USA > Tennessee > Bedford County > History of Tennessee, from the earliest time to the present; together with an historical and a biographical sketch of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Bedford and Marshall counties, besides a valuable fund of notes, reminiscences, observations, etc., etc, Vol.2 > Part 23
USA > Tennessee > Marshall County > History of Tennessee, from the earliest time to the present; together with an historical and a biographical sketch of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Bedford and Marshall counties, besides a valuable fund of notes, reminiscences, observations, etc., etc, Vol.2 > Part 23
USA > Tennessee > Wilson County > History of Tennessee, from the earliest time to the present; together with an historical and a biographical sketch of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Bedford and Marshall counties, besides a valuable fund of notes, reminiscences, observations, etc., etc, Vol.2 > Part 23
USA > Tennessee > Maury County > History of Tennessee, from the earliest time to the present; together with an historical and a biographical sketch of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Bedford and Marshall counties, besides a valuable fund of notes, reminiscences, observations, etc., etc, Vol.2 > Part 23
USA > Tennessee > Williamson County > History of Tennessee, from the earliest time to the present; together with an historical and a biographical sketch of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Bedford and Marshall counties, besides a valuable fund of notes, reminiscences, observations, etc., etc, Vol.2 > Part 23
USA > Tennessee > Rutherford County > History of Tennessee, from the earliest time to the present; together with an historical and a biographical sketch of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Bedford and Marshall counties, besides a valuable fund of notes, reminiscences, observations, etc., etc, Vol.2 > Part 23
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This jail stood till 1858, when, April 19, a new committee was selected, whose duty it was to report on the propriety of building a new jail. This committee was composed of John B. McEwen, John M. Winstead and Samuel Farmer. The committee recommended that a new jail of stone and brick should be built. The committee visited the Nashville jail and got all the information they could, and flattered themselves that "we will have a first-rate jail." The dimensions of the new jail were to be 40x46 and 24 feet high. There were to be two cells below and two above, and two passages through the building each 10x40 feet. The whole building was to be fire-proof. The contract was let to Robert H. Bradley for the aggregate sum of $8,000, to be completed July 18, 1859, which time was afterward extended to January 1, 1860.
Previous to 1829 the poor of the county were farmed out to the lowest bidder and allowances made for them. On October 5, 1829, a committee of John Thompson, Jabez Owen, William Ditto. Robert Mccutchen, G. Marshall and David C. Kinnard reported that they had bought of Andrew L. Andrews, a tract of forty acres of land for $350, a tract of twenty acres from Mark L. Andrews for $90, and contracted with Mark L. Andrews to erect and improve the buildings on the land purchased of Andrew L. Andrews, to the amount of $350. In 1840 W. S. Webb, Mike Kinnard and R. W. Robison, a poor-house committee, bought additional lands to the amount of about 550 acres. At the August term, 1867, a committee consisting of Park Street, W. A. Rodgers and John M. Winstead were appointed a committee to enquire into the propriety of selling a portion of the poor-farm. The report was to the effect that the county owned more land than was profitable. Six small tracts, amounting in the aggregate to 130 acres, were sold. These were purchased by S. S. Short, Thomas Short, J. B. Gray, G. W. Davis, H. S. Reynolds and II. Hanks, respectively. The purchases amounted to the sum of $2,750. The farm yet contains 413 acres of good land, and has good buildings thereon and is managed with little expense to the county.
The date of the building the first market is rather an uncertain quantity, as no order for the erection can be found further than the general order given to the commissioner of Franklin for the erection of a court house, market, jail and stocks. As the others were built during the first year of the present century, it is presumed the market-house was also built then, as frequent orders were given for its government in the first years of the pres- ent century. This was not only the place of sale for provisions of all kinds, but also of public sales of various kinds of property, such as slaves, goods, chattels, etc. Within
791
WILLIAMSON COUNTY.
this also was the pillory, a favorite mode of punishment for criminals previous to the pas. sage of the penitentiary law in 1829. This market.house stood till 1831. when, on January 4. "on motion it was ordered by the county court that the mayor and aldermen be per- mitted to erect a market-house on the Square of the town of Franklin, or any other build- ing they think forthe general good of the public, but the sheriff is hereby instructed to see that all rubbish is removed from the Square and streets." This house stood till the Square was cleared of public buildings in 1858, when the old court house and market were re- moved from the Square.
