DeSoto Parish, Louisiana; Members of the Police Jury & Transactions 1843 - 1890 --------------------------------- Submitted by Gaytha Carver Thompson Typed by Trudy Marlow ************************************************ Submitted to the LAGenWeb Archives ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** POLICE JURY: The first record of the police jury is dated June 5, 1843, when John A. Gamble, Charles A. Edwards, John Wagner and Simon De Soto quali- fied before Judge Welsh. John E. Hewitt subse- quently qualified. John Wagner was chosen president, Jacob D. Wemple, clerk; Cesaire Flores, assessor; Jeremiah Keefe, C. Wade, Hampton Haislip and James E. Cunningham, constables, and C. A. Edwards, treasurer. Horatio Chamb- liss was appointed captain of patrols for Ward No. 1; Thomas Abington, No. 2 (later Isaac Dykes); William E. North, No. 3; George Haden, No.4, and Louis Lafitte, No. 5. The sum of $200.48 was ordered to be paid Gamble and Edwards, being the amount paid into the land office by them, for the quarter section on which Mansfield stands, and on the same day the name Mansfield was sug- gested by Thomas Abington and was adopted. On July 10 a price, $50, was set on front lots and $30 on back lots, the terms of payment being from one to four years. The first road, Mansfield to Sam Williams' house and thence to Rambin's Bayou, was authorized at this time. In August James C. Woods qualified as juror, and $158 was paid for record books. In December James Cox qualified as juror, vice Maj. Hewitt. The first court-house was received from the contractors in January, 1844. William Crosby and Jesse Pugh received moneys for the construction of those log houses. On January 2 Thomas P. Hall was appointed to survey the site of Mansfield into lots; Horatio Chambliss, the purchaser of Logan's Ferry, gave bond on the 15th; June 3 James E. Cunningham was appointed assessor and collector; August 26 Dr. William Long was appointed clerk, and No- vember 26 the committee of settlement with Caddo reported the value of public buildings to be $9,000, and on this report J. G. Jones, R. B. Smith and T. D. Gary, of Caddo, agreed on $825 as De Soto's share. In February, 1845, 5. W. Beatty's Bid, $950, or $800 if $250 were advanced, for building the jail was reported on favorably. The transactions of the jury from 1845 to 1861 were of a commonplace character. In 1845 J. D. Wemple was chosen clerk; three years later the parish was divided into thirteen districts for school purposes. In November, 1850, the court-house was received from Contractor Johnson. G. M. Eld- ridge succeeded John Wagner as president in July, 1854, and he was succeeded in 1855 by H. Sloane. Dr. Frierson was elected president in 1856, and served until the election of John Wagner, in 1859. In March, 1861, $1,500 was appropriated to buy corn for the destitute of the parish, and ward relief committees appointed. This destitution was caused by drought and overflow. In June, 1861, captains of patrol companies were appointed, boundaries of school districts were changed, and a heavy tax was authorized for soldiers' relief and war purposes. A grant of $1,500 to the De Soto Blues was made, and $500 appropriated for the purchase of ammunition. In July the jurors were constituted a committee of relief. In August, 1861, the members of the jury were John Wagner, R. M. Sample, 1; G. W. Eldridge, 2; J. H. East- ham, 4; W. White, 8; J. B. Norman, Samuel John- son, W. T. Fortson, B. S. Lee. In August $1,500 was granted to the "Keatchie Highlanders," $1,500 to Capt. Hollingsworth's company (Marshal Guards), and $4,000 for clothing and provisions for the soldiers of the field. This latter large sum was to be expended under the direction of President Wag- ner, A. M. Campbell and A. H. Thomas, and the Ladies' Aid Society. In September $1,500 was granted to another company, $176 to Capt. Jor- dan's company, and $180 to twelve men in Capt. W. B. Millican's cavalry company. The appropri- ations given and a mention of a $10,000 appropri- ation for war purposes, are the only grants made in 1861, other than the moneys distributed among the soldiers' families. S. E. Guy was a juror in January, 1862; $500 was granted to purchase uni- forms for the Henry Marshall Guards, and Febru- ary 27 the jury promised the citizens of Mansfield to make every reasonable provision for the relief of soldiers' families. April 7 scrip for $20,000 was authorized. This was issued in bills ranging from 10 cents to $3. May 21 a further issue of $10,000 was made. T. M. Gatlin qualified in June, 1862 and J. L. Vircher in August. Capt. 0. L. Dur- ham and J. H. Sutherlin were appointed to in- quire into the wants of De Soto volunteers in serv- ice. In October C. M. Pegues' treasury report was adopted, his bond canceled and J. D. Wemple in- stalled treasurer. In November Gatlin and Eld- ridge were appointed delegates to the