The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1903-07-10
THE NEW COURT HOUSE.


The farmers of Maury county, as a
rule, are most vitality interested IN The
building of new court house. First,
because the title to every piece of real
estate in the county is in the records on
file in the present old fire trap, and
should fire occur they would in the
main be the greatest sufferers. What
feast there would be for the lawyers,
should a fire occur and burn these
records! No farmer or farmers son
would ever live long enough to see an
end to the litigation that would rise!
Every man who has ever acted as
guardian, or executor, or administrator
of an estate is deeply interested be-
cause the record of bis settlements are
there and should they be destroyed he
and his bondsmen would at once be put
in danger. There is not title In the
county which does not depend
upon the records in some one or more
Of the various county offices for its es-
Establishment. Many and perhaps the
most of them are upon the records OF
almost every office, so that should a fire
occur in one office the title would be put
in jeopordy.
Take the Chancery Court, for in
stance; destroy those records alone and
it would precipitate the county into a
turmoil of strife and confusion which
would cost the farmers of the county
untold millions and which would re-
dound to the benefit of no class OF citl-
zens, excepting the office holders and
lawyers.
Many can recollect the great amount
OF unsettled titles which were incident
to the rayages Of the civil war. and how
the various county officers and the legal
profession grew rich at the expense OF
the farm owners, But that would be
only drop in the bucket as compared
to the world of contention and confus-
sion which would arise from the burn
ing of the records. For while the war
unsettled titles, the destruction OF the
court house by fire would absolutely
destroy the record Of nine-tenths of the
titles in the county. And then imagine
what o reign of.uncertainty and turmoil
would result! The courts would be in
Continual session passing upon disputed
claims, and the contestants would ex-
pend, in many Instances, the greater
portion of their estates in litigation. The
amount they would have to expend
would build court house in every civil
district in the county.
And this is the real danger, and not
fancied one; it is danger which must
force itself upon any one who will inves-
tigate the conditions existing in the
present old cinder- box where the records
are stored.
When a will is probated by the coun'
ty clerk it is simply filed away in pig
con hole, in casing made of the dryes
and most infamable of wood, either
poplar or good fat yellow pine, which
would fash up in a minute like a pow
der house, should it come in contact
with lighted match or spark OF fire.
and even though this should this occur
in day time, with the room occupied by
the clerk, yet if the fire could get two or
hree minutes start in this old casing it
would be impossible to extinguish it be-
fore gre at damage would result. The
same is true of every other record, OF
every title, or court record Of every de-
scription, in the county.
If any one doubts these statements let
him 90 and investigate for himself he
will find that if he desires to investigate
any record in any office in the court
house. unless the record has been re
Gently made, it will be found, if found
at all, stuffed away in some dark and
dusty corner with the musty smell OF
ages, and moulded or blurred, and a
prey to bugs and insects until it is scarce
~ readable. This is no fault of the
county officials, who do the best they
can and use all the system possible un'
der the circumstances. But they have
no other places for these records.
Now isn't it time the people of Maury
county were waking up to the necessity
OF new court house?
Continuing his assaults on Admiral
Schley in the Outlook, ex-Secretary OF
the NAVY Long saws that Sampson should