Members of the State Legislature: Senate-Robert Weakley, 1801-05: Chapman White, 1805-07: N. T. Perkins, 1807-09: Thomas H. Benton, 1809-11; Newton Cannon. 1811-15: Amos Johnson, 1815-17; John Bell, 1817-19; Joel Parrish, 1819-21: Sterling Brown. 1821-25: Newton Cannon, 1827-29; Robert Jetton, 1829-35: Barclay Martin. 1835-41: W. H. Sneed, 1841-45; Abram Maney and J. W. Richardson, 1845-51: W. C. J. Burrus, 1851- 53: P. O. N. Perkins, 1853-57: W. L. McComico, 1857-59: J. W. Richardson, 1859-60: 1. W. Mess, 1865-66; W. Y. Elliott, 1867-68: D. M. McFall, 1868-70; T. F. P. Allison, 1871-73; A. T. Boyd, 1875-77: W. D. Fullerton, 1877-79; T. F. Perkins, 1879-81.
House- - -, 1801-05; Chapman White, 1803-05; Abram Maney, 1805-07; Moses Frierson. 1807-11: Amos Johnson, 1811-15; William Martin, 1815-21: Abram Maney. Jr., 1821-25; Samuel Perkins. 1825-27: Newton Cannon, 1829-31; R. C. Foster, 1831-35; M. P. Gentry, 1835-39: R. C. Foster, 1839-43; A. P. Maney, 1843-44; S. Venable and R. W. H. Bestick, 1845-46; J. Robison and F. Hardeman, 1847-48; E. Thompson and P. G. S. Perkins, 1849-50: David Campbell, 1851-53: Frank Hardeman, 1853-55: C. W. Beale, 1855-57; W. L. MeComico, 1857-58: W. E. Ewing. 1859-60; J. W. Richardson, 1864-65: D. W. MeFall. 1865-67; Atha Thomas, 1868-69; Samuel Perkins, 1875-76; F. M. Lavender, 1877-79; T. E. Haynes, 1879-83.
At the February term, 1800, the county court ordered the following roads to be laid off and cut out. Daniel McEwen was to oversee the road from Franklin to Hollow Tree Gap. and the road was ordered to be called the Hollow Tree Gap road. All persons living on the south side of the ridge and north of Big Harpeth were ordered to assist in clearing the road. The first State case in the county grew out of this. but the case was quashed when it was shown that McEwen's help failed to assist him. William Edmunson, William Mar- shall, John Cummings, Patrick McCutchen, William McGaugh, John Jordan, John Bu- chanan and William Walker were ordered to lay off the road from the mouth of Arring- - ton's Creek to Franklin. Robert Caruthers, John Ried, John Slocum, Henry Walker, Richard Puckett and Jesse Weathier were ordered to cut out the road from Robert Car- uthers' to Franklin, and to the place where the commissioners' trace crosses the Big Har- peth. This road is what was called the Commissioners' Trace road and connected with what was known as the Commissioners road or Natchez trace. The Buford's Ford road was cut out by George Neely. Joseph Porter, John McKinney, Samuel McClary and David Long. This road extended from Franklin to Buford's Ford on the Little Harpeth. The road from Hollow Tree Gap to the Davidson County line by way of Joseph White's was cut out by direction of David White and "all those living on the west side of the road as far down the Little Harpeth as the Plum Orchard and the head waters of Beech Creek" were ordered to assist. The Mccutchen Creek road was marked out by Samuel McCut- chen, Samuel Edmunson, Ephraim Brown, M. German, John McKay, Thomas Owens and James Scott. This road extended from Mccutchen Creek and the Big Harpeth to Franklin.
Natchez trace, the old government road, entered the county from the south near old Harpeth Church, and passed a little east of Beechville postoffice: thence south through Districts Nos. 7 and 6; thence through No. 3 by way of Hillsboro; thence into No. 2 a little west of Boston and out of the county a little east of White Oak postoffice.
