The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1893-06-15
THE old GENERAL MUSTER.
Some Interesting RGmil SCIENCES Il By
Gone Days.
WHEN GENERALS WERE SCARCE.

And ''kurnelS" Not SO Plentiful as
Now-Tbe Courts of Pleas and
Quarter Sessions, in Which Stern
Justice was Melted Out-Some OF
Their Intellectual Giants
To the Editor of the Sentinel.
| recently gave your readers some
"reminiscences of old times, and will
now add a few more. Referring to
militia musters | mentioned that it
was customary to have a general
MUSTER once a year in the county.
"Kurnels'' were then scarcer than
now, and it was quite show to see the
Colonel and other field-officers, accom-
panied by a real live General, all deck
ed out i'll regimental uniforms and
mounted on gay chargers, parading
around. with banners flying and drum
and fife making martial music. Now
and then one could hear the Captains
giving commands: ''Tenshun, com
pany; fall in line: forward, march;
''redr up in the columns" wheel
around like d doub.e-gate shuts,
&c, &c.
These occasions were full of inter
est to b:.th old and young of both
sexes, and We're well attended. L re-
member Il story l have heard of an
cid man who took his OvergroWn son
out on one Of these occasions for a
first time, bought him d ginger-t axe
and went to talking in the sights. The
young man, as a matter of course, was
amazed, when at length he missed his
dad and commenced fruitleSS search.
After many inquiries he yelled out,
Where is dad. darn him, / knOwed
he would lose me-" l can recall al few
of our Colonies, viz: Martin, Mar
shat. Masten, COvington, Stedman,
Hughes, Terrell, Bailey, Winfree,
&c, &c.
Many changes have taken place
since the good old days of which l
write: the methods of our county gov
eminent and the administration of
Justice is changed. We then had
courts of leaS and quarter sessions"
which were very popular, and regard
ed as the peoples court, and was pre-
sided over 10y chairman and 5wO as
SOciateS, chosen by the justices from
their body They also elected a county
attorney, whose duty it was to advise
the court and prosecute for the State.
The chairman was generally well
qualified. and although he might wear
''copperas britches" and be about half
lull of whiskey, he held the scales
of justice evenly balanced, was a ter
rOr TO evil-doers, and gave general
satisfaction. Stokes county was then
noted for the intelligence of her jul
ries. An instance is related by Col.
Wheeler, in his North Carolina his
tory, which shows how careful our
Justices were in the selection of jul
rOrs. They were selecting a jury for
the next Superior Court, and when
the name of Jacob SalmOns was
al,
name cast aside as unsuitable. Some
one urged that Saimons was good
man, a Justice of the Peace and had
represented the county in the Legis-
lature, &c, but Martin persisted, OBJ
serving that he might do to try petty
cases in his neighborhOod and 90 to
the Legislature, but, says he, 1--WE are
going to have a Judge around next
fall, and SalmOns will make a poor
show before a Judge; his name goes
out" and out it went.
The bar of Stokes was ably filed
these times by such legal lights as
Ruffin, Settle, Gilmer and the More
heads, and later by Scales, billiard,
Mclean, Settle, Ruflin, Boyden, Watt,
Wilson, Glenn, Joyce, Starbuck, Poin
dexter, MaSten and others. The old
court house at Germanton has fire.
quently been the scene of the display
of skill and oratOry of these intellec-
tual giants, whilst Hugh Martin, Sill
Yer Hauser and other frolicsome fell
lows would play ''antnie over"
In these times justice was prompt
ly dealt out, and lynchines were uhe
heard of. The people respected the
laws and the courts, and old-fashion-
ed Jetfersonian Democracy prevailed,
which was government by the peo-
pie and for the people,"
Wishing speedy return to these
primitive fashions and to the good
old honest dollar of our daddies, / beg
to close this scattering scribble.
Wishing THE SENTINEL continued
success, / am,
Very respectfully,
J. G.. ii. MITCHELL.