Typed as spelled and written
- Lena Stone Criswell
THE DAILY DEMOCRAT
Thirty-First Year - Number 170
Marlin, Texas, Wednesday, November 18, 1931
CONTRACT IS AWARDED FOR
ANOTHER COURT HOUSE
It Was Sixty Years Ago, However--
Long Skip in Records
Available.
Records of the
commissioners' court from August 17, 1857, to November 24, 1872, have been
misplaced, lost or burned. Most certainly they would be interesting if
available. They would constitute a panorama of shifting events preceeding,
during, and immediately following the Civil War. Were they burned?
According to heresay, the courthouse burned and with it perished many valuable
records--records of the same memorable events probably responsible for the loss.
~~~~~
Be that as it
may, Book Number 1 (the first book was not numbered; it merely carried the
notation "Minutes of the Commissioners Court, 1851 to 1858), begins with the
session of November 24, 1872. In early records there was an officer
designated as chief justice. He presided at court sessions. In 1872,
there evidently was no such office in existence.
Looking ahead in the records, George J. Elam, commissioner of Precinct No. 1,
presided over the court for nearly two years. His signature in the minutes
bears the suffix, "Presiding Justice."
~~~~~
Other
commissioners were, (O). T. Barclay, J. W. Etheridge, Ed MCCullough and Edmund
Pierson. J. W. Hart was county clerk, A. M. Attaway, collector. B.
T. Scrogin appears to have been elected sheriff, but did not serve. Later
he was constable and W. G. Etheridge was sheriff. R. J. Stallworth was
constable, also.
~~~~~
At this first
session recorded in 1872, a contract was made with Stuart, Alexander and
McCullough for building a bridge and constructing a road. Since the road
may bear special significance, the contract was as follows, "to build a bridge
across Deer Creek and open two roads on the west side of the Brazos, to-wit, (l)
Commencing at the Brazos river and running by Landrum's mill and then to
Woodville to McLennan county line in the direction of Easterville, and (2)
commencing at aforesaid road at a point near Leonard Mayers' house and thence,
crossing Deer Creek at Calvin Mayers and then by Gassaway's pasture and thence,
on an air line to where the Belton road and Calvert roads cross Live Oak Creek
and also to the turnpike one mile of the Marlin-Belton road on the east side of
the river; commencing at Stuart's ferry and running in the direction of Marlin
for a distance."
~~~~~
"The said
Stuart, Alexander and McCullough do have a charter to run a ferry on and across
the river at Stuart's ferry for a term of five years and the county does not
grant other ferry rights within three miles of said location."
~~~~~
It was in July,
1855, five years after Falls county was created by a special act of the
legislature, that the first courthouse built by the county was completed.
One of the last entries in the old records authorized the digging of a well near
it. Now, seventeen years later, we find the court again wrestling with the
problem of providing a suitable courthouse.
~~~~~
Commissioners
George J. Elam, Wm. Killebrew and W. L. Patillo were appointed a committee "to
prepare a plan or plans for the courthouse, the estimate not to exceed $15,000,"
and to report at the March term of court. This committee reported at the
appointed time and a few days later (March 29, 1874), "the plans of Wm. McComb
and Jones for the courthouse to be located on the spot of the old courthouse
were accepted and the presiding justice was ordered to call for sealed bids."
Immediately William Killebrew was "allowed $75.00 for rent for courtroom from
November 1, 1872, to April 1, 1873."
~~~~~
In May, 1876,
bids were opened and Thomas B. King bid low and was awarded the contract.
His bid was $9000. George J. Elam, George White, Wm. Killebrew, Zena
Bartlett and W. A. J. Nicholson were appointed "to superintend construction of
said house and report to the court from time to time." King's building
bond was approved, also.
~~~~~
Attending to the
county's business at this time required attention to many and varied tasks.
Orders were passed relating to many reports, including the constables',
sheriff's and treasurer's reports. Various allowances were made, each of
which receive consideration on its own merit--and there were many of them--from
road and bridge expenditures, salaries, incidentals such as stationery, books,
etc.; the care, feeding and guarding the prisoners, care of the indigent, and
many other items. One citizen was allowed $5.00 for "fishing the dead body
of a man out of the river and burying it." Jurors, also, were selected at
the designated court terms.
~~~~~
Early in 1873,
John Ward was appointed "cattle and hide inspector" for Falls county.
Later Doctors J. C. Hightower, S. D. Forbes, D. C. Meiller and R. C. Nettles
were appointed a "Board of Medical Examiners for Falls County." S. J.
Anders was appointed "to collect all the arms belonging to Falls county, give
notice and sell same at public auction on the last Monday in November, 1873."
(to be continued)
**********
Copyright permission granted to Theresa Carhart and her volunteers for printing
by
The Democrat, Marlin, Falls County, Texas.