The first efforts for a railroad to Franklin were in November, 1831, when books were opened to receive subscriptions for what was then called the Nashville, Franklin & Columbia Railroad, but no success was made till the charter was granted to the Tennessee
792
HISTORY OF TENNESSEE.
and Alabama Railroad in 1852. The first road asked for $200,000 to be raised by subscrip- tion in shares of $25 each. Books were opened at Franklin and other points on the line. The company reserved the privilege of terminating the road at Mount Pleasant, Columbia. Spring Hill and Franklin. The following persons were made a committee on subscrip- tion: Thomas Park, R. G. Foster, John Marshall, J. W. Morton, D. B. Cliffe, J. H. Wil- son, S. S. Mayfield, J. H. Bond, R. Ogilvie, S. D. Foster, W. P. Martin, A. Kinuard and E. Thompson. The next call for assistance was made in January, 1853. It was for $100, - 000 of stock to be taken by the county. The election was held February 12, 1853. under act of 1853 granting the right to continue to take stock in railroads. This also failed when the company again asked assistance to the amount of $2,500 of the county Septem- ber 11, 1855. The same amount was also asked from the city of Franklin. These amounts were received by the company. The road was not completed to the Alabama line till 1859. On May 1, 1871, it was leased for a period of thirty years by the Louisville & Nashville Company, under whose management it is now controlled.
The Franklin Tarnpike was chartered in November, 1830. The first installment of stock was called for November 16, 1831. The call was for $2.50 on each share to be paid to Shadrack Myers and W. S. Childress. The road extended from Nashville to Franklin, and was built by Messrs. Black & Love. The charter was granted for the Franklin & Columbia Pike in 1832. Thomas Peeples had charge of the construction of a part of this road. The Nolensville Pike was built in 1841 of which H. Blackman was president at that time. The county is now well supplied with pikes. The Nolensville Pike is fifteen iniles in length; the Nashville & Franklin ten miles; the Franklin & Spring Hill, fifteen miles: the Farmington, ten miles: the Carter's Creek, ten miles; the Wilson & Harpeth, ten miles; the Franklin & Louisburg, ten miles; and the Hillsboro, ten miles. These are in good condition and afford excellent means of transit from one part of the county to another. Instead of the civil districts, as now represented, the county previous to 1534 was separated into militia companies, and over each company was a captain appointed by the county court and for each captain's company was appointed a tax lister. The county was at first divided into three divisions. The listers for these divisions were Daniel Per- kins, James Scurlock and Chapman White. In 1801 the divisions had increased to the companies of Capts. Dooley, Nelson, Nolen, Crockett, Maney, Moore and McMay. The divisions for 1802 were Capts. Crockett, McMullen, Hall, Gordon, Hill, Morton, Cannon and Dooley; for 1803 there were Capts. Hill, Cannon, Morton, Crockett, McMullen, Kear- ney, Gordon, Dooley and Hall. In 1805 the officers were Capts. Nolen, Wilson, McEwen, Dooley, Ogilvie, Williams, Harden, Walker, Miller, Collins, Louis, Stone and Templer. The heads ofcompanies in 180S were Capts. Hargrave, McEwen, Templer, Mayfield, Stone, Neeley, Sparkman, Buford, Kelly, Mckay, Harden, Fitzpatrick, Ogilvie, Wilson, Noien, M. Johnson and William Johnson. In 1810 there were Capts. Shannon, Stone, Estes, Sparkman, McKay, Wartman, Cooke, Patton, Crawford, Park, Lawrence, Dunn, Robert- son, Simmons, Buchanan, Edmuston, Neeley, Ralston and Clifton. The officers in 1815 were Capts. Gantt, Simpson, Auglin, Dalton, Wells, Carson, Hooker, Ridley, Mebaner, McCory, Johnson, Madden and Reeves. These went on increasing as population in- creased. In 1822 there were Capts. Johnson, Hill, Peper, Dancey, McEwen, Thompson, Bate, Orman, Stacey, Bateman, Garrett, Culbert, Fox, Stanfield, Hall, McLain, Stanford, Munn, Brooks, Timberville, Webb, Price and Boyd. The captains in 1834 were Whit- field, Childress, Foster, Atkison, Porter, Manley, Peach, Williamson, Fleming, McMannis, Fox, Adams, McEwen, Thomas, Matthews, Wallace, Jones, Crockett, Joice, Hampson, Perkins, Shannon, Jackson, Warren, Pickard, Shepard, Hill and Nicholson.
