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QORPUS CHRIST!, Texas, Feb. 2. —(/Pi—A threat to shoot anywhowas miade by an armed guard on\ yn, one^Villacy county farm last fall, f according to the story told by a) witness here today in the peonage * trial of Sheriff Raymond Teller of I that county and eight other countyJ officials and citizens. _ *The witness, Willie Lee, said that he and seven or eight companions vfrere arrested when they arrived inRaymondville on a freight train, and marched to the farm of Kliee Stockweil, one of the defendants. There. Lee testified. Jack Chadwick, who was named in the original poenage indictments, acted as guard, carrying a shotgun as liesuperintended the work* of thegang. j“I wish someone in this bun'dv,would run away,” the witnessquoted Chadwick as saying. ‘‘I would like to see how good I can— % IS 2. «_ 9shoot. I haven’t done any shooting for a long time.” jWhen they requested Chadwicki . It- ... - « .to tell them why they war.? under arrest, Lee said.: he repulied thatthey Jrere held tor vagrancy, but thewtness sai!f that he was nevertaken into coor^ and was nevergiven a chance to plead guilty oraot guiltyTestimony concerning factionalpolitics in Willacy ecmnty and in Raymondville, the county seat, wasruled out of tiie peonage trial -of Sheriff Raymond Teller and eight other citizens of the rcounty here loday by Federal Judge J. 0. Hutch-rson of Houston. !The ruling came when the defense. headed by Judge GTaham. sought to show that J. P. Cogdell, a witness for the prosecution, was biased by the political warfare in the county. Under cross-examination Cogdell, v.ho is a Ravmond-ville lawyer, stated that, he had seen prisoners in lt;bains in Willacy county. The defense then asked hirn questions concerning thepolitical situation in Raymondvilleand especially about the justice of the peace situation. Cogdell replied j that the town was divided into twopresets, that on one side of theiWa! Irailmad tracks that separate the town being presided over by Justice of the Peace Floyd Dodd and that on the other by Dodd s father.Dislikes OfficersAsked whether he disliked any of the defendants Cogdell answeredthat he did dislike Sheriff Raymond Teller. Deputy Sheriff Frank Brandt, Justice of the Peace Floyd Dodd. County Attorney R. F. Robinson. C. F. Stor kwell and DeputySheriff John Swanner. He said he did not dislike Deputy Sheriff Wm.Hargrove and L. K. Stockweil and [that he does not know R. S. Reis-1Sorph.The prosecution then announced’T that it would show that the wit- (} □ ess’ dislike for the defendants 1 was not a personal feeling so much 1 is a feeling engendered by political jonzide rat ions and Judge Hutche- \ Koffwuled the subject out on the ^abjection of th** prosecution.Had (iftiin in CarctThe question of whether prison-jt *rs were chained in the bounty iame up when Cogdell testified that' 1ig bad learned of the arrest of the ruen alleged to have been held nn- tier peonage from Hargrove whojeiaid: “I have my chain in my car. i'nderstand that?” Cogdell replied (hat he did according to his t**sti-;t nony and Hargrove added, ‘‘And have the look and key.” 1jThe significance of the remark‘t was not brought out as the defense /inraediately launched into the po- ciiiitical question. sCogdell admitted that he had nlever seen Hargrove chain a pris- )cutaer, but itaM that he bad seenirisoners ehafj-^ in tlie guilty inanuary. 1925. He said that he first j •ecarae interested in the case when e Earned that one of the boys who 1 _ Jeged to have been forced to f; rork was the nephew of a Houston ttorney and the tax collector in ^;alve«ton. ' j .fit
Newspaper Details
Brownwood Bulletin
Brownwood, Texas, US
Wed, Feb 02, 1927
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Lynn R.
TX, USA 27 Aug 2019
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