The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-07-24
LAND FRAUDS.
PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF
WAMPLER AND DIR.
PIERCE.
The Testimony of Witnesses
Wampler's State
ment.


! NJ. Wampler and Dr.. c. w. Pierce, a
, rested in connection with the Ian
|. frauds perpetrated under the actu;
settler act. in Howard county, las
November, was begun in Justice Vo
Rosenberg'S court yesterday.
! twill be remembered that Wample
was a lawyer, land agent and notar,
public at Big Springs at the time tn
frauds were committed, and was ar
rested at Platte, Neb., on July
where he was engaged in railroading
Pierce was homeopathic physician
at Dallas at the time of his arrest, but
was also in Big Springs during No.
vember. 1888.
The state is represented by county
attorney Wooten and Z. Taylor Moore
employed by the government, espe,
clally, to prosecute the cases.
Pierce's attorneys are: Maj. w. NJ.
Walton and Capt. Tom Sneed.
Wampler represents himself.
WANIPLER'S STATEMENT.
Wampler makes the following state
ment of his connection with the aft
davitS:
1 say that l never took the acknowl.
edgement Of Hall and Wilson to
these papers. I never put the seal on
these papers. My office was open and
in communication with several county
offices. We oAiced together in the
same room. The way my name as
notary public appeared on this paper
was, we had no private blanks for the
purpose of filing on lands. There
were other parties at Big Springs that
filed on land. They all used my of
flee for this work, as a general thing.
l had the blanks made out, and signed
them for the purpose of preserving
my blanks, and to prevent
parties from coming in and imposing
on me, and using my blanks for their
purposes for filing on land; my desk
in the office was always open for any
one to go in there and do work; nv
desk was open to any one who wanted
to use it; my seal of Office sat on the desk
all the time. My name to these pa
pers is a genuine signature of mine;
j. b. Wilson did not sign papers in |
my presence. nor did l take his ac-
nor did | take ac- |
6nowledgment of Henry Reeves to
5hese papers; / never saw these pa
Ders in the state they are in now, I'M
Ill l arrived in Austin. Blanks have
been filled out since L saw it; 1 use
20 have young men write out blanks
or me; DON'T know who wrote out
his blank; signed it to keep other
parties from using it; had no col
uSion with anybody in regard to filing
N lands in any particular whatever.
T. N. WASGPLER
T. G. ANDERSON,
worn, testified:
l am acquainted with defendants,
Vampler and Pierce. | recognize
Vampler's signature to the paper on
which complaint is founded. 1 am
with it. l had a number
# specimens of Wampler's hand writ
ng witnesses examined number of
'apers and says they are in the hand
writing of Wampler.) l have known
Vampler since January, 1883. We
the same Office. L am county
ttorney of Howard county. Wamp-
or left Big Springs somewhere about
he Goth of November. 1883. 1 have
cen Pierce IN the Office. He had
rug store joining the Office. Pierce
vent into the drug store about
he last Of October, 1883. He
vas Resident of the place
efore, but bought an interest
u the drug store about that time. 1
ant tell exactly what time l saw
Fierce in the Office talking with
Vampler-whether it was after he
ought the drug store or not. l don't
now that the Office was a place of re-
ort or not. To the best of my
never saw Wampler and
Fierce working upon or fixing any
apers. Pierce moved to Dallas [
hink after Wampler left. Wampler
vent to Mexico and up north. He
eft the state. Neither is now living
t Big Springs. Pierce was in my
flee after Wampler left, and wanted
ne to take acknowledgements of par
les whose names were signed to GER
ain papers in his possession. This is
ot the paper. My opinion Is it it
vas the paper following this
aper. 1t was a transfer from
hese parties to DR.. Pierce. Pierce
tated to methat he had these trans
ers, and that he wanted the signatures
o them acknowledged. l was no
ary public. After Wampler had left
ce and wanted some acknowledge
|
ames purported to be on the papers
we're not present. DR.. Pierce urged
ne to certify to the acknowledge
nents, and present my bill for so do
ng, to g. w. Hall, at the drug store.
lie had the names of couple of
'ierce5 to two or three signed papers,
nut the signers were not present. 1t
vas a conveyance to real estate to
which the names of Pierce and
'humard were signed. The
,arties were not present
o 1 did not take the acknowledge
nents. I told him 1 had not seen the
papers signed by the parties purport-
ng to have signed them. He said
hey were some blanks that Wampler
lad filled out, and that he was to ac-
knowledge, but that Wampler had
gone, and the parties signing them
were gone; think the conveyances
we're for real estate by parties who
were absent, to DR., Pierce. He told |
me to fix the papers and present my !
bill to the drug store, when it would |
be paid, that it would be worth sew
eral hundred dollars to him; am
we'll acquainted in the county; know
John B. Wilson, but never knew j. L.
Hale or j. P. Hull; there were several
papers, but don't remember the num-
Der of them; did not know the other
parties whose names were signed to
the paper; / did not know the lady.
Shumard, but think she was there;
she was his step-daughter; he had
also a step-son in the county;
don't know that they were there at
the time; he never appeared on that
day nor atany subsequent time and
wanted the papers acknowledged;
this was about December l, 1888;