Under the new constitution the divisions were numbered according to the ordinal numbers, viz .: First, Second, Third, and so on to Twenty-fifth. The justices presiding in 1836, when the new constitution went into force, were: No 1, Frederick Ivy; No. 2, Thomas Powell; No. 3, O. D. Moffitt: No. 4, Joseph Burnett; No. 5, I. W. Briggs; No. 6, R. A. Hunt; No. 7, J. S. Breathitt; No. 8, John J. McKay; No. 9, Holland White: No. 10, George Lang; No. 11, Daniel Baughn; No. 12, William Crutcher; No. 13, Mike Kin-
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WILLIAMSON COUNTY.
nard; No. 14. G. W. Hunt: No. 15, Horatio McNish; No. 16, J. A. Holland; No. 17, James Andrews; No. 18, John Bostich; No. 19. R. W. Robinson; No. 20, M. Marable; No. 21, J. W. M. Hill: No. 22, John Hall: No. 23, J. W. Carson: No. 24. Jobn Richardson; No. 25, S. B. Robinson. The work of the division of the districts was not reported to the court till February 4. 1836. The following persons were designated by the General As- sembly for laying off the county into districts of convenient size: Richard Hill, James W. Carson, Isaac Ivy, Michael Kinnard and John L. McEwen. The commissioners, be- fore proceeding to make the division, qualified before Gilbert Marshall. a justice of the peace in Williamson County. The committee found that the county contained 3,000 voters, and on that basis divided the county into twenty-five districts. After making the divisions the commissioners designated the following as the places of election in the re- spective districts: John Graham's, in No. 1: Thompson Davis'. in No. 2: John Adams', in Hillsboro, in No. 3: Joseph Yates'. at the Sulphur Springs, in No. 4: James Southall's, in No. 5; Robert Hill's, in No, 6; William Leaton's, in No. 7; Mrs. Gracy Goff's, in No. 8; court house, in No. 9: Douglass' Camp Ground, in No. 10; M. M. Andrews', at Pinkney's postoffice, in No. 11: Horton's Camp Ground, in No. 12; Andrew Campbell's, at "Snatch- ett," in No. 13; Mrs. Holland Davis', in No. 14; Alexander Smith's, in No. 15; John M Winstead's, in No. 16; Sutherland M. Camp's, in No. 17; H. P. Bostick's, in No. 18; Ja- son Winsett's, in No. 19; Dr. William S. Webb's, in No. 20: William Munbreun's, in No. 21: Isaac Smith's, in No. 22; Chestly William's, in Manchester, in No. 23; Allen N. McCord's, in No. 24; and Robertson & Ransom's, in Versailles, in No. 25. The number of districts changed from time to time to suit the varying population. the whims, or the conveniences of the people. The boundary lines have been frequently changed. The number of districts was first twenty-five; in 1864 the number was twenty-three, and in 1865 it was raised to twenty-four, at which it remained till 1869, when it was reduced to twenty-two, at which it has since remained.
The court of pleas and quarter sessions was established February 26, 1799, while the General Assembly was in session at Knoxville. The court first met on the first Monday in February, 1800, at the house of Thomas McKay, in the town of Franklin. The court continued to meet here till November 3, 1800, when the session was opened in the court- house. The first justices holding court were John Johnson. Sr., James Buford. James Scurlock, Chapman White and Daniel Perkins. James Scurlock, who had previously qual- ified before a justice of Davidson County, proceeded to administer the oath to the others. The court organized by electing Scurlock chairman, but after the organi- zation he resigned, and was succeeded by Chapman White. The court then pro- ceeded to elect a clerk, when N. P. Hardeman was chosen and gave bond in the sum of $5,000. Edmund Hall was chosen the first sheriff, and gave bond in the sum of $10,000. Chapman White was made register; Francis Hall, solicitor: Joseph Porter, ranger; Joel Williams and John Harness were chosen constables; Henry Rutherford was made first surveyor; William White, William Ashton and David Logan were made "searchers or patrolers" from Parrish's mill dam; Big Harpeth to the mouth of West Harpeth; thence up to the dividing ridge; Ed Ragsdale and Spencer Buford for the re- maining part of the county. ..
The following constituted the first jury: James Scott, Samuel Mccutchen, Samuel Edmunson, Ephraim Brown, James Hopkins, Richard Hightower, Andrew Goff, James Neeley, George Neeley, Joseph Parke, Thomas McKay, George Stringham, William Ed- munson, Henry Walker, Isaac Baleman, Reuben Parke, Joseph Stevens, James McComico, Peter Edwards, Samuel Mccrary, David McKinney and Henry Childress. The jury for the superior court of the Mero District consisted of Henry Rutherford, David McEwen, Thomas Mckay, Abram Maury and Richard Hightower. The tax listers were Daniel Perkins, who had that territory "north of the dividing line between Big and Little Har- peth, thence up Little Harpeth to Richard Hightower's and the Davidson County line," James Scurlock all "east of the commissioner's trace" and Chapman White "all west of the commissioner's trace." Patrick McCutchen appeared the first day and recorded his
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HISTORY OF TENNESSEE.
