The Texas Rangers and The San Saba Mob

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SELECTED PASSAGES FROM VOLUME II

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Editor’s Note–Part 51(a) in a continuing series.

The (2nd) Matt Ford Murder Trial witness Stevens adds to his former testimony synopsis of evidence heard yesterday Trowbridge jury asked to be discharged. The Matt Ford murder trial was resumed in the Fifty-third Court yesterday morning, Judge Morris presiding, and within about half and hour the two jurors needed were secured and the taking of evidence began.

J.F. Daugherty was the first witness called by the state, and he testified as about the trial of Trowbridge. He knew Turner, the murdered man, and Matt Ford, the defendant. He told of the trip Ford and himself made to San Saba with bacon, during which Ford told him he was a member of the mob and mentioned the Joneses, Sheriff Howard, Sheriff Cunningham of Mills County and others as being members.

Witness told Ford that he thought it best for the law to handle the thieves and not the mob. He thought the law sufficient and warned Ford that in his opinion if the mob was kept up that some of its members would get into trouble.

Witness also told of a conversation he had with Ford in his field in which he, the witness, told Ford that Turner had said he was a member of the mob. It made Ford mad, and he said he had a good mind to take out his horse and go over and kill Turner.

Witness said at another meeting with Ford at his house he said he was going to break up the post office if he had to kill Turner to do so as Turner was furnishing information to Murphy and Davenport, two men who had been run out of the country. Witness said these conversations were before the San Saba trip.

Cross-examined, witness said he was not friendly to Ford, but he had no special malice towards him. He had not spoken to him since he (the witness) had been ordered off from home.

“Have you not devoted much time working up prosecution against this man Ford?”

“No, sir; I have not. I have worked generally against the mob and not especially against Ford.”

Continuing his testimony, witness said he went with Ford to San Saba on Friday, and they were gone until late Sunday afternoon. On their way back they heard of Murphy being shot at, and if it occurred on either of those days Ford certainly did not do the shooting.

“Murphy had not been run out of the country at that time, then, had he?” asked Mr. Robertson.

“I hardly think he had.”

“How is it, then, you say Ford told you that he intended killing Turner because he was sending information to Murphy?”

Witness right there got woefully mixed up, and his troubles were made worse by counsel for the defendant calling his attention to the fact that he had testified that the conversations he had had with Ford in his field and at his house, where Ford said he was going to kill Turner because he was furnishing information to Murphy, were had before the San Saba trip, at which time, witness says, he first heard that Murphy had been shot at.