The Greenville enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1870-1873, 1871-08-30
Greenville to Ninety six.

l assA@N soi ACdIly Onc nuns
dred years after the settlement of
the State, the courts sat no WI ere.
else except in the city of Charles.
ton, where all judicial business,
civil and criminal was transacted.
Persons from all parts of the State,
two hundred and fifty miles distant
had to go to Charleston to have
Justice administered or crime pun
ished. This became a serious
grievance and gave rise to the
Regulators" in the upper conn
try, who were a sort Vf modern
Ku Klux." organized for the pur.
pose OF pnhishing aud preventing
crime, and administering justice
i'll a very summary way on !" seal.
awags," horse thieves and plum.
derers. In order to remedy this
evil and bring the administration
OF Justice nearer home, the Legis
lature in l76S extended the hold.
ing OF courts to Orangeburg,
Camden, Ninety-six, CIR eraw,
Georgetown and Reaufort-
Charleston was no longer the State,
as Paris is France.
In 1884 there was also establish.
ed in South Carolina a court of
Cbancery and three Chancellors
were elected to administer EQUITY.
Previous to this time the Govern
or and his council had exercised
all chancery jurisdiction through.
out the State. The same year
County Courts were established
throughout the greater portion of
the State, in addition to the cir.
cult courts established as above
stated in 176S. The circuit court
for the District of Greenville, sat
Ct z .Sad.!s OLD Cambridge, till 1871, when
justice of the circuit court for Pen
dleton and Greenville, then called
Washington District. In 1893 the
county conrt system was abolish
ed, and a circuit court established
in each county. This was regard
ed as a great improvement in our
Judiciary system aud has contin-
ued permanent ever since. The
sitting of the court at Pickenville
was discontinued, and Greenville
and Pendieton had each a court of
its own, held twice year at their
respective county seats.
In 1893 commissioners were ap-
pointed by the Legislature to Sc
lect more suitable place for a
Court House in Greenville Dis
trict. Henry Mitchell Wood,
Larkin Tarrant, John Thomas, jr.,
and James Harrison Barnett were
named as commissioners. The
next year the Legislature appoint.
ed another set of commissioners to
locate the comfy seat. They
were Rev. Jamec Tarrant, John
McBeth, Peter Sartcr, Isaac Green
Paul Abner, Samuel Walker,
William Anderson, Robert Mel ON,
Martin Adams, William Goodlctt,
Josiah Foster, Silas Williams,
James Kilgore, Thomas Townsend,
and William Choice. BY this last
boar d Of commissioners, the coun-
ty seat was permanently establish
ed where it now is i'm the city of
Greenville. The first Court House
erected, was built, as l have heard
my father say, who settled in the
District in 1855, of round pine
logs. This rude temple of justice,
in the course of q few years, gave
place to one of more pretention,
which was framed, sealed, weather.
boarded and covered with shin
giles. lin after time as the popula.
ton Of the county increased, this
new Court House was found to be
entirely too small, and it was dis
posed of to Chancellor Thompson
for q dwelling house. He moved
it on top of the hill where Tench
Coke now lives, and added wings
to the house. The new Court
House was erected in the centre of
Main street, just between the pres.
ent court Lou,es, and stood there
till 1926, when it gave place to the
present old court house. Captain
Wickliffe purchased the old wood.
en- court house, removed it to the
lot now belonging to the estate of
Col. Hoke, where it was burnt
some years ago.
Although the district of Green.
vile was rapidly settled after the
close of the resolution war, yet the
county seat, or village progressed
very slowly for great number of
years. twas very humble place
in 1919 or 90 when the State road
was completed over the Saluda
Mountains. The building of this
road gave new life and prosperity
to the village. 1t became the
great thoroughfare of the West.---
Tho woalfb on5 faol;o,, oe Al L.