By CLAY MURPHY
Union County Bureau

UNION, S.C. (7/20/95) -- Dozens of spectators are now turning up at the Union County Courthouse as the Susan Smith trial enters a phase of rapid, interesting testimony.

"We've come to see how justice is working here as opposed to California," said Stuart Collins of Greenville, referring to the sluggish pace of the O.J. Simpson trial. "I'm proud to see it move along so fast."

Lawyers began Tuesday with opening arguments, and the prosecution plans to conclude its case today.

Collins, a 34-year-old computer technician, said he chose Wednesday to visit the trial because he wanted to hear the prosecution's witnesses. He expects the defense's concentration on psychological testimony to be "boring and mundane. I'm interested in the facts of the case."

Collins apparently isn't alone. About 50 other spectators joined him on the courthouse steps in the hopes of gaining a seat in the courtroom Wednesday.

At one point, about a dozen people were turned away because they were unable to get inside before Judge William Howard resumed proceedings after the lunch break.

Wednesday's crowd, which is about twice the size of those last week, is smaller than the audience Tuesday, when both sides delivered their opening statements.

"It's pretty well filled up now," said Elizabeth Morris, who has attended every day of the trial with her two granddaughters. "People were just waiting until they got the jury."

The retired Union resident said she wouldn't have missed Wednesday's court proceedings because Tom Findlay, Smith's former lover, was scheduled to testify.

"I think that helped lead up to the killing of her kids," said Morris, adding that Tuesday's bomb threat may be the reason for the slight decline in attendance Wednesday. "They'll probably be back tomorrow when they see nothing happened."

Although the crowds have grown, they still haven't reached the magnitude expected by some. For instance, the courtroom has yet to be filled to capacity.

"I think it is a little surprising," said Hugh Munn, spokesman for the State Law Enforcement Division, which is handling security for the trial. "I think everyone planned for something larger than that."

He said the turnout on Monday and Tuesday, the first two days after jury selection was finished, may well act as a "barometer," indicating smaller crowds for the rest of the trial.

"If there was going to be an overflow crowd, that's when it would be," said Munn.

He attributed the unfilled courtroom to a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the possibility that many people are tired of hearing about the Smith story.

The likelihood of being interviewed by the media may be driving other potential viewers away, Munn said.

Finally, he said some may have heard the reports about security around the courthouse and now believe they cannot get in.

Munn said this type of "hype" about security is widely believed to have kept people away during Pope John Paul II's visit to Columbia in 1987.

But neither Munn nor SLED is complaining about the relatively small number of people seeking access to the courtroom. After all, it makes their jobs easier.

"It's been a pretty routine assignment," Munn said.

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