Evening star., 1927-12-13
Impeachment OF Executive
and Two Other Officials to
Be Asked in Senate.
MANY CHARGES MADE
AT SECRET GATHERING
Chief Justice of State and Agricul.
ture Board Head Accused of
Various 0ffenses.


OKLAHOMA CITY, December 1S
Bills of Impeachment naming Gov.
Henry $. Johnston and two other
State officials were voted early today
at self-convened executive session
of the lower house of the Oklahoma
Legislature.
The House members quietly as
sembled in a downtown hotel in the
dark hours before dawn while Ma.
tional Guardsmen called out yester,
day by the governor to prevent any
meetings Of the Legislature slept al
the State capitol. Many of the legis
lators. summoned from bed, wore
pajamas and bathrobes at the session.
Chief Justice Accused.
Six charges were voted against
Gov. johnson, one that he had re.
placed civil authority with the mill
tary In attempting to forestall i'm.
parchment proceedings against him
Chief Justice Fred Brsnson of the
State Supreme Court and Harry
Cordell, president of the State Board
of Agriculture, also were named in
impeachment bills.
At adjournment it was announced
that the charges had been placed in
the hands of a board of managers for
presentation to the Senate. Senate
leaders have announced the body will
try any State officials cited by the
House.
The charges against Gov. Johnson
and the vote on each count, as an
nounced by Representative Charles
Moon of Muskogee County. follows;
Charges Against Governor.
1. Replacing civil authority with
military authority. 40 to 6.
2. Incompetency. 49 to s.
3. Awarding commission as peace
officer to Jose Alvarado, alleged bank
robber. A to 8.
4. Alleged employment of Kirby
Fitzpatrick. attorney of Ardmore. as
counsel for the State Banking Depart.
ment. 40 to Is.
S. Alleged illegal payment OF 81. 900
through deficiency certificate on the
banking department to employees
charged by the House investigating
committee to have been illegally
placed on the pay roll, AZ to 13.
8. Alleged. conspiracy between the
governor his confidential secretary
Mrs. o. o. Hammonds. and an un
named person. in connection with
collection of a highway claim by a
contractor. 46 to S.
Chief Justice Branson was charged
with. corruption in Office While
three counts were voted against the
president of the State Board of Agri.
culture. Two of the specifications
against Mr.. Cordell related to alleged
illegal expenditures OF State funds
and the third to alleged padding OF
pay rolls of the department of agri
culture.
! May Convene Today.
Representative III. Tom Kight. chair
man of the House investiga ting com
Hill to head the board of managers
charged with placing the indictments
before the Senate.
While Senate leaders declined to
reveal when they planned to convene.
they intimated session was contem.
plated today.
Adjournment of the House at the
call of the speaker to await action
by the Senate found a tired and
disheveled group seeking their first
rest in nearly "a hours.
1t was motley-appeari group
which had assembled when Speaker
Hill called the House meeting 10 order
at $3.50 am. The legislators were
crowded into three small hotel rooms.
Despite the fact that three windows
were opened, the air speedily became
stuffy and filled with tobacco smoke.
There were few chairs. Some of
the men sat or lay upon the floor,
some on beds. Some were clothed onlv
In pajamas. others also had on bath
robes. Many were in shirt sleeves
Tom McCombs of Sequoya County
read the report of the investigating
committee containing the charges
against Gov. Johnston. and the report
was adopted by viva voce vote
Senate Ready to Act.
Mr. Hill announced that quorum
of the State Senate was in Oklahoma
City prepared to receive the charges
The legislators went into executive
session soon after adopting the com.
mittee report and from this session
from time to time it's votes on i'm.
parchment charges were communi.
Gated to reporters waiting outside the
rooms.
The House meeting was held in
defiance of a ruling Of the State Su
preme Court that special session of
the Legislature would be illegal, ac.
tion of the governor in calling out the
Guard to prevent such meeting and
a temporary injunction which the gov.
ernor obtained yesterday to prevent it.
Yesterday the National Guardsmen
standing armed at the doors of the
Capitol assembly doors. prevented the
legislators from convening.
Gov Johnston denied himself to
newspaper men when he arrived at his
office His secretary, Fl. T.. Sullivan.
said the executive would not see re.
porters for some time and expressed
the belief that Mr.. Johnston would
make no statement concerning the
impeachment vote.