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BAINBRIDGE. DECATUR' CO., GEORGIA,, SATURDAY, AUGUST I, IM1.
OFFICIAL OMAN OF DEMTUD COURTYARD OF THE CITY OF OAIRORIOOE.
Jimi
[old cqubt hoot.
Jtr Of BainWdgo *nd &•-
unty. of WMeh
ling Sm Bun Oon-
aporary for Nnrly
Saif a Century.
integrity, and be whq jwsseesed those the runic*ot his loved South’# defenders. the people were proud of it end him.
traits of character whs always taken care j There wan neve* a da/, or. hour, that General Cobb's reply for the defeeev
of andmaterially aided v ln bis ‘•pursuit William Q. Fleering efould not. $hver waa a grand flight of forensic eloquence
.. - ns
of happiness " .**•
THE BARWilDGK Bi^ JN ,1854.
The court house that preceded the
present ancient structure was of
red brick and some smaller. At the
time the present one was built it was »weut with him” as the drummer .boy; a
’j Jays now pass before me,
|i,d scenes of long ago;
»m tliey hover o’er me.
in-tub* as evening's glow.
worn Song.
[court bouse of Deoatur-eocn-
andlug In this modern city of
e and where it has stood since
ction in 1855—forty-six years
I soon be demolished to make
| ne w, more imposing, conyen-
(up-to-date structure.
L*iy removal of this old building
[causes the older inhabitant to
jckward in the path of memory
, of the town aud the couniy
I town and the county now. He
L u te bellum days when the
> the richest seotion, not only of
id States, but of the world. He
fiuk especially of the people
fluted Bainbridge. and Decatur
then. And as he looks around
L rs what has become of the
Id voices that greeted him near-
[ceutury ago.
l few remain who saw the old
Lee completed in that far-away
[lie population of Bain bridge has
miged seveial times sinoe then.
I those who were here in 1854—
|lec|> ill the dark mossy ground”
some are scattered over the
ur the persons who now live in
fcteot of south Georgia towns, ahd
i he it then ate few and far be-
S-I.T SIX OP faux WEFT.
Iwould think it? Only six white
jliviug iu Hainbtidge who were
| here forty-six years ago. Here
Hr uames i Mrs, J. D. Dickinson
[isty Belcher, Thomas B. Grero-
heu a small child—David Waters
outy marshal of the city) who
im a child, Hon. John.- D. Harrell
i E. liussell, both small boys at
IX THIS SPRING OP 1854
je spring of 1854 1 first saw Bain.
I came here from Tbomasville
t road, of course—arriving about
kiu the afternoon. The town
iere village of perhaps 8tK) inhal’-
but the great oaks, clothed in all
rdure of beautiful spring were
as numerous as thev are now
id the court house square, where
and the great buildings of .briuk
codon stores,paijted white, with
(s and doors of daxzliug green; as
essauly iu uonsoaance with the
e emerald foliage overhanging
ur in their immediate vicinity,
the town was small there were
ier of progressive business men
The bank of Columbus, one of
ost soiveut iu the state, maintain
agency here under the manage-
ul Mr John M. Potter, which sup-
the farmers and business men
ail the money they wanted at
reasonable rate of interest. Any
who was known to be houest and
[hie never tailed to get monetary as
|uce iu those “better days of the
blic.”
NOT IN THOSE DAYS
tho.-e days of plenty aud pospenty
f "! the latter day kind—there w
[cl uli-iru. no political party tb
cd >omething for nothing and the
Sod States (Mverutuent to become tb
t higi -di.ddy of all th- people of all
states No. not noil- If there has
i a supposed necessity for those mis-
n ideas of po itical economy since
f|, ne. it did not exist then. Then
old couplet we quote—*
nor ami bhatne from no cooJHtons rise,
well your part; mere all the honor Me*’
applied to all in that, if you please
ralrie'' time. There were no horne-
d laws, behind which a rascal could
-6 to evade hi# houestj debt*. Uol-
>0U laws were then formulated for
purpose uf compelling people to pay
r obligations} not a* thev now are
prevent their doing so. Even mer-
itile •■fKilureo” were seldom if ever
given hi* Hie f# the southern cause. 1
dwelt somewhat upon this gentleman be
cause I knew him. He left Bain bridge
for the civil war as second lieutenant of
the Bainbridge Independents, and “I
considered a big thing. The citiaen of
that generation pointed to ituaith pride.
