The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1937-08-12
Statement From the Board of
County Commissioners and Notice
to the Citizens of Ashe County


duty of the Board of County Com
mlssloners to revise the jury box
every two years. By Act of the
General Assembly of 1887, the Spec
lal Act appointing jury commits
sion for Ashe County to perform
this duty was repealed and said Act
provided that the Board of County
commissioners should revise the
jury box on the first Monday in
March or on date selected by them
on the first Monday in March. At
our meeting on the first Monday in
March, demand was made on us to
select the jury list from those who
had paid their taxes for 1886. We
were then advised by our Attorneys
that the jury list should be made
up from those who had paid their
taxes for 1885 and in order to per-
form our duty in accordance with
the law, we postponed the selection
Of a jury list until March Is in order
to obtain ruling from the Attorney
General of North Carolina The At
torney General ruled that it was our
duty to select said jury list from
those who had paid their taxes for
1885. We then requested our Clerk
to lay before us the tax list for
1885 and proceeded to perform our
duty in god faith. We remained in
session for two days, completed our
work about nine p M. on March Is,
and placed in the jury box and up
on the jury list one hundred thir-
teen more names than had been
placed thereon by the previous adj
ministration.
At our meeting on the first Mon
day in June, summons and copy of
petition filed by David Burkett,
John Goss, Booker Baker, Jason
Spencer, H. NJ Miller, Henry Severt,
w. A. Severt, Chas Welch, L. M.
Sturgill and J. NJ Stansberry, were
served upon us, requiring us to ap-
pear before Judge w. F. Harding,
one of the Superior Court Judges OF
North Carolina. We filed answer to
said petition and appeared before
the said Judge in defense of what
we had done in good faith and tC
protect ourselves against any judg-
ment which would reflect upon ou1
honor, our integrity or our good
faith.
The decision of Judge Harding
has been published in the Skylano
Post We have been advised by able
Attorneys in addition to those reg
ularly retained by us that we would
have an excellent opportunity for a
reversal of this order upon an ap-
peal to the Supreme Court; but aft
er giving the matter careful and sim
cere consideration, we have decided
not to take an appeal. We base this
decision upon the following reasons:
Continued litigation will increase
the amount for which the County is
already obligated for expense in
this matter. We have no desire to
keep alive controversy or to pro-
woke or prolong any feeling of bit
terneSS among our citizens. Some
persons might construe our taking
an appeal as wish on our part to
keep the names of citizens of the
County out of the jury box. This has
never been our desire nor intention
We are particularly pleased that
Judge Harding has found as a fact
that &c. the respondents selected
the names of those who they in good
faith considered to be fair and rep
resentative citizens from the vari-
Gus townships in said County, which
names were placed in the jury box
to be the jury list for Ashe County"
Judge Harding also found as a
fact that we had placed in the jury
box as high a percentage in proper
ton to the population as average