esent vaila- per- Com- MSC r Au- itarin udder urder Foun- tation nt or- isor a ag lot. udder ronsor water ^reek, to FM ties to oad to n star- i Rud- id white students o-month rernem- i(sde (k the imz ecalled if ids THE BATTALION FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1979 Page 7 Davis tells his version of FBI-McCrory "plot’ United Press International FORT WORTH — A calm and consistent T. Cullen Davis Thurs day testified in his own behalf in his murder solicitation trial, describing the plot he thought was being hatched against him by the man who is now his chief accuser — FBI in formant David McCrory. Davis, starting his lengthy tes timony in a low voice but getting stronger as the day wore on, tes tified a phone call he thought was from the FBI told him McCrory was trying to extort $10,000 from him. Davis testified the caller directed him to play along with McCrory. ^ On Aug. 20, 1978, Davis was ar- j rested and charged with trying to hire someone to kill his divorce judge, District Judge Joe Eidson. McCrory, a friend and employee of Davis’, has testified that Davis ordered him to find a professional killer to do away with Eidson and others. McCrory claims he secretly contacted the FBI about Davis’ de mands and that from then on he worked with the agents until Davis’ arrest. Davis testified, however, that he thought he was working with the FBI and that McCrory was the target. The testimony was exactly the same as Davis gave in Houston late last year in is first trial on the murder-for-hire charge. That trial ended in a hung jury. Prosecutors listening to Davis tes tify Thursday said they were im pressed that his testimony so closely paralleled that in Houston. “He’s even remembering the conversations in the same order as Houston,” prosecutor John Bankston said. “There’s no question he makes a good witness.’’ Davis told the jury in late 1977 he received a letter from a supposed Refugee trial moved from site of violence hitman who said he would forget the killing in exchange for $10,000. “The thrust of it was the writer said he had a contract to kill me be fore Christmas,” Davis said. The letter said “if I would pay him $10,000 he would forget about the contract and tell me who hired him.” Davis said he immediately con tacted the FBI about the letter and that the FBI instructed him to go along in the plot. In Houston, Davis testified that he eventually got a call from some one he thought was an FBI agent who instructed him that McCrory was actually the extortionist. Earlier in the day, Davis testified that McCrory was a friend of his former wife, Priscilla Davis, and that McCrory frequently called Davis wanting a job. Davis said he finally gave McCrory a job because he thought McCrory could give him informa tion that woud be useful in his di- United Press International PORT LAVACA — A state dis trict judge Thursday transferred the murder trial of two Vietnamese brothers away from the coastal area where one man was killed as ref ugees and native crab fishermen clashed this summer. Judge Clarence Stevenson moved the trial of Sau Van Nguyen, 21, and Chinh Van Nguyen, 20, to Seguin in Guadalupe County. Both were charged with the shooting death of Billy Joe Aplin, 35, at Seadrift last Aug. 3. Stevenson said a tentative trial date of Oct. 29. District Attorney William W. Day said he discussed the case and prospects for a fair trial in Calhoun County and decided not to oppose the transfer. “A lot of people throughout the county flatly said they didn’t feel they could get a fair trial and others qualified it someway or another,” Day said. “It just wouldn’t be jus tice.” The brothers have not posted bond and remain in jail. Witnesses said Aplin and Sau Van Nguyen argued on a fishing dock and Nguyen suffered a knife cut across his chest before Aplin was shot. Aplin’s slaying climaxed a “crab war” over local fishing rights and customs and ignited more violence in the community, including the firebombing of one refugee’s home and the burning of the Vietnamese boats. Residents said the Vietnamese refused to respect local crabbing and shrimping customs. Dozens of the estimated 100 Vietnamese that settled in Seadrift beginning in 1976 fled the town dur ing the summer. vorce. “I told him I was giving him this job for one reason — to help me in my divorce from Priscilla,” Davis testified. The state has produced films and tape recordings of Davis meeting with McCrory — meetings McCrory claims were to set up the murder of the divorce judge. Davis said, however, the first time he met with McCrory on June 9, 1978, McCrory said he had in formation that Mrs. Davis was look ing for someone to kill Davis. A short time after that, the extor tion letter arrived in the mail. In other testimony, Davis ex plained that $25,000 in cash that al legedly was payoff money for a hit man actually belonged to McCrory. He said in July McCrory gave him the money, saying he won it in Las Vegas and wanted Davis to put it in his safe so that his wife would not find out about it. On the day Davis was arrested he gave McCrory $25,000. Davis was scheduled to return to the witness stand Friday. Judge repeals order, Amtrak dumps trains Official says geothermal well not so efficient United Press International BROWNSVILLE — A geother mal test well drilled near the Texas coast produces less water and natural gas than anticipated. Rail road Commissioner Mack Wallace said Thursday. Wallace said data from the test ► well in Brazoria County thus far , does not guarantee the economics of j;geothermal energy as a commercial resource, but urged private industry to keep a close eye on geothermal research as a potential significant energy resource. Wallace said initial testing indi cates the geopressured geothermal well in Brazoria County can flow at rates of approximately 30,000 bar rels of water daily, about 10,000 less than anticipated, has a gas-water ratio of about 20 cubic feet per bar rel, about half the level anticipated, and*'has bottom hole temperatures of about 250 degrees, 50 to 100 de grees lower than experts had pre dicted. The commissioner said a geopres sured geothermal well prospect in Kenedy County looks particularly good to scientists, however, and said drilling should begin next year in that area. hct5 a Special V B Jfr am stot ^*2? fV* v Coupe* ^ ‘“'fj'i foote .WWM ) ‘SfcOfcs ice Oct. 5-lO... ait 3M MUM? i|bf Revival Oetobei* X - Featuring III** Ilieliai*