The Politician and the DQ Waitress – March 17, 1981

March 17, 1981, Liberty, Texas.  Girls like Vicki Moore didn’t travel in the circles of high society.  They were far more likely to be found at the bowling alley, the trailer park, or working the afternoon shift at the local Dairy Queen.  And that’s right where Vicki was, when she met local Liberty attorney Price Daniel, Jr.  If that name sounds familiar, it should.  Price Daniel, Sr. was kind of a big deal.  A lawyer, like his son, Price Daniel Sr. was a state rep, then the Speaker of the State House, then Texas Attorney General and Texas Senator.  In 1957, he was elected the 38^th governor of the State of Texas, and even finished his career as a justice on the Texas Supreme Court.  And Price Daniel Jr. had a similar career arc planned.  Well before the age 40 he was already the speaker of the Texas house, and planning a run for Attorney General just like his dad.  And if that wasn’t enough, Price Jr. was also a direct descendant of Sam Houston on his mom’s side.  What motivated Price to order that afternoon coffee at the Dairy Queen and court Vicki Moore may have been nothing more that the oldest temptation that men confront.  But when Price Daniel Jr. died on the floor of his family estate, the victim of a .22 caliber bullet fired by his wife Vicki, his death would lead to accusations and claims that shook the town of Liberty to its very roots.  Because on March 18, 1981, as Price Daniel’s sisters sued for custody of the couple’s children, Vicki spun a tale of drug use, pederasty, and domestic abuse that nobody was ready for.