Hon. W, C, Perkins, of Randolph county,
was judge of the superior court,, aud
Hon. John Lyon, brother of the late
Kichard F. Lyon of the supreme court,
of this city was solid tor-general. Our
oouuty was then embraced in the Sout h-
Western circuit. The lawyers here com
posing the local bar were Col. Richard
Sims, said to have been the finest crim
inal practitioner in the state;’-Judge
Joseph Law, an eminent lawyei; John
W. Evans, a brilliant ornament Of the
profession, a leave and distinguished
soldier, captain of t.hathistoriccompany,
the Bainbridge Independents, which he
led over Virginiain 1861, later colonel of
tbe 64th Georgia regiment, at the bead
which he died at the terrible battle of
the Crater, in front of Petersburg, m
July 1864; John Lyon, of whom men
tion has alrea-ly been made; Alexander
Alien, one of the noblest of mankind,
who succeeded Judge Perkins on tfe
bench in 1855, These gentlemen, if my
memory serves me. and I am writing
from that alone, constituted the bar of
Bainbridge,
TH** COUNIT OEFICER8.
And who were they, ib that long past
tipie, who recorded the deeds of lands,
tenements, “portable property” and the
like ? And who was it tnat took oltnrge
of the widow and the orphan and issued
the marriage licenses, which caused the
population to multiply and replenish ?
And who was the executive officer who
carried into effect tbe orders of The
court, and who was at tbe head of the
constabulary and kept order in the big
court, and cried from tbe now historic
windows, as ’they are about to yield-to
the progress of the times and be no
mort) __‘-oh, yes! oh. yes!'' etc., etc,, and
hung yillains by the neck until they were
dead ! dead !! dead !!! and may tne
Lord have mercy on their souls.”
Aud who was the militant constable
then who went out after the boys to
levy his executions -not, as now. on the
soda in a poor mai.’s bisouit, but backed
by the majesty of a Justice of tbe
Peace, who held in his nimble fingers
the key to the debtors prison—and theu
the constable had plain sailing for the
joys those days had a holy dread, not of
being “behind closed doors”—a latter
day phrase but, being locked up behind
cloved doors, was what gave them the
holy terrors
Well; Luke Mann whs clerk of the
court; Joseph Law was ordinary; W.YV
Harrell, that noble Roman, still in life
was sheriff; and Dr. Moritz Habn was
constable; doubtless some of tbe mod
ems recall this gallant old Dutchman
thk old courthouse.
In the nearly 50 years of its exist
ence, if its dreary old walls could speak,
what tales they would unfold ! '1 ales of
broken hearts, blighted lives; of love
and murder; of arson, robbery, etc., etc.
Those walls could tell you, could they
. peak, of justice meted out, wrongs
righted—and perhaps kf juries which
failed to come up to tbe full stature of
their sworn duty. Isay ‘perhaps,’ and
further that the honest > oemar.ry of old
Decatur are worthy of the chevaliers
who followed the white plume of Na
varre at Ivry
THEY CAME AFTFBWi-KDB.
Speaking of the Bar. let me say that
after 1854, there came Johu W O’Neal.
Thomas Mibn.W. F. Easterling. Chas.
G. Campbell, tbe graud old man. who is
still iu life among us-Johtj J . Hale, W.
