Tattnall County GaArchives Court.....Clifton, William & Et Al March 1859 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Paul Christensen pchriste@tampabay.rr.com October 8, 2009, 6:39 pm Source: Relative Of Party Written: March 1859 [Comment: I can’t find an Anson McCall in the 1860 census. There is a William Clifton, farmer, in the 1850 Tattnall census.] Tattnall Superior Court March Term 1859 State vs Elam Sapp } False Swearing Anson G. McCall Prosecutor March 23rd 1859 True Bill William Clifton Foreman J. Hartridge Solicitor General ED. Ga -------------------------- The defendant, waiving arraignment pleads “not guilty”. The State says he is guilty and will so prove. March Term 1859 Julian Hartridge Solicitor General ED Ga. [Comment: There is a Julian Hartridge in the Cambridge, MA 1850 census. He is listed as a student. He was born in Georgia. There is a Julian Hartridge in Savannah in 1860. He is listed as an attorney at law. He also applied for a presidential pardon in 1865. I believe he served with Company C, Chatham Light Artillery Regiment. He later went on to be a U.S. Representative from the Savannah area.] ---------- Georgia Tattnall County} The Grand Jurors sworn chosen and selected for the county of Tattnall to wit: 1. William Clifton Foreman 2. Joseph A. Mattox 13. David T. Philips 3. James B. Smith 14. Samuel Davis 4. Simon P. Smith 15. Abr D. Eason 5. Hamilton J. Lee 16. R C A Bryan 6. Jesse Kicklighter 17. Shad Standley 7. John M. Dasher 18. Joshua R. Williams 8. Philps Tippins 19. Josiah James 9. John Daniel 10. William Mann 11. Michael M. Eason 12. James P. Daniel [Comment: There is a Joseph A. Mattox, James B. Smith, Simon P. Smith, Hambleton J. Lee, two Jesse Kicklighters, John M. Dasher, Philip G. Tippins, John Daniel, William Mann, James P. Daniel, David T. Philips, Samuel Davis, Abraham D. Eason, R C A Bryan, Shadrick Standley, Joshua R. Williams and Josiah James in the 1860 census in Tattnall.] In the name and behalf of the citizens of Georgia charge and accuse Elam Sapp, of said county of Tattnall, with the offense of False Swearing for that the said Elam Sapp in the county of Tattnall and State of Georgia aforesaid, on the seventeenth day of March in the years of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty seven, did voluntarily go before John M. Dasher, then and there a justice of the peace in and for said county of Tattnall, and that the said John M. Dasher Justice as aforesaid, did lawfully administer an oath to the said Elam Sapp and receive from said Elam Sapp an affidavit in writing on which said oath was administered and then and there the said Elam Sapp did unlawfully, feloniously, willfully, knowingly, absolutely and falsely swear to said affidavit in writing one in the same and took his corporal oath concerning the truth of the matter contained in said affidavit, the same being done not in a judicial proceeding, he the said John M. Dasher justice of the peace as aforesaid, having then and there full and lawful authority to administer said oath to said Elam Sapp, in that behalf and that the said Elam Sapp, being so sworn as aforesaid did then and then unlawfully, feloniously, willfully, knowingly, absolutely and falsely did depose and swear “that he was at John Coward’s house on two different nights at gatherings that was known to be what is called murrel meetings w men that was collected together for the purpose as he understood of making arrangements to get money in any way that could be with the exception of taking life and that the company was composed of the following men to viz: John Coward, John Booth Sr, John Booth Jr, Thomas Anderson Jr, Wm Coward Jr, Andrew Lynn, Anson G. McCall, John Salter and Wm Salter that those men were not all there both the nights but all there one of the nights and some they of them boath the nights and it was understood that they had met for the purpose of holding a murrel lodge and that part of the men went into a house and closed the door and remained in side until he left the place and that John Coward said to him at one time that he would tell him what that little house was built for if he would say nothing about it but he made him no answer so he said nothing about it but he made him no answer so he did not tell him, and he further says that John Coward asked him at one time if he would not like to go into some arrangements of making money easier than hard work and that one of these nights the clan was gathered at John Cowards he John Coward got him Elam Sapp to take his horse and go around the settlement and see if certain men was all at home and that to the best of his knowledge that those things viz: the murrel loge held at John Cowards has been going on for the last four or five years and that several of them told him that the words what do you believe in whas there words to find out who was one of there clan and that the answer was a fast horse and a black rider and that they showd him several signs called murrel signs” Sworn to and subscripted Elam Sapp before me this March 17 1857 John M.Dasher J.P } Whereas, in truth and in fact, the said Elam Sapp never was at any gatherings at John Coward’s house, in said County, that men known to be what is called Murrell Meetings ar men that was collected together for the purpose, as he understood of making arrangements to get money in anyway that could be with the exception of taking life; nor was the said Anson G. McCall one of the men so collected together as above charged nor a member of any Murrell meeting at said John Coward’s house, nor did the said men above named in said affidavit, nor any of them at any time meet at the house of the said John Coward for the purpose of holding a Murrell lodge, nor was it so understood; nor are any of the allegations in the said affidavit true, but are each and all false and the whole affidavit is false. And so the Jurors aforesaid, upon their oaths aforesaid,upon their oaths aforesaid, do say that the said Elam Sapp on the seventeenth day of March in the year of Our Lord one Thousand eight hundred and fifty seven in the county and state aforesaid, before the said John M. Dasher, Justice of the Peace as aforesaid, he the said John M. Dasher, then and there having such powers and authority as aforesaid by his own will and consent and of his own most wicked and corrupt mind in manner and form aforesaid feloniously, willfully, knowingly, absolutely and falsely did commit willful and corrupt false swearing, to the great displeasure of Almighty God; to the evil example of all others wi like cases offending and contrary to the laws of said State, the good order … and dignity thereof. Julian Hartridge Solicitor General E. D. Ga ----------- [Comment: This last part was on a separate piece of paper candlewax attached to the main piece of paper. What is interesting is that it is signed by Samuel Brewton, but he is not on the list of the grand jury shown at the beginning of the document. Could it be that the grand jurors were assembled to determine if there was a case, and that Elam waived his arraignment and the case moved right to a jury to try the case – that jury having Brewton as the foreman. There was a Samuel Brewton in the 1860 census for Tattnall.] We the jury say that we find the defendant guilty & beg the mercy of the Court in behalf of the defendant. So Say we all Samuel Brewton, fo File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/tattnall/court/clifton810wl.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/gafiles/ File size: 8.0 Kb