Year: 1860

EDITOR TRINITY JoURNAL:-


| know not who was either the designer or
builder of our Court House and jail, but do
know that they are the most miserable specimens
of like kind, in point of convenience or safety,
that could possibly be designed for public use or
service. 1t is generally supposed that some taste
should be displayed in the erection of public
buildings-that they should serve to adorn and
beautify the county town, as well as be necessary
institutions at the seat of justice. Now, we re-
specially, and in all seriousness, suggest that
our Court House cannot but remind any old Cal


fornian Of the first "plug" hat he saw upon the
head of some six foot hon6re, just arrived in The
mines, and little tight-the honabre not the
plug" 1t is modelled after the style of Miss
issippi broad horn''-such as are used in the
hay trade between the Wabash and New Orleans
being sixty feet long by some twenty wide, three
stories high, and built Of pine lumber. Fearing
lest all its fair proportions might not be seen
to advantage if located in the business portion
of town, the " institution" was built upon the
highest point in the vicinity so that the very
first sight which meets the gaze of the wondering
visitor, as he nears the town, is this modern No
abs ark, and he is forced into the belief notwith
standing the little prejudiccs Of his early educa
tion, that Mount Ararat is situated in Trinity
county, and that he is about to have an opportu-
nifty to personally inspect the remains of that
sublime antiquated scow, which Noah so success
fully navgated some four thousand years ago.


The county clerk, who has his Office and sleeps
in the concern asseveratcs that every time the
wind blows it creaks and abors worse than the
old " tub" did in which he doubled the Horn, and
that he is regularly sea sick for fortnight there
after. 1t is liable to burn up at any time not
specified, being built of the most combustibe
material, and thereby inhct an irreparable loss
upon the county and the people, by the destluc-
tion Of all the public and private records which
are kept in the clerks Office. In fact, the build
ing is a disgrace and danger to the county and
we ought to have brick building, safe and APP
propriate, for court and county purposes.


Our Jail is, probably, the finest bIrlesque upon
prisons now extant Any one of the old log
cabins scattered through the mines. would answer
quite as we'll Only last week, Garland, atlas
Sandy prisoner convicted Of felony, and
awaiting sentence, took fancy to visit some of
his outside friends-kioked the floor panks aside,
and crawled out under the building. \ ten year
old boy, with any old iron tool could break out
within the first hour Of his confinement. The
sheriff is compelled, when there are prisoners
confined, to keep an outside sentinel, for which
we believe the county pays. The money thus
paid would, in a short time, amount to a sufliccn
cy to build a respectable, and safe Jail.


The proper course to remedy the evil wOuld
be for the Trinity Representative to get bill
passed through the Legislature, authorizing the
people to vote at some general election tax
sufficient TO cover the expense Of building a new
Court House and Jail. CITIZEN.