H. F. Hail, W. O. Fleming. J. B. f hom-
as W. H. Ctawiord. Of these doubtless
vv o Fleming was, perhaps, the most
distinguished. He was just growing rap
idly into prominence when the war oe-
tween the states,” a. Mr. Stephens calls
it, and be is right, broke out. No man so
great position then in tflfe estimation of
all the boys in Bainbridge who Saw me
start away for the whir under the aegis
of Charley Hughes,’ wh<H blew the fife-
while I beat the kettle drmu.to the tune
of “the gal 1 left behind «ue.” Oh! thpee
were the greatest days of my life.
After the erpiration ef the service df
the Bainbridge Independents he was
made Lieut. Colonel of the 56th Geor
gia regiment, and served gallantly to
end of the war ip the i-rmy o{ the im
mortal Robt. E. Lee. Tbewsr over be
came home to see the ruin of the coun
try for which he had ; freely offered his
life. But he believed that all was . not
lost. True the cause was no more; true
the southern people paid an indemnity
to the conquerors, never before heard
of iu history of nations. But
there were a few men left who saw
the silver “lining to the cloud ”
Among them was William O. Fleming
There was to be ho “winging and fawn-'
ing to the power* that be," with him,
He stood with Mobert T'odtnbs, Benja
min H. Hill and Charles 4. .Jenkins in
thaK great Southern tight for ounet&u
itional liberty during the era’ of Recon
struction, tbe foulest Wot on the history
otour great, republic. Aud the swbjeot
of this memory of mine, wa* one of tbe
most potent factors in helping the grand
old state of Georgia to be the first of
her. Southern sisters to throwoff tbegall-
iug yoke uf nigger rule and Northern
oppression. . .
William 0. Fleming was always in the
forefront ot the Democratic party—the
most unseltislnof the host of unselfish
Democrats in that day when bayouets
glistened in evefcy town aud bautlet. and
blue coated soldiery yied with the skies
of heaveu for color at least.
it was iii a congressional convention at
Albany—1 think it was in 1872. The
uomiuatiou was tendered W.«^...Flem
ing, which he deciiued, and supported
t he late Hon. W..E &utb, who served
three terms and was succeeded by Hon.
Henry G. Turner.
Col. Fleming was always in the front
of the Democratic fight, but never asked
official compensation foi his great Serv
ices. However, at the expiration Geu.
oral Gib. Wright’s last term as Judge
of the present Albany : Circuit, without
effort on his part. Col. Fleming succeed
ed to the high position; and without
fear he assumed tbe onerous and respon
sible duties uf this high judicial station
and with the confidence born of inuate
ability he illustrated and -adorned it
His health, always delicate, succumbed
to the laborious duties of. a special ses
sion of court in midsummer cuuvened to
try one of tbe most horriole criminal
cases on the records ot uuy court in this
stute. Judge Fleming died, ao he had
lived, a Christian gentleman; who in
every place aud transaction of his. life
held, with his grand, old commander,
Robert E. Lee, that “Duty is the sub
liuib«t word iu tbe Eogluh language."
THE JUDGES OF THE SUPERIOR DoURT
W. C. Furktve-judgt iu 1854; succeed
ed by Alexander A. -Alie.,, who occupied
the beuoli during the war. was succeed
ed by James M. Clark.of Sumtercounty,
who was succeeded by Dai id A Vason.
of Dougherty oouuty. Judge Vason pre
sided in the present-court house iu the
great Hancock murder case. We shall
not detail this terrible crime, and will
only say that Col. .Sims, of the local ba ,
was for the prosecution, and Genera,
Howell Cobb, one of the greatest south
ern lawyers and orators, was for tbe de-
feuse. Next to Jefferson Davis, per
haps General Cobb was tbe most popu
lar man connected with the Southern
cause during ‘she war. He had been
He forced the jury and the people U
sympathetic tears. Those who had
heard this gifted man before, Said that
he was at hia heat on this occasion. The
populace word all against the prisoner -
their minds were made up against him—
dying, they had found the innocent boy
with a bullet in bis temple, lying under
the two great oaks just inside the fair
ground gates; they had heard the eri-
denoe at the commitment trial. And with
otio consent, without a dissenting voice,
declared the prisoner guilty. If legal
ability and God-given eb-quenoe could
have restored a murderer to liberty, it
failed when the eloquence of Howell
Cobb fell flat on that jury. But the ef
fort of CJobb saved the culprit from the
shame of the gallows. The jury brought
in a verdict of guilty with a recommeu
dation of mercy. The court, therefore,
sentenced the prisoner to punishment in
the state prison for life.
