Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-09-03
ROBERTS COUNTY CASE.
Judge Little Comes Back with a Batch
OF Affidavits
In Support of the Allegations Made in His
Open Letter to Governor ROss-No Need
of the Rangers.


The judge was seen last night by a repre-
sentative Of THE GAZETTE, who inquired
of him what had been the outcome of
the contested election cases in his
county, and III what the trouble there
had taken its rise.
''The trouble, such as it is, said
Judge Little, "and I assure you there
has been very little of it, arose over
division in sentiment regarding the
proper location Of the court house.
Bennett, situated over on Indian creek,
and Miami were the contendinG points.
Miami won, and now the jewellers on
indian creek are dissatisfied -
''How did the rangers happen to be
sent to Miami?'
''That is one of the things no fellow
can find out. The whole story, summed
up, is this: There was a contest over
Offices of county and district clerk.
Burns was in possession of the offices and
a writ of custer was issued ordering the
constable to take charge of the offices
and turn them over to AlcOrn the con-
testant. On August II Capt. McMurray
and three of his rangers arrived in
Miami, and on the 18th the constable
proceeded to serve the writ of custer.
He went to the courthouse with a posse,
all the members of which were armed,
and demanded possession Of the clerks
Office from Burns. Seeing that resist
ance was useless, Burns complied. Burns
went to the sheriff and told him
what had been done. The
sheriff appointed q deputy, gave
him a six-shooter and told him to go to
the clerk s Office and guard the records
and not allow them to be used. The
man went to the Office, and, upon ar
rival, found Capt. McMurray and B. NJ.
Baker there. They told him he had no
right in the office, and that he was liable
to arrest for carrying a siX-shOoter.
Baker, evidently becoming excited, said
to the constable: E'CIear out the office
if you have to kill and drag out. - Hear
ing this and being told by Capt. McMur-
ray that he had no right to carry q gun,
the sheriff IS deputy left. Now the COM
plant we have to make is that
there was no need Of any rangers
being sent TO Miami. The county is
inhabited by aW-abiding citizens, the
people of the town are peaceably dis
posed, and the civil authorities are per-
fectly competent to execute all writs that
may be placed in their hands without
the government. The application to
have rangers sent to Miami was evil
IDENTIFY made for the purpose of casting
the stigma Of iawIessness upon the people
of Roberts county. We further think
that Capt. McMurray, having been sent
there to help preserve the peace, and he
could have been sent there for no other
purpose, had no right to interfere in the
matter at all, seeing that everything was
quiet and orderly. -
GLOW about your refusal to convene
the commissioners court for the purpose
of approving Alcorn IS bond?'
81 had heard it said that Alcorn, as
soon as his bond was approved, intended
to load the county records on a wagon
and move them over to Indian creek.
know if he attempted that there would
be trouble, and somebody would be
killed. [ therefore waitsd until the
posse brought there by the constable had
gone away, then called the court to-
gether, approved Alcorn s bond and
swore him in -
''Then you still stand by the state
ments made in your open letter to Gov
neror Ross?''
"Every one of them, and I am ready
to substantiate them before any unprej-
udiced man who may be sent to investi-
gate the matter. AS the matter now
stands Governor Ross has appointed
to investigate the trouble Judge Willis,
the man who had the rangers sent there,
and Judge Willis has delegated Baker
an attorney in the case and one of the
chief movers in the difficulty. With a
prejudiced judge and a packed jury of
course We stand no chance for a just
verdict. I have here affidavits from ten
of the best men in the county that bear
me out in verything I say. -
Here Judge Little produced the afida-
Wits of Capt. J S. WEIGH, Judge John
G Irwin, D. E. Burns, L. V. Harm,
Thomas Armstrong, a. W. Henderson,
J. A. Manning, W. a. Nourse, 1. H.
Lefors and Joe Titler.
Captain WEIGH, agent of the quarter
master s department United States army
aff1rms that there was no disturbance of
any kind in Miami on Aug. II, and none
there no time. He had heard the cleo
ton contest discussed but had heardsn0,
indications of purpose on the part of
any of the claimants to defenH their
claims in any way save through legal
channels. Sss....1sss.s
Judge John S Irwin, of Edwardsvf1fe,
NJ. testified that he had been in Miami
for some time prior to August II, min
Cling with the citizens, and that everyS
| thing was peaceable and quiet, and there
was no disturbance threatened which
| called for the presence of the rangers.
W. A. Nourse, postmaster at Miami,
swears that all was peaceabIe in the
town, and that so far as he knew no dis
turbance was imminent on August II.
L. V. Harm swears that he was in
Miami on August u, that there was no
trouble of any kind and that there was
no necessity for the display of 8 heavily
| armed force such as the rangers and the
! cOnstable's posse. He further says that
Mr. AIcorn. in whose favor the writ of
custer was issued, had opposed employ
ing an armed posse in serving it.
I. H. Lefors testifies that there was no
need of rangers in Miami on August II,
that no trouble was threatened; that had
the writ of custer been placed in his
hands he could and would have served
it.
Thomas Armstrong, the man depu-
TIED by Sheriff Lefors to guard the re-
cords of the clerk IS Office and prevent their
removal, testifies that he went to the
clerk : Office: that there he saw Cant