The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-07
A NOVEL COURT
Where the Witnesses Were Sentenced
and the Prisoners Turned Loose.

Where the Witnesses Were Sentenced
and the Prisoners Turned Loose.
One Of Savannah's veteran drummeFs,
with varied experience, told q good joke
last night on the first mayor Of q little town
in Berrien county. The drummer happened
to be present, and related what he saw. The
town, he said, had spurted and grown
enough to get big ideas in ITS head. It had
to be Incorporated, and a mayor had TO rule
lt- People had to pay taxes 70 support the
big officials. The airs the town was to put
on were not without their cost. Since every
body was willing to ''ante up" there could
be no objection to Incorporating the village,
and it was incorporated and became full
hedged town.
Inc Savannah DRUMMER ''didn the place
Few days after it was honored with a
mayor and council, and it was on this day
that the marshal succeeded in finding some
thing for which to make an arrest. He ar
rested three negroes for cursing and using
bad language. 1t was circulated around
the tavern, where the drummer stopped,
that the town was to have its first case that
morning. Everybody was going to attend
court, and the tavern was closed and the
drummer was turned out, and he decided to
follow the crowd and see what was 70 be seen.
Court was held IL the back room of the
mayors store and the citizens sat around
on sugar aud flour barrels aud made settees
Of the counters. The house was "chuckn
full OF people The mayor and clerk sat in
chairs against the wall, and the mayor had
cheese box placed upon a long soap box
for desk. his knife was his gavel. When
he invoked silence aud he could be heard
above the hum of those who could not stop
talking, he pointed to the three prisoners
sitting in front OF him, and told them to
listen while the clerk read the charges. In
loud tone the clerk read the warrants.
stopping occasionally to emphasize word
"What cher goin' to do about it, fellowsq
roared the mayor, whose face began to
redden as he thought of the misconduct OF
the prisoners.
The prisoners rose up to explain, but the
mayor mistook their actions and whipped
out of the cheese box horse pistol and ex-
planned that If they were after an insurrec-
ton he was in for it. The prisoners dropped
TO their seats and one of them explained
that they were innocent Of the charges
against them.
Dispute the word of the marshal again
and I'll blow hole in you, anyhow" thun-
dered the mayor
After short conference between the
clerk and the mayor, three witnesses were
called out of the crowd, and they We're
called upon TO testify. While the last wit
ness was testifying it occurred to the drum
mer that none of them had been sworn and
ne stood upon mackerel key and inter-
rupted the proceedings.
The mayor was in doubt as to how to pro-
coed and the Code was searched. Nothing
was found in it that bore upon the subject,
and after long suspense his honor was as
perplexed as he was at first. Not disposed
to take the Savannah mans word for it, he
called upon some of the citizens of other
counties who were present TO give their
opinions. Each one said it was customary
to swear witnesses, and citizen of Berrlen
said that it was the custom to swear all
witnesses in the superior court He thought
the mayors court was "just as good as the
superior court" and he did not see why the
witnesses should not be sworn.
After listening to half dozen others, the
mayor, in a confused state of mind, turned
to the prisoners and said: go, you are more
trouble than you are worth, anyhow He
fixed his eyes on the witnesses then and
said: 81 fine you So each. do this for
three reasons. The first is, you had no bust
ness here; second, you should not have
testified without being sworn or telling
somebody about it; and third, you have
money and the negroes have none.n The
fines were collected and the court adjourned