Judge Vason, a mau of fine presence,
in mold like the fathers of tbs republic,
iu passing sentence touched every chord
idea that Bainbridge was destined to be
one of the greatest uommera'altown* in
the ninth. And be remarked to me,
‘you will not have to .live many years to
"•eelt.”
Look around you, citiientT of Brim
bridge, and see if ity>0$ town’s'progress
of the last few ybars if the dream of
Alexander R. Shotwell—peace ip his
ashes—is not, at least, beginning to be
realised 1
RING OUT THR OI.D, RING IN TU* NKW.
Where the new and Imposing Belcher
block now stands* in IM4 stood that fa*-
mous old-fa»hioned Jhotel, the Deoatojr
House. W. W. Harrell, proprietor. It
was the breakfwt and supper house for
the Aligstnr Line of stages which ran
from Augusta, Ga.. to Mt. Augustine,
Fla Everything the market afforded
could be had at the Deoatur House, and
It was the universal opinion that “M:\
Harrell knew how to keep a hotel ”
On the same block Where this house
stood, stands tbe handsome and most
conveniently arranged hotel in Georgia.
By September 1st uf thu year it wjtl
have beeu completed and open to the
- 4 . , . . * . • public under the management of one of
of the human heart w.th«ma.tar hand. t „. ^ hoteJ in the United
fhe charge was printed and circulated Th * p ow «u Brother, and Dr.
as a,master-piece of legal literature.
OTHER SCENES Iff TH* OLD BUILDING.
The court bouse luis ever been tbe
place oi public meetings, political, ma
terial aud sometimes religious. Whea l
was a “kid” i often bung around the old
Jefferson Davis Chaaon, the owners*
have reared an enduring monument to
their energy, enterprise and pubjie-
•pirit.
In what was a cultivated field of agri-
cultural. products ia 1854. now btand*
house whetfpublic meetings were going beautiful Hof 1 de Weinman. H is
It waa theu the days of wliigs, know-
nothings, democrats. They often made
-hot times in tbe old town,” but when
the excif rnent waa over the contending
parties were friends again, for all warn
working for tbe good-of the republic at-
though on different lines.
All parties lu tbe south were for the
'South, and when war was declared tbe
whig and democrat vied with each othei
for the front place in defense of car
lovod sunny land. Will ever such polit
ical toleration come agr.iu ? I would not
be surprised. Theesigus of the times nil
f nd that way.
RAINBRIDGX IN THK FIFTIES.
The town was small, but it was the
bead of navigation on tbe Flint, as it is
now. By virtue of this fact it was r.hi
best cotton, tobacco and grocery market
in scuthwestern Georgia. We were 1:
close touch with all the Gulf oitie
through thu port of Apalachicola it
those times It was a common, sigh’
then to sue a fleet of big side wheel rivet
steamboat* at onr wharves. Cotton
came to this market for sale and. ship-
tuent from as flu- uoyt as Thomas vllle
and a* far south a* Tallahassee. Often
in tbe busy season the court house
square was lif rally packed with cotton
and tobacco wagons.
siiotwell’k DltKAM.
Nearly every practical man who visited
this town iu the fifties affirmed that if
geographical position and “its grand
known far and wide as tbe best kept
public house in Georgia. Bainbridge is
no lunger the village uf 800 people, but
tbe thriving young city of 4.000 inhabi
tants. And when the great manufact
uring interests now contemplated him
realized she will be to south what Ab
lauts is to north Georgia.
