Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1945-10-04
MONTGOMERY SIDELIGHTS
By ELSIE WHITE HAINEs

During the meeting of the grand
jury in Rockville last week we
heard the usual discussions and sur
misses about the cases being con-
sidered-the. amount of pay a jur-
or now gets and various other
things that folks talk about as
they wait around the town.
Looking across the triangle
where the Confederate soldier
faces his beloved South, over the
courthouse wall with its usual load
of humanity, we gazed at the "new
courthouse" which is certainly one
of the most attractive in the State
and we thought of an account we
recently read of the first court
held in the county after it was
separated from Frederick County
in 1776.
There was no courthouse in the
county, Of course, 50 early in It'll
Nathan Magruder, Allen Bowie and
John Wilson were appointed to
purchase a lot of land not to- ex-
coed four acres, at place to be
selected by majority vote, for
the purpose of erecting a court
house and Jail which were COM
pleted in 1879.
Meanwhile in 1777 and 1778
court was held at the old Hunger
ford Tavern, which evidently had
just been sold to Leonard Davis,
who was ordered to find a suitable
house in which to keep prisoners
until the goal was built. The first
court seems to have been held by
these "worshipful justices:'
Charles Jones, Elisha Williams,
Richard Thompson, Edward Bur
CESS, Samuel Wade Magruder,
William Deakins and James Of'utt
Brooke Beall was clerk of court;
Clement Beall, sheriff and Sam
uel Carnole was made court cIier
(baliff).
The first petit jury which tried
criminal case in the county in
1777 was composed of James
Perry, William Tannehill, Edward
Wheeler, Charles Gassaway
Daniel Henry, Samuel Riggs
Thomas Tucker, John Wilcoxon,
Philip Orme, Michael Litton, Will
liam Boyd and Anthoy Wilcoxon
They tried James Vine for felony
found him guilty and he was sem
fenced to receive 20 lashes at the
whipping post to be laid on his
bare back by the sheriff and then
put in the pillory for five minutes
For pay the jurors for their two
days work received forty pounds
of tobacco "the same being allow
ed the grand jurors for that length
of time.'
Here are some typical cases OF
the years 1777 and 1778. They
really handed out justice in we old
days-or something. For having
a "baseborn child" one woman was
sentenced to be sold for seven
years and her child until it arrived
at the age of 81 years. Archibald
Allen who purchased the pair for
pounds released ten years of the
child's servitude. In the case Of
Catherine Mckay VS., Christopher
Keyser, on her petition for free
dom she was declared free, her
servitude having expired. Now,
these were white people evidently
indentured servants.
George Mitchell was examined
for speaking inimical against the
States" and in default Of a large
bail committed TO gaol. Benjamin
Nichols was ordered to take care
Of and provide for a Negro man.
Hiram Kirk, an orphan Of II
years, was bound to Thomas Johns
POSSIBLY John Thomas) and
Thomas Richardson until his
majority. During his apprentice
ship his masters were to "learn
him to cooper's trade, to read,
write and cipher as far as the rule
Of three, then give him a set Of