The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1906-09-28
TUpELo, MISSISSIPPI FRIDAY SEPTEMBER %, 1906
pEN-plCTURES OF THE OLDEN Time
BY COL w L. CLAYTON.

| Sdlu dCC llACu dC tO0lCiilO ullCIl tIlS
people by an election should fix
permanently the county site
, question. That election was held
the 18th Of April, 1868, and i'm
mediately thereafter the records
of the county were moved to
Tupelo.
There was one rather amusing
feature of the contest for the
court house, and that was the
idea of running what was called
'The Center" for the county
site, it being nothingin the world
but a tract Of land in the woods,
with no improvements of any
kind whatever. 1t was commonly
called "Beck's Center, because
of the residence near the place
of a woman named Becca Ramsey
The courts were held at Saltillo
for more than a year before the
election, and during that time
| frequently attended court there.
We had no chancery court then,
the business of that court being
then decided between the pro-
bate court and the circuit court,
circuit court having jurisdiction
in ordinary chancery matters
and the probate court of estate
of decedents and minors busi-
nesses and such as that. We al
so had a county court at that
time presided over by the Pro
bate Judge and the Justice of the
Peace. Jacob Barden was the
Probate Judge at that time, a
man of wonderful kindness of
nature, but having no executive
ability whatever, keeping no or
der in his court, letting any and
everyone do as they pleased
without reprimand. The court
was held in a two story frame
building nearly west from the
depot, called the Brooks Build
ing, and belonging to J.A. Brooks,
commonly called Jim Brooks. He
was a great friend and admirer
of Gen. Finley, and was fre-
quently on juries, and Finley had
told him that he must always be
for him, in all contests where he
should be employed, and he told
Finley all right. Some time af-
ter that Brooke was on the jury
which tried one of F'inley's cases,
and they very promptly decided
against the Generals client. Fin
ley went up to Brooke some time
after the jury had rendered its
verdict and said, "Jim,I thought
you said you would always be
for me in all my cases." Brooke
replied, eyes, Jim, but you were
to make a showing, and in that
case you made none." Ofcourse
the whole thing was a matter of
pleasantly on both sides, but
knowing the humor Of both men,
1 sometimes see them in my
minds eye, Finley tall and pow
erfully made, with hands having
the grip of a giant, standing be
fore Brooke with an assumed Sc
verify. while the tall, but slender
and gaunt form of Brooke pre-
tendedly cringed from the casti-
cation he was going to receive,
but with a twinkle in. his eye
which belied the assumed fear;
and then with mock submission
he cries out, but you were 10
make showing, while his long
gaunt form bends almost to the
ground, and hear q roar of laugh
ter as if it had been yesterday.
If | were to write in all it's de-
tails the history Of the proceed
ings Of the courts, while held at
Saltillo during that long gone
time, it would fill many pages. |
cannot paint all the rctors there
in in their true characters with
out some saying, You have rot
been just in all thidgs. !" But |
wish to say right here tdat no
one could enjoy or appreciate
such a history.in its completeness
unless the judges and the law
yers participating therein were
known to the reader When the
Old Timers, however, are told
that Jake B3rden sat on the
bench once a month in his char
acteristic attitude Of mon chal-
ance, soX and pants refusing
to be near neighbors, and tnat
the leading lawyers practicing
before him were Beene & Ad-
ans, Barton & Finley, James
Eckford and j. c. Choup, they
will be able to appreciate the
surroundings, fill in the gaps,
and make a, picture far tran
scending anything | can do with
my pen. The saloons were run
ming at full blast, and liquor
flowed like water, drunkenness
and profanity were common, and
as a general thing the saloons
were we'll petronized. Gne eve
ming late when liquor had flown
freely, and there was much con-
fusion in the court house, Gen.
Finley, towering above all like
an old Roman athlete. and Civ
inrr . ,,na,1liar pnoiccinp from hn-