In tbe splendid days of the Ef rout
City it was tald that “all roads lead to
Kouie.” Of the. hustling city on thu
hanks of tbe of tbe Thronateaka it mky
trnthfulfcy be remarked that “all rail
roads lead to Bainbridge.” Those who
keep ttp with railroad building in Geor
gia will be very apt to note this fact.
Tbe old courthouse with its treautued
memories will soon make way for a 880,-
•00 structure that will eclipse anything
it the kind in this section. For many
.ears past Baiubridge has not beeu “in
be awiu” but the tide baa turned at -
.oat in her favor. But it’s a long lane
hat has no turning, and got withstanding
jur many mi-fortunes and even calami
ties the old town is prospering, and her '
people have the utmost confidence in her
future.
IMPKOVBMKKT8 MOB* SAPID THAN
ANT IN THK STATE.
It is the general opinion of the thou
sand* who visit Bainbridge that her im
provement is more rapid than any town
in the state. Inquiries about the city
come ip with every mail from all parts
of the U. 8. Wholesale merchants have
water highway made it tbe coming.nie- their eye# on Bainbridge aa the best
tropoliii of southwest Georgia.” Alex- I wholesale grocery and dry goods point
ander Shotwell, a capitalist aud what we j n the state. And it'not, why not?
would call a “bustler" uow-a-days, had
traveled all over and lived in many parts
of the south. At one time be was large
ly interested in ateamboating on tbe
the Mississippi. Hia pet steamei, the
Alexander R. Shotwell, was one of tbe
fiue-t. largest and swine t that ever
piled the Mississippi. 1 note this fact to
show you, dear reader, the kind of M
mau Col. Shotwell was. He visited
Bainbridge. He was surprised at the
great commerce between us and the
Gulf ports. Bainhri ge then got fls
groceries from the west by way of New
Orleans and Apalachicola. Shotwell
measured this commerce, and put bis
pencil on the map aud traced the rail
roads that would certainly come here.
He concluded that no town in the
south bad a brighter future than Bain-
bridge. He at once be^an to buy real
e-tatu here. He invested considerable
With our great, waterways navigated
by a splendid fleet of river steamers, and
our railroad facilities rapidly being aug
mented, giving ns, with our rivets, over
one thousand mil*#of quick transporta
tion lines into territory of which we are
the centre, small wonder that we are
being g&zed at from every point of the
compass. R.
rruiiii roxvurr killed.
Last week A negro convict work
ing for the Chauahoovbe Lumber
company at iionalsom ills was killed
in attempting to jump from a car ou
the tram road. The oar waa heavily
loaded with saw log* and becoming
uncoupled was running at great speed
down a grade, arid fearing a collision
with tlie other car* he jumped and
a log irom the car struck him, mang-
from which he
uiouey. The war came on, businese
speaker of the U. H. House of Represen- ( was paralyzed and Bainbridge showed
tativos twice, If l mistake, not* and w*s I uo signs of progress. Mr. Bbotwell | ling him seriously,
Secretary of the Treasury iu B.icha-an’s j bad then arrived at r. great, age. Every j died iu a few hour*. Aa inquest
cabinet when tbe war broke out. I year of bis later life he would visit | vu otl Monday, the jury
When this trial *aa*e off the court . Bainoridge, and I bod the honor rendering a verdict that tbe man
met bi* death by accident.
,a* airainst northern house wa* crowded- Tho speech of Col. of bu confidence. Ihe last
bold in h» “ n g Fit . m w ; n this 1 Richard Sims to the jury' for tbe prose- 1 time be came here he sat in my office.
. , agression, wiuiam • •j th<j cutiiJ . fl oc „ o{ lb9 greatest tfia; was It wasapparent that the old man's days
rd of in those good old days. There-jerirt*. as m au otnen .-s . q ^slivered m that docn house, and w.-refew. However, be still held to the Tbe people appreciate a good thipg.
* # premium wa* set upon honor and fearles*nas* o ’
Note the Ska bob Light'* growth
Vi