The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1902-07-01

KING GEORGE.
This County would Like TO Retain lis System
Of Monthly Courts.-Their Social Features
PORTRAYED and Their Antiquity Proven.


King George Co, va June %. 1902.
There seems TO be on the part of the
people of this county a general approval
of our new State Constitution with the
exception OF one feature, and that is the
elimination of our present system of
county courts. This is regarded here as
the fly in the ointment. and il the same
feeling exists throughout the State to the
extent it prevails here, il is well the Con
ventiOn decided TO proclaim its work in
stead OF submitting il to popular vote.
As to actual judicial proceedings in the
court room. that il not entered in the
count Our people long since settled
down to n strictly cash system of bust
ness SO there is very little suing or giving
out Of writs of any sort. and one issue
docket gene, ally shows a clean sheet
We have had local option for many years
and the mail cart arrives from Freder-
ieksburg daily after grOg time, so that
our criminal docket il virtually closed
We have a new Jail with all modern i'm
proVements. hut the keys have grown
rusty and the iailer has gone TO farming
There il so little doing at law, our
state sattOrney is seeking other business
to occupy his many leisure hours and at
the same time making preparation, it is
said. TO take out license in Cupid =
court
From this showing il might seem we
could easily dispense with our monthly
courts. and so we could. so far as their
law feature is concerned; il is the loss of
the social privileges of the court green
which will hurt us. For generations
past our people have all learned to know
each other through monthly meetings
and greetings on the court green: Mari
swampers aud Punkinneckers from the
mosquito sections on the Potomac.
Blaggsmen from the sunny southland.
and the Jolly lloecakers from middle
ground all meet on common level aud
swap Jokes. trade horses. lay plots for
the next county election discuss politics
all the way from the Philippine war to
the dog law, and religious creeds from
apostolic succession and infant baptism
DOWN to church festivals and church or
gans. The wayfaring man. though he
come from Quality Ridge" can readily
see that all this tends to the editication
Of the people and contributes to the
gaiety of the nation.
Then we must consider that the County
court IL one of the few relics
which we are now enjoy which were
brought down To us from prehistoric
time. We have sought in vain to
ascertain it's age. Tlenning is silent
ON the subject. and the archives of that
venerable institution, the town council
Of Port Conway givee no light DE.
spairing of finding any record evidence.
we consulted many of our oldest inhab-
itants; all shook their heads in ignorance
until we came TO our venerable friend
Jimbee of Cox's Store in Stafford. He
could not give date of origin, but his
testimony is so interesting and valuable
we Will give il in his own words as fol
lows: Il was but n small shaver prob
ably four years old, when | came over
in the MayfOwer and landed on Ply
mouth Rock, Finding the climate dis
agreeble. in a few years my father re
moved his family to Virginia and set
tied in Stafford near what in now the
King George Line County courts were
then in vogue for | remember distinctly
riding bareback behind my father saddle
to Stafford courthouse every second
Wednesday in the month We always
went in Company with Uncle Billy Vint,
and for some reason on the return trip
| was made to ride behind uncle Billy
Father told me court day always made
Billy so sick and tired he was apt to nod
and fall oil his horse, and | could pinch
his ear and wake him up. | know now
ii was nothing but an old fashiond drunk
Another thing | remember is that both
horses were rawbone and rough trotters
and always for a week after one of these
rides 10 court | would feel like Uncle Billy
so tired or something, didn't like
to sit in my high chair at the table and
preferred standing up to eat. See how
we old people can remember little things
that occurred in our early youth?
This testimony of a living witness set.
ties the question of the antiquity of our
system OF County courts or shows, at
least, that ii was coeval with the earli-
est history of our colonial days. But
there are some who may be disposed to
impeach the testimony OF our witness by
questioning the accuracy of his chonolo-
gy. To these we wish to say that the
youthful appearance of the witness must
not be taken as any indication of his age
Time has dealt gently with him. Though
his bark was launched upon the sea OF
| life mahy, many years ago and has en-
countered, perhaps, more than an aver
age snare of the ups and downs incident to
every mans voyage through the world
yet his bark has run upon such more
even keel and it's mechanism has been so
much better supplied with ball bearing
attachments than are found in ordinary
human crafts. the old ship is sound in its
timbers and still staunch and seaw orthy
Yes, we want our County courts con.
tinued and we want them held on the
first Thursday, no other day will do
The late Judge L.. who, some years ago