Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1897-05-13
AS to a Hastings Court Room.

An article in the N61CS OF Saturday,
is intended to do the Hastings Judge
much injustice. The facts are these:
When it was determined to build the
market house it was understood by the
Judge that a suitable room would be
fitted up in the upper story for court
room, and one along side of it for a
clerks Office, jury room, &C., and one
below for jail, and the judge was to
be consulted in it's fitting up, and to
this arrangement, although inconven-
lent to the bar, the judge assented.
Afterwards. for purposes best known
to themselves, the council determined
to devote the whole of this upper floor
to q hall and to put the court room
below, and went on to do so and to fit
it up, without consulting the judge in
any particular. this, to say the least of
it, in view Of the law, which makes the
Judge the arbiter of the fitness of the
room, was unwjse, but for this unwis-
dom and expense the judge was in no
wise responsible. After it was finished
the judge was notified that the room
was ready for occupancy and he must
at once remove to it, After duly con-
sidering the matter the judge. sustain
ed by the unanimous voice of the bar,
who are all taxpayers and deeply in
terested in the affairs of the city, re-
fused to go. giving as reasons:
= III
the business part of town, from which
witnesses and jurors came, and the
necessary Inconvenience and loss of
time to the court and the business men
who pay the taxes and the necessarily
longer terms of the court.
2nd. The distance from the clerks
Office and consequent inconvenience
and loss of time to court, juries and
parties in waiting for records, and the
trouble and Inconvenience arising from
carrying the books and papers SO far
in all weathers.
3rd. The distance from the Jail and
the consequent inconvenience and
delay in awaiting the sending for and
arrival of prisoners. nothing in whose
cases could be done unless they were
present.
4th. The location of the room itself,
on the ground floor, where the judge
would not be more than 90 feet from
the ends of the vegetable wagons and
nearer than that to the stream of PEG.
pie who come from the east and north
end of the town to market, would
make it in the summer time, when the
windows would of necessity be raised,
an entirely unfit place for the trans
action of business.
9Th. The room arranged for a jury
room, which had not been so arranged
when the judge was ordered to go
there, is entirely unfit and uncomfor-
table.
9Th. On the matter Of expense, the
Judge of the court, in order to save the
city the present hire of the court
house, offered to go into either of the
two rooms at the City Hall, one of
which is vacant and the other nomi-
nally occupied by the veterans, and
the same furniture which is prepared
for the room at the room at the mar
ket house would answer every purpose,
as the rooms are almost exactly the
same size. If economy Is the key note
of the Neaos, how does he fail to see
this. We hope the judge will treat his
threat as idle words.
9TH. The Judge of the Hastings
Court has not had anything to do with
putting the city in it's present financial
condition, and neither he nor the bar,
nor the suitors in his court so far as
we have been able TO learn, have felt
themselves bound to undergo the dis
comfort and delays incident to the
occupancy of that out of town room
for the purposes the old council de-
signed it, simply because a reckless
waste of money has driven the present