLIC THAT ?HE will be in his office every Friday for the purpose of doing dental work in allj its branches. March 19, 190*2. ly. Hie Leading Sporting Weekly , * fcfrsZl-j-* &??.' a \Z'C* " ?tt : ffUielfiRi ' ' .< -?- m'.'..".K''w ?. ',*J)?., ?W-.--J~ ? send St.OO and oct the POLICE GAZETTE. . for 13 WEEKS amd a sporting ElCCK FREE. PREMIUM list mailed free on application. [ . Richard K. Fox. N. Y. C-ty. 4