Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1922-06-01
Gill ON STAND,
TELLS OF>SITE
OF COURTHOUSE
County Judge Of Willacy
County First Witness in
Custer Proceeding Here


County Judge S. Lamar Gill, of Will
lacy county, principal defendant in the
proceedings TO oust from Office the
county Judge and three members of the
county commissioners OF that county on
charges alleging official misconduct. was
the first witness called BY the attorneys
for the relators when the taking OF test
i-mony began in the Cameron county
district courtroom this morning
The jury was completed yesterday af-
tcrnoon. and is made up OF I'd {. Miller,
Harllngen farmer; Otis Adams. farmer
Of San Benito: Joe Reed. canal manager
of LaFeria: W. T. Hodges. produce buyer
of Harliagen; V. l.. Vandivier, farmer Of
la Paioma: W. Palmer. farmer Of Los
FrcSnos; G. II. Ritter, LaFeria merchant;
George IL. Schmidt. LaEeria farmer:
George III. Byrnes, wholesale lumber
dealcr of Brownsville; NJ. J. Dodson,
merchant of San Benito. and II. u. Seago,
real state man of Harlingen.
Judge Gill's testimony during the
: morning session of court had TO do mann
~ with the ownership of Block 81 in the
townsite of Raymondville, and the later
sale OF the block to the county as
site for the courthouse, and the details
that surrounded the sale. lie said that
ne owned twenty Of the lots in the block,
and that the Methodist church of Ray
mondville owned eight lots. which had
been given to the church by him some
years ago. He testified that he had made
an arrangement with the beard Of stew
ards of the church by which the church
would take eight lots in another part
of the town in order that the county
might have the whole block intact for
the courthouse and jail site.
James Cogdell, attorney for the relat-
ors, conducting the examination, asked
Judge Gill if he knew man named
Jim Seeger.
He said that he did, but denied, in
answer to a question, that before his
election as county judge, in trying TO
sell Seeger some property, that he had
told Seegcr that the courthouse and jail
would be located on Block 81. which
property is alleged to have been owned
by Gill before its sale to r. G. Fawkes.
who in turn sold il to Willacy county.
Judge Gill said. however. that il was
common talk in Raymondvillc, which he
explained was small town, that when
the courthouse and Jail were erected
that they would be located on that
property.
The witness said that he and other
members of the commissioners court had
inspected the prospective courthouse site.
Block 81, as well as some other sites on
October IL last, before the passage by
the county commissioners Of an order IN
reference to the purchase of the site. He
said that the trip was made in the morn
ing, and that the order was passed IN
the afternoon. lie said that when the
discussion Of the site came up he with
drew from the courtroom.
Judge Gill denied that he had drawn
uo the order accepting Block 81. stating
that the order had been compiled" ty
the county commissioners court.
He said that the motion accepting
the site for S2500 was made by Commits
sioner I. c. Richards and seconded ay
y St. Clair Thompson.
The attorney asked abou: a correction,
in the minutes in which line had been
drawn through the figures "S2500" and
the word acceptable" substituted as in
c:cat;ng that the site was acceptable. but
was not purchased. The witness admit
ted that il was later found that the sale
was illegal because OF his interest. and
that for that reason means were then
sought for acquiring the property in
regular form.
He was asked about an executive ses
sion of the court in connection with the
site purchased, and stated that he haC
told the court that they could go into
executive session, if they so desired. II,
IL
were ~butting into" the proceedings, anc
that he felt the court was justified il
doing so because il was unable to max,
any progress for interferences.
This lead up to conversation between
Judge Gill and Sheriff Turner that fol
lowed the alleged executive session. TIL,
witness testified that he and Turner haC
been friends, depending on what yol
mean by the word" that he had don.
things for Turner and that Turner haC
done things for him. He said he recalled
a heated conversation with Turner in re
gard TO the alleged executive session.
The witness was asked whether in thi:
conversation Turner had not told hin
that the executive session was wrong
that they had been elected by the peopl,
TO carry out the affairs of the county il
open manner, and whether he, Gill
had not said in this conversation: It,
hell with the people-they'll soon for
get it,
Judge ]. 4. Graham. for the defens,
objected to the question. on the ground:
that il threw no light on the Issue. The
court overruled the objection. The wit
ness said that he might have said all OF
il except that portion they'll soon for
get IT," lie said. however. that hc told
Turner that he had been elected by the