stock mark as a "erop and slit in the right ear and a half under crop in the left." William Marshall had an "underbit in each ear." The first State case was the State es. David Mc- Ewen, for which the grand jury returned a "true bill," but on May 6, 1800, the case was marked "presentment quashed." In May, 1800, Seth Lewis, Jessee Wharten. Joseph Herndon and John Dickinson were admitted as attorneys, and John McNutt was made solicitor pro tem. On November 3, 1800, Frances Hall offered his resignation as solicitor, and Joseph Herndon was appointed in his place. Edmund Hall also resigned his office as sheriff, and Henry Childress was appointed in his place. The court allowed Hall $30 for ex officio services as sheriff. Bennet Scarcy, who became circuit judge a short time after, was admitted before the Williamson bar in February, 1801, and William Smith at a little later date. Henry Rutherford was allowed $24 for running the line between Williamson and Davidson Counties. In 1803 Parry W. Humphreys and G.W. L. Manns became attor- neys, and Thomas Stewart, who became the first circuit judge, resigned as solicitor. and was succeeded by Peter R. Booker. Mr. Booker soon after moved to Columbia, and finally quit practice for business. In 1807 there was a trial before the county court of Nelly, a slave of Mr. K. Holcomb, for the murder of her child. The jury was composed of James Hicks, Sion Hunt, Thomas W. Stockett (a justice and owner of slaves), John Johnston, Robert Caruthers, John Soppington and David Justice, owner of slaves. The jury found her guilty as charged in the indictment, and ordered that she should be re- manded to jail till Friday, March 20, 1807, when she should be taken to some convenient place near the town of Franklin, "with a good and sufficient rope hung by the neck until dead, dead, dead, and may the Lord have mercy on her." A motion for an appeal was overruled. Felix Grundy and Thomas H. Benton first appear on the records here as at- torneys. From 180S to 1811 or 1812, the name of Benton is connected with more cases than any other lawyer. In 1808 Henry Martin was indicted for stealing, but found not guilty as to the charge, but was fined the cost of the prosecution. At the April term, 1810, L. P. Montgomery, I. Johnston and J. W. Eaton were admitted as attorneys, and Jacob Garrett was fined $10 for improper conduct and "treating the court contemptibly."
The circuit court was authorized by an act of the General Assembly November 16, 1809, entitled an act establishing a circuit court and a supreme court of errors and appeals. By order of the General Assembly of November 14, 1811, Thomas Stuart became judge of the Fourth Judicial Circuit of "law and equity." By the same act the judge was com- pelled to be a resident within his circuit. Judge Stuart received the oath of office before Justice Robertson in the court house in Nashville. Judge Stuart, the well-known judge and accomplished scholar, was a resident of Williamson County near Franklin. He served from the organization of the court till 1836. The officers of the court were William Hulme, sheriff; William Smith, clerk, with Felix Grundy, R. B. Sappington, Thomas Smith and Henry Childress, as bondsmen. Alfred Balch was the first solicitor before this court. The following attorneys appeared and took the oath on March 24, 1810: Felix Grundy, T. H. Benton, Peter R. Booker, John Reed and Nicholas Perkins. The court announced this rule, " that on the first day the trial of issues should be proceeded with as they appear on the docket and are called, and on the second day suitors shall be compelled to try or continue all issues at law except cases of ejectment." The sheriff returned the following as the regular jury panel: Jacob Garrett, John Witherspoon, Henry Cook, Dan- iel Perkins, Thomas McEwen, Sion Hunt. George Hulme, Sherwood Greer, Nicholas Scales, John H. Eaton, James Bruff, Archibald Lytle, Newton Cannon, John Box ick, James Allison, Guilford Dudley, Burwell Temple, John Crawford, William Neeley, David Dickson, Stephen Childress, Samuel Perkins, William Bond, Richard Hightower, Berry Nolen, Charles Boyles, Hendley Stone, Thomas Alexander, John Wilson, Samuel Morton, Thomas Simmons, William Anthony, R. P. Currin, Thomas Wilson, Collin McDaniel, Thomas Gooch, Thomas Garrett and N. T. Perkins. The following was the first grand jury: Stephen Childress, William Boyd, N. T. Perkins, Hendley Stone, James McEwen, Samuel Morton, Sr., Guilford Dudley, Sherwood Greer, William Anthony, Thomas Gooch, John Bostick, Sion Hunt, Archibald Lytle and David Perkins.
