Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1927-02-02
PEONACECASE
TRIAL BRINGS
OUT CHARGES
Raymondville Attor-
ney Asserts He Had
Seen Prisoners I'm
Chains

CORPUS CHRISTI, Tex. Feb. E.
'fPl-A threat 70 shoot any cotton
picker who tried 10 escape was made
BY an armed guard on one Willacy
county farm last fall, according to
the story told ~ witness here &C.
day in the pconaEe trial of Sheriff
Raymond Teller OF rhnt county and
eight other county officials and cit
ixcns.
The witness, Willie Lee, said that
he and seven or eight companions
were arrested when they arrived in
Ravmondville on "a freight traie, and
marched t0 the farm of klice Stock
we'll, ono of the defendants
There. Lee testified, Jack Chad
wick, who was named w the original
peonaEe indictments. acted a. guard,
carrying shot gun as he supcf1n-
tended the work OF the gang.
II wish some one IN this bunch
would run away" the witness quot
ed Chadwick Nv saying. III would
like 10 sec how good can shoot \
haven't done any shooting for a long
time"
When they requested Chadwick tp
tell them why they were uLdcr or
rest. lee said. he replied that they
were held for vagrancv. but the Wit
ness said that IL was never taken
into court anu was never given "a
chance 40 plead guilty Or not guilty.
Testimony concerning fnctionai
politics in Willacy county and In
Raymondville. the county seat, was
ruled ont ~ the peonaRe trial NY
Federal Judge j. NJ. Hutcheson a.
Houston.
The ruling came when the defense.
headed by Judge Graham, sought to
show that u. p CUEhcll, witness
for the prosecution. was biased bv
the political warfare in the county
Under cross-cxaminatiOn C0gdctl.
who " a RaymOndville lawyer, stat
ed that he had seen prisoners I'm
chains I'm Willacy county. The do-
Tense then asked him questions con-
cerning the political situation in
Raymondrlle and. especially about the
justice Of the peace situation Cog
dell replied that the town was divid-
cd into two precincts. that on ono
side or the railroad tracks that sep
arate the town being presided over
by Justice nf the Peace Floyd Dodd
! and that On the other by Dodd's faith
er.
Asked whether NJ dislikcd any 0r
! the defendants CoEdell answered that
he did dislike Sheriff Raymond Tel
ler, Deputy Sheriff Frank Brand.
. Justice or the Peace Floyd Dodd.
County Attorney R VI. Robinson. C.
\ n. Stockwell and Deputy Sheriff John
Swanner. He said he did not dislike
Deputy Sheriff William Hargrove and
L. X. StOckwell and that ~ does not
know n. y. Reisd0rph.
Prosecution then announced that IL
would show that the witness dislike
for the defendants was not q person
~ feeling 10 much as u feeling en-
genderch by political considerations
and Judge Hutcheson ruled the sub
K ject out.
The question " whether prisoners
were chained in the county came up
wheH CcEdell testified that he hnh
lcraned wi the best of the men a.
legged to have been held under pecn-
age from Hargrcve who said ~ have
my chain in my rnr. Understand
that CoRdtli testified that he did
according to his testimony and Har-
| grove added And I have the lock
Snd key.
The significance of the remark was
not brought out ns the defense iAn.
mediately launched into the poll
teal question.
Cogdeli admitted that NJ had new.
cr seen HArgrpve chain n priR0nel
but said that he had seen prisoners
chained in the county in January
1925. He sald that Ne first bccauis
interested w the case Hhen w learn.
VA that one DE the boys who is Mn.
legged to have ben forced tO work
WAS the nephew of n Houston ntkor-
ney and the tax collector In Calves
ton.
Four bcya. Allen Nichols on Wash.
( inRtons fofnier page In the house "A
I representatives. Leonard "A. swan.
sen. lg. Washington schoolh0r
Walter Newman. 40. Of Henderson
Texas. and Wilson Gresham. 20. "a
| Iumpascs, Texas. were On the Ktanr
Tuesday afternoon ard asserted they
hWd been arrested nn M vMrrMmrl
charge and forced to work in thu
cotton fields. All four boys tnla
pTcticlly the same story.
They asserted they had been rp
cruited At Houston for work in tha
cotton fields, with the understand.
INK they were tO receive yI-X5 pes
hundred and board. They went w
the farm vi "A. IVY. Johnson near Ray
mondville. end when the latter in.
formed them they would hc conn
PEELED ID supply their own food ihz
boys decided kc Quit. On their way
~ Raymrndvillr, they testified they
rrt Johnson nnd a deputy sheriff
and were arrested on IN vaEranef
( charge They we're avraiKned hefors
Justice ~ the Peace Floyd Dodd. ana
were released. they sAid upon ths
understanding they were te f. t1
work in the fields and pay fhel,
fire. The charge was dismissed
they stated upon the Intervention w
RaymOndFiile attorneys. but imtei
they were again arrested nt "A farm
where they bad secured wosk.
All four WITNESSES asserted tbey
had been compelled w sleep on INV
rrnrrute flnnr nf THE Jail, and nn
FrDeE ocrnPled che onls beds in th'
building.