Narciso Gener Gonzales
Encyclopedia
Narciso Gener Gonzales was born in St. Paul's Parish, South Carolina, South Carolina
. He and his brother, Ambrose E. Gonzales
, were the founders of The State newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina
.
Gonzales was the son of Colonel (CSA) Ambrosio José Gonzales
and Harriet Rutledge Elliott. His father was a Colonel in the Confederate Army who played an instrumental role in the defenses of South Carolina during the American Civil War
. Prior to this his father was Cuban revolutionary leader, who opposed oppressive Spanish rule. His mother was the daughter of the wealthy South Carolina rice planter, state senator and writer, William Elliott.
Gonzales was shot on January 15, 1903, by James H. Tillman (nephew of "Pitchfork" Ben Tillman
), the Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina, and died four days later. Tillman escaped punishment, however. The jury was considered rigged and highly partisan considering Tillman shot Gonzales in broad daylight in the presence of many eyewitnesses. He was acquitted ostensibly on a shaky self-defense theory, but in reality because the jury believed Tillman was right in taking justice into his own hands. Gonzales had waged a crusade against Tillman in his newspaper, helping ensure Tillman's defeat in the 1902 South Carolina governor's race.
A memorial cenotaph
for Gonzales was later erected on Senate Street across from the State House in Columbia, purportedly on the route Tillman regularly walked home.
SOUTHERN HISTORICAL COLLECTION : #1009 ELLIOTT AND GONZALES FAMILY PAPERS http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/inv/e/Elliott_and_Gonzales_Family.html
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. He and his brother, Ambrose E. Gonzales
Ambrose E. Gonzales
Ambrose Elliott Gonzales was born on a plantation in Colleton County, South Carolina. Gonzales was the son of Colonel Ambrosio José Gonzales and Harriet Rutledge Elliot. His father was a Colonel in the Confederate Army who played an instrumental role in the defenses of South Carolina during the...
, were the founders of The State newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
.
Gonzales was the son of Colonel (CSA) Ambrosio José Gonzales
Ambrosio José Gonzales
Colonel Ambrosio José Gonzales was a Cuban revolutionary who became a Colonel in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Gonzales, as a revolutionary, wanted the United States to annex Cuba...
and Harriet Rutledge Elliott. His father was a Colonel in the Confederate Army who played an instrumental role in the defenses of South Carolina during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Prior to this his father was Cuban revolutionary leader, who opposed oppressive Spanish rule. His mother was the daughter of the wealthy South Carolina rice planter, state senator and writer, William Elliott.
Gonzales was shot on January 15, 1903, by James H. Tillman (nephew of "Pitchfork" Ben Tillman
Benjamin Tillman
Benjamin Ryan Tillman was an American politician who served as the 84th Governor of South Carolina, from 1890 to 1894, and as a United States Senator, from 1895 until his death in office. Tillman's views were a matter of national controversy.Tillman was a member of the Democratic Party...
), the Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina, and died four days later. Tillman escaped punishment, however. The jury was considered rigged and highly partisan considering Tillman shot Gonzales in broad daylight in the presence of many eyewitnesses. He was acquitted ostensibly on a shaky self-defense theory, but in reality because the jury believed Tillman was right in taking justice into his own hands. Gonzales had waged a crusade against Tillman in his newspaper, helping ensure Tillman's defeat in the 1902 South Carolina governor's race.
A memorial cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
for Gonzales was later erected on Senate Street across from the State House in Columbia, purportedly on the route Tillman regularly walked home.
Further reading
Manuscripts Department Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel HillSOUTHERN HISTORICAL COLLECTION : #1009 ELLIOTT AND GONZALES FAMILY PAPERS http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/inv/e/Elliott_and_Gonzales_Family.html