Typed as spelled and
written - Lena Stone Criswell
THE DAILY DEMOCRAT
Thirty-First year - Number 135
Marlin, Texas, Wednesday, October 7, 1931
MARLIN TOWN SITE ORDERED
LOG HOUSE JAIL PAID FOR
"Adams Spring" Set Aside by Court
as Public Watering Place
For County.
Immediately
after formation of Falls county and the organization of county court, the
commissioners proceeded to establish a town-site on 640 acres of land which
happened to be in two conflicting grants, the Chambers and La Serda grants.
Although some progress had been made in adjusting claims necessary to make clear
title to the land after
two years the work was still incomplete. In addition to these conflicting
claims, difficulties were met in consummating a satisfactory agreement with
General T. J. Chambers, the holder of the Chambers grant.
~~~~~
In November,
1852, the court appointed B. G. Shields to correspond with Gen. Chambers looking
toward exchanging claims on a portion of four leagues of land at the old town of
Viesca for Gen. Chambers' claim on 640 acres at Marlin," or to negotiate with
said Chambers for purchase of 640 acres in Marlin. Evidently
correspondence was unsuccessful for in April of the next year, John W. Pierson
was appointed agent and attorney-in-fact with authority to "procure from General
T. J. Chambers a title to town tract of Marlin" and "said John W. Pierson is
fully authorized and empowered to convey to said Chambers such interest as he
may think proper in any land belonging to said county of Falls or said town of
Marlin" in exchange therefore. At the same time an order stopped the sale
of any more town-site lots.
The court seemed determined to settle matter of title for they resorted to
rights given them under the constitution of Texas and the United States. A
month after Mr. Pierson was empowered to make a deal with Gen. Chambers,
condemnation proceedings were instituted. The court ordered "that there
shall be advertised in some newpaper published in Texas notice requiring Gen.
Chambers to make a title to 640 acres of land where the town of Marlin is and
requesting said Chambers to make title and the same shall be paid ouf the county
treasury.
~~~~~
Five days later,
May 21, the court ordered payment for building the two-story log jail which had
been completed. Contract had been let to F. W. Capps on January 1, of the
year. The cost of the jail was $1145. A notation appears in the
minutes of the time which is both unique and incomprehensible. A man,
appearing before the court, was "allowed $9.00 for his experience while at
Wheelock as a prisoner." What had he been in jail for? Why did Falls
county owe him $9.00 for "his experience"?
~~~~~
"Pateroles" were
needed again, for the records show the appointment, November 21, 1853, of the
following: James McDonald as captain, David Barton, Thomas Wardlaw, Thos.
I. Goode, Jas. M. Grundy and A. Adams. They were "to ride and 'paterole'
once every week and as much oftener as they may think proper."
~~~~~
Adams spring,
set aside by the county as a public watering place, appears to have been located
in the vicinity west of Ward street near the foot of the hill. Its
location was probably refered (sic) to in the description of the
Marlin-Rockdam-Waco road accepted by the court in Novemember. The road was
described as follows: "Leaving the public square and running with the
north street and by the school house and spring and thence in a direction so as
to cross Flat creek at Fortune's spring, then with the road to Fortune's mill
and thence with Fortune's farm road until its entrance with the Brazos bottom,
then in a westerly direction to Rockdam, thence with the road out on the west
side of the river to the old Waco trace and with said old trace to the county
line up the valley in the direction for Waco."
~~~~~
Y. W. H.
McKissick was appointed overseer of this road, and at the following court
session (next day) was authorized to "operate a ferry at Rockdam."
(to be continued)
(I hope we will one day be able to continue with this most
interesting article of early Marlin and Falls County when we have located a copy
of the newspaper in which the continuation appears-lsc)
Copyright permission granted to Theresa Carhart and her volunteers for
printing by
The Democrat, Marlin, Falls County, Texas