SHERIFF RAY WEATHERBY INTERVIEW:
SHERIFF R.W.#5/30
30/28...Raymond Weatherby, sheriff Crane County, and I was raised here in Crane County, graduated from school here and I went into office in 1957...and I been in office ever since, and this is my last time, I'm going to retire after this term...got two more years left this term and then I'll be out...
...that's it I'm going to retire ....
...you know do what you want to do...it's no big deal, I'm going to retire right here in Crane...
...31/38...I was elected constable two years before I run for sheriff and this old boy come talked to me about running and so I put my hat in and was elected constable...and the next term, it was two year term, the next term, the old sheriff was here, didn't run, so I threw my hat in that and I was me and Smokey Swift was in a runoff, but I guess, getting back to your question, was that after elected to constable several people come and asked me to run for sheriff and so, that's the reason I got involved with it...32/28...
....32/30 ... I don't really remember just exactly when gordon moved here to Crane , but I mean I knew of him, when he moved here and didn't know that much about gordon at that time, and time went on and you'd hear a few more things about him and different things like that...32/47...
...and, then after taht, I got to know him after that, I sure did...32/52...
...32/57...Gokrdon was not a radical man, here in our community. I know he did get the sheriff's posse Comitatus started here in Crane. And he had several members in there, I knew they had badges and different things like that...fact, gordon had a dodge pickup, that he rode around in and it had a sheriff's posse comitatus star on both sides of it...33/25...
...and, they was nothing ever said or done anything about it, it just wasn't that strong. It's mostly that they didn't believe in taxes. Is my understanding on the deal. And also that the sheriff was the only law enforcement officer in the county as far as they was concerned. And If it was a bad enough crime they believed in hanging em at the at the ohh, whether is was suppossed to be at the courthouse at twelve noon or whether it was on the main street at twelve noon or a busy intersection or something or other...34/05...
...I don't remember just exactly what it was, but that's was one of the beliefs but they didn't push everything that they believed there. At least that's my belief that they didn't now...34/17...
...34/19...There wasn't any hung here...(laughs)...but they wasn't, they had meetings...but they wasn't that active in anything as far as the public, or trying to enforce anything or anything like that, they do any of that at all...34/39...
(CUT W/CORCORAN TALKING ABOUT THE POSSE)
...34/46...well, it's my understanding that that is their belief, that the sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer of the county which he is. And they believe that's the only that had any authority. was the sheriff. That's just part of their belief. I mean it wasn't necessary. I didn't have to go to anything that they ever had, or wasn't called on anything that they had...it was jsut that they had a few meetings around, it started out they had quite a few members and they gradually dropped off...35/23...
(CUT W/BUFORD'S COMMENTS)
...and there was a few articles in the paper everynow and then, once in a while about, somebody writing something in it, then another one jumps in and another one jumps out, so it was just a kind of go and come deal kind of thing you might say...35/37...
...35/40...They wasn't a vigilante type at all. I wouldn't put it that a way...
...35/55...no, I really didn't. I had gordan in jail one time here...the city police, he had a boy that was underage to drive and invariably he'd keep driving. The chief and one of his captains, my understanding went and talked with him and told him, if you don't keep that kid out of that car, they were going to fine him for letting an unauthorized person drive his vehicle...36/28...
...and that kept going on and they went and got him one afternoon and put him in jail. He refused to pay fine, or bond or anything. But, I think he was in there overnight and maybe the next day he got out...36/45...
...this was a refused to pay fine or bond and he did have a texas drivers license, he was fined a hundred and two dollars and fifty cents. And that was 5/17/76. is when this happened. ...he was rleased at five twelve seventeen pm on the seventeenth...
...that's the only thing I ever had on him...37/35...
...I'm not going to say which boy it was, he had two boys here and I don't remember exactly which boy it was...37/46...
...and the kid also had, the license plates on his vehicle was painted to be, to look like it was currently registered and the car was not registered and he had painted over it, it looked like the genuine thing, but it wasn't...38/14...
...they might have got the kid for that, I don't remember, but, a juvenile, you can't do nothing to them anyway, so, you got pass that to another court and more then likely he was a juvenile at that time...
...38/34...no, sir not really, he really didn't. He had come in a time or two and talked but it really wasn't about this...yes sire, gordon never did do anything out of line as far as I was concerned, he sure didn't...38/54...
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...39/05...no sir, I really don't...
...39/12...well I beleive it was from his income tax wasn't it. It was my understanding that he didn't believe in it. That was the one thing they didn't believe in filing. I guess what the whole deal was....that's kinda of what started the whole thing with him is my understanding, is that he didn't file any income tax...39/35...
...40/01...uhh the FBI came by and talked with us. yes they did and I had several news reporters call in because he had lived here...
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...40/26...no sir, what I heard, it could break loose anytime, I heard gordon's house was backed with guns and ammunition from the word go, and gordon I guess he'd been gone from two years...and like I'm saying, it's just something that someone else told me, they said he had guns...
...41/05...for a while gordon would come down here and work and then he had a farm back in ...and he would go back up there and come back down here and work and eventually he staid down here and worked....somebody said that he had a basement at home full of guns, and he was ready if something come up...and that was just rumors I heard at that time...41/44...
...41/50...I never seen him carry a gun at all. I mean he'd be in violation of the law if he was carrying a gun. I mean a citizen in texas doesn't have a right to carry a gun unless they're a law enforcement officer...and he not no law enforcement officer...no si , I never seen the man carry a gun at all...42/14...
...42/30...I'm gonna say he was probably one of the biggest leaders that they had in that posse comiatus because Gordon believed in it. He actually believed in it. I have got a check in my pocket if you want to see what they believed in paying their taxes with...42/45...
...now this was give to me by somebody and it's damn near wore out...I checked this morning to see if I've still got it...
somebody brought it in here and gave it too me...
I don't even remember who brought it in here and gave it too me, it's been that long ago...
...43/23...on the back is your main thing, when you sign it...is what it says...
...43/35...under penalty of perjery the undersigned swears that the monies on the face of this check will be used to preserve our republican form of govt. as outlined in the US Constitution, personal signature required ....44/00...
...now that's what they gave when they wrote a check for taxes...like Our sales tax, they didn't believe in that either...
...now that's what they believed in gold or silver...44/40
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...44/46...no sir, I never had any run in with them at all...
...45/08...they couldn't do it all that's right. I know what's you're talking about there...like I said he started out, he had several memebers to start out with but they'd gradulally fall out...there's a few of em, right along with him right up to the last and they disbanded and that was it...45/28...
...but I do know that they had badges...the ones that belonged to the posse ...I'd heard of one or two that pulled them and showed it trying to bluff somebody...but that's about the extent of it...45/43...
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...45/50...no sir, it didn't bother me, if they had em they kept em in their wallets...
...46/06...no, Miss Kahl was a real nice lady. She never got out of line ever. I just thought she was real nice....like I said, the boys heard different things on them, but they kinda believed like their daddy did. Well, he taught it to em and that was it...I think, I don't remember even what both of their names was...one of the girls married a local boy here...
...47/10...yes, sir, I'd have say that, I sure would, he didn't cause us any trouble down here at all...
...47/30...not too much, they thought he might come in here, might have a friend or two. He might have, but I don't know of it...
...not really like I said, they called several years ago when it all happened, I thought it was all over...
END TAPE AND INTERVIEW @ 5:48:12