Part 12 The Fort Worth Star Telegram reported on November 6, 1934, on page 8 reported: DEPUTY'S TRIAL IN DEATH BEGUN SAN SABA, Oct. 5.—A packed courtroom listened for an hour and a half today to Chester Daniel, 26, San Saba, tell a jury of farmers how he assisted N. H. Sellman, deputy sheriff, in disposing of the body of Will Robertson soon after Robertson was knocked in the head on the morning of Aug. 6, 1933. Sellman is charged in the slaying.
Daniel testified he was present when the crime was committed and took Sellman home in his car soon after. Sellman ordered him and others charged in the crime to keep quiet about the matter, he testified. Daniel and another man, both state witnesses, have been provided with special guards since threats are alleged to have been made on their lives early this morning. Dr. Charles Phillips, specialist from Scott & White Hospital at Temple, will resume the stand in the morning to tell more about the injuries to Robertson, who died in the Temple hospital on Aug. 8, 1933. 46 The San Saba News reported on November 7, 1934, Page 1, Sellman Murder Case on Trial District Court, Both State and Defense Rested. Record Crowd Attending Court and Case Not Stated for Jury Before Friday. They have thronged and jammed the courthouse all this week at San Saba. The old town has been full of people. There is a murder trial on in the big court room. Last week was a setting for this week. For the first time in a long time, if over, a whole week was spent selecting a jury to try a case in this man’s town.
When court adjourned last Friday, it was announced, at least understood that the taking of testimony in the trial of N. H. Sellman, former deputy sheriff and stock man, would begin Monday morning. Long before court time cars of every description from the old Model T to the big fine new types began rolling in town, and long before court opened people were filling the district court room in order to get front seats, and the front seats were filled before court opened.
Sellman is charged with the killing of William Lafayette Robertson in San Saba in the wee small hours of Saturday night, August 5, or rather early Sunday morning, August 6, 1933. One grand jury investigated the killing and failed to return an indictment. The next grand jury, with Texas Rangers on the ground, returned five indictments. N. H. Sellman, Hamilton Brown, Morris Lusty, Cap. Daniel and Rupert Maultsby were named in these indictments. During last week the case against Maultsby was dismissed and it is understood that Daniel and Lusty were offered immunity for State’s evidence by district attorney F. H. Hammond and two of these Daniel and Lusty, have been used this week as star witnesses in the case on trial.
The State is represented by district attorney, F. H. Hammond, who is assisted by R. I. Johnson, county attorney and J. Mitch Johnson, private prosecution. The defendant is represented by Jas. H. Baker and F. R. Gray, local lawyers.
The State rested Wednesday morning after using 5 witnesses. The defense asked the court for an instructed verdict, contending that the State has failed to corroborate the evidence of Daniels and Lusty. The court refused the motion. The defense rested without using a single witness.
Judge Lamar Thaxton spent Wednesday afternoon preparing the charge to the jury and argument will probably be started this morning. The personnel of the jury trying the case is: F. F. Vogel, H. V. Clark, Edgar Johnson, F. L. Wallace, Ely Huddleston, K. K. Taylor, B. F. Smith, Ben Lively, Lawrence Draper, J. E. House. F. J. Presley and C. W. Powell. 47