Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-09-04
THE OLDEN TIME.
Primitive Courts in this section.
Interesting Legal Relics.

office are interesting documents as afford
ing connecting links of the present with
tne past They unfold vast deal of sing,
uiar and oftimes complicated litigation
| Oh primitive character, a glance
at which is profitable as q retro
respect into the past, and as indicating
me progress We have made, In moving
t1e archives and records of the Criminal
court some days since from the court room
| above to the room below preuared
TO receive them, many old doc
uments we're brought to view
that perhaps had not been read he
fore for years. We selected few of thar,
Here is one in the bold chirooranby ~
Andrew Jackson, which shows tSat soma
men, then as now, would steal horses
Jackson was then Attorney for the State. ="
and long before he thought Of fastening
upon himself the gaze of men as a central
figure in American history, or imagined
that his name would become the rallying
shout of great political party, he wrote
the following Indictment:
Estate of North Carolina, Davidson
county, November term, A. D. 177S.
THE jurors for the State upon their
oaths present, that Thomas Hendrix late
Of the county of Sumner and State of
North Carolina the twenty-third day of
October, in the year of our Lord one thou
sand seven hundred and eighty.f five, with
force and arms the county aforesaid,
did take one mare of a brownish
coulour, of the price of six pound
of the goods and ehattels of Phillip Shick-
Ter, then and there being found, did steal
take and lead away to the great damage Of
him the said Philip Shickler contrary to
the statute in that case made and provided
and against the peace and dignity of the
said State ANDREW JACKSON
''Atty for the State
From the following it will be seen that
men were sent to the ''publick goal then
as now. 1t is a model of mittimus:
Territory of the United States of
America, south Of the Ohio river, Tenness
see cvunty-To the Sheriff or keeper of
the publck goal of the District of Nero: I
herewith send you the body Of George
Jeffres, who, by Jury Of good and lawful
men, summoned on the occasion, stands
charged with assaultiDg, woundiDg. bruis-
ing and killing certain John Mari, a
child of SIX or seven years old. Him you
are to receive into your goal and safely
keep until he shall thence be discharged by
due course Of law. Given under my hand
and seal this twenty-frst day of March, in
the year of our Lord 1871.
BENJAMIN MENEEs.7
The following ''Inquisitior will show
that Jefres was sent to the " Publick
Goal for whipping a child to death;
TERRITORY OF THE UNITED STATES, SOUTH
OF THE RIVER Ono, TENNESSEE COUNTY,
March II, 1791.-IRquisiti0B indented:
AIKEN at Benjamin Nails in the county
Aforesaid, the the 18th day of March, in
he year of our Lord one thousand seven
hundred and ninety-one. Before one Ben
amin Menees, one of the Justices of the
Peace for said county, upon view of the
body Of John Mar, then and there lying
lead and upon the oath of Benz. Hardin
ION, Josiah Ramsey, Samuel Crockett,
John Crockett, Samuel Hollis, David Park,
Robert Mcmillan, John HARRISON, JOna-
han Harden, Hugh Mcmillan and Jona-
han Guise, good and lawful men Of the
county, who being charged and sworn to
inquire how and in what manner the said
John Mari by his death came-upOn
their oaths do say that on the
teenth day of March, in the year aforesaid,
IeOIBe JeuIeS, late OF tue OldL6 OF NlrBlulh-
at his own house, by force and arms, did
assault the said John Mari, being then and
there in the peace of God and of our State;
and that the said George Jeffres, with q
certain whip which the said Jeffres in his
hand then and there held, felOniously and
Of his malice forethought did give the
John Mari mortal wounds on his
body, and gashes the length of an inch,
and various bruises, of which wounds the
said John Mari shortly died; and so the
George Jeffres, him the said John
Mari, then and there feloniously killed and
wilfully murdered, contrary to the peace of
1ur State; and further the said jury upon
heir oaths do say that the said George
Jeffres at the time of committing the felo-
ny and murder had no goods, chsttels,
ands or tenements in the county afore-
said, to the knowledge of the jurors afOre-
said
In testimony whereof, as well the said
Coroner as the jurors aforesaid, to this in
QUESTION have surely put our seals the day
and year, and place first above mentioned
The verdict of the 'Inquisition' is then
signed by the jurors. A number of other
papers and documents of a legal character
Of 'sye olden time" came under our obser-
vation, but we presume these will suffice.