795
WILLIAMSON COUNTY.
The first case tried on appeal was a suit of Thomas Talbott against John, Thomas and James Wilson and Robert and James Patton in a suit for debt for $3, 200. The suit was begun in the county court on July 18, 1807. The plaintiff got judgment for $800. In November, 1810, Walter L. Fountain and John Hardeman were admitted as attorneys. The trial of David Magness, Perry Magness and Jonathan Magness for the murder of Patten Anderson was begun November 14, 1810. The jury was composed of Henry Cook, James Gideon, James Hicks, Samuel McCutchen, R. Parks. Andrew Goff, Robert Mclellan, Thomas Ridley, James Hartgrove, R. Puckett, Tom Berry and Thomas Walker. The jury found David Magness not guilty of "wilful murder," but guilty of "malicious slaying," and for sentence ordered that he should be branded in the left hand with the letter "MI," and to lay in jail till costs of suit were paid. At the first term of 1811, Nathaniel W. Williams appeared as judge by "mutual agreement" with Judge Stuart. W. W. Cook and J. Haskell became attorneys before the bar on May 2, 1811. Joseph Venable was charged with "feloniously stealing, taking and carrying away " fronr Samuel Rodgers twelve Spanish milled dollars of the value of twelve dollars current cash of the United States, and one-fourth of a milled dollar of the value of 25 cents. He was found " not guilty " of the above amount, but was found guilty of taking one-half dime of the value of 5 cents, and for punishment received ten lashes on the bare back immedi- ately. The first term of court in 1812 was opened by Judge Roane, and in 1813 by Judge John F. Jack. Thomas Moore brought suit against Thomas Miles for slander, and by a jury was awarded 875. Alfred Balch brought suit for the State against Samuel Roll for stealing a woolen great coat, who received for sentence twenty lashes upon the bare back.
At the November term Judge Bennett Scarey presided, and John Burkley and James Gordon made oath that they desired to become citizens of the United States. At the May term the court adopted the following rules: First. On the first day of each term trials shall be proceeded with as they stand on the docket, and are called, but no suitor shall be compelled to try or continue any suit of trespass or ejectment. Second. On the second day suitors shall be compelled to try or continue cases as they stand on the docket.
In 1816 Binkley Donaldson was arraigned for the murder of James Skelly, but was. found guilty only of "feloniously slaying." He prayed the benefit of the clergy and was. ordered to be brought before the bar of the court and branded with the letter "M" in the left hand. Martin Gurley and James Bramblet were convicted of horse stealing and received thirty-nine lashes upon the bare back, were branded "H. T.", and were compelled. to stand in the pillory two hours each day for three days, were rendered infamous and. sentenced to jail for six months. During the years 1817-19, Judges Nathaniel W. Welhams, Joseph McMinn and Jacob C. Isacks were upon the bench. John Hardeman was tried for horse stealing, but when brought before the court would not say anything, pretended that he could not talk. The court found that he acted in a "rude, vulgar and profane manner," and that his manner was not caused by the "visitation of God." He was ordered to be set in the pillory. The punishment did not seem very effective, as he- still refused to talk. The first divorce suit was filed in 1821 by Sally Merrett against James Merritt; however the prayer of the plaintiff was not granted. April 14, 1823, John A. Murrell was fined $50 for "riot." John A. Murrell, James Murrell and William Murrell. were bound in the sum of $200 to keep the peace, on the oath of Thomas Merritt. The former was also under indictment for horse stealing, which case was taken to Davidson County on a change of venue in 1827. This was the celebrated John A. Murrell, so well. known as a thief, robber and murderer, but who turned an evangelist in his latter days. Indictments for " gaming" were first returned in February, 1825. At that time there were eighteen returned against Joel Childress, Archibald Smith, William Clark, Felix Staggs and others. Each were fined $5 and costs. The following is a list of attorneys practicing before the Williamson bar in 1825: N. P. Perkins, James H. Maney, R. C. Foster, N. P. Smith, C. S. Olmsted, Thomas Washington, Samuel Houston, Jesse Greer, James P. Clark, John Bell, Andrew Hays, Felix Grundy, P. H. Dailey, David Craighead, M. W. Campbell, A. P. Maney, William Thompson, William McGee, John Thompson, W. G.
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