Red River defense convention, at Shreveport, with authority to subscribe $20,000 for defenses of the river. January, 1863, there were twenty-seven captains of patrol appointed; the $20,000 appropriated for Red River defenses provided for, and a new issue of scrip for $3,000 authorized. In May, 1863, a parish tax of 33 1/3 per cent, and a special tax of 51 2/3 per cent, were ordered to be levied. The names of W. J. Polk and W. W. Tatum, with Messrs. Wag- ner, Eldridge, Guy, White, Vircher, Johnson, Gat- lin and Norman appear as jurors in June, 1863; scrip for $2,000 was authorized at this time. In October Treasurer Wemple reported $26,018 in the treasury. A petition to the Legislature asking that $1,443 overpaid by T. J. Williams on the taxes of 1860, be refunded, was adopted. In January, 1864, canceled bills or scrip amounting to $20,900 were destroyed; in May, 1864, the estimate for the cur- rent year was placed at $10,550, and a tax of 33 1/3 per cent was ordered. In June Red River de- fense exchange bills for $2,260 and ordinary scrip for $3,738.70 was destroyed, and about $55,000 in soldiers' relief drafts were reported canceled. The treasurer was ordered to exchange all the old Con- federate bills for new issue, and the president au- thorized to purchase $2,000 worth of medicines for distribution. In March, 1865, W. C. Peyton was a member of the police jury, and in May, 1865, William M. Allen, J. B. Perham, J. W. Stephen- son and J. H. Tucker were appointed the last cap- tains of the last patrol companies. Boling Will- iams was appointed collector, authority to build a new jail given and a special tax of 160 per cent ordered to be levied on property, trades and occu- pations to be applied on the building of this jail. Shelly & Campbell were the contractors, the price being $7,190. A. J. Leach and T. W. Brodnax were members of the jury at this time. In July, 1866, the names of Reuben Mundy, W. R. Prather, R. R. Riggs, with Wagner*, (* In 1866 a party of citizens arranged to rob the president of the police jury, who held in his possession a good deal of scrip and moneys. Going to his home about midnight, they engaged the negroes in a quarrel with the object of bringing out Mr. Wagner. The ruse was successful, and taking the old President to a secluded spot some distance away, returned to rob the house. Meantime the negroes had given the alarm, and M. Surrey, a Frenchman, who was a guest of Wagner, determined not only to defend the house, but also to rescue the host. On his way through the darkness he saw the robbers approach and open fire, killing one and wounding two others. He saved Wagner and the public moneys.) Norman, Brodnax, Peyton, R. B. Frierson and Vircher appear as jurors. The jail building was accepted at this time. G. W. Sample, W. J. Horn, J. W. Edens or Ev- ans appear as jurors in January, 1867, and R. J. Bowman was appointed attorney. A. T. Stephen- son represented Ward 2 and Jesse G. Steele, Ward 6, in July. 1869; S. P. DuBose was elected treas- urer, and Dr. Godfrey continued as physician, and in November the Keatchie Swamp Turnpike Com- pany gave bonds for performing their duties in con- structing toll roads. In November N. S. Moore represented Ward 1. The Baptists were permitted to hold services in the court-house, in April, 1870, pending the completion of their new church house. J. H. Sutherlin resigned the office of clerk in Sep- tember, after serving since 1854, and was succeed- ed by J. D. Law, and Dr. Godfrey resigned the office of physician. In May, 1871, the estimate of expenditures for the year was placed at $12,500. In July, 1871, H. L. Dean, T. M. Cook and T. J. Williams, Jr., qualified as jurors vice the jurors counted out, A. J. Nelson, G. W. Williams, with T. J. Williams, president. J. D. Law was ap- pointed clerk and S. F. Walker physician. The estimate of expenditures for 1873 made in June, 1872, amounted to $14,100. The levy was placed at 8 mills for parish purposes. The State tax on $1,000 in 1873 was $14.50, and the parish tax $10 or 24 1/2, mills, while in 1872. it reached 29 1/2 mills. In 1871 the State tax on $1,000 was $24.50, and the parish tax $4 or 28 1/2 mills. In making the valuation at that time it was the proportion of $19,310 in 1871 to $5,260 in 1890, or about four times as much, yielding $358.23 taxes in 1871 and $73.45 in 1890, the State tax being about four times as much as the parish tax. Comparing the tax with the valuation in 1890, the State tax was then nine times as much as it is now. In January, 1873, T. J. Williams, Jr., B. F. Chapman, 0. L. Durham, N. S. Moore and E. R. Best, qualified as jurors. Reuben Mundy was appointed attorney, and R. T. Gibbs, physician. This jury ordered the minutes of the last meeting of the old jury to be stricken out, and adopted the "rules of decorum." The ex- penses for 1874 were estimated at $13,000, and a tax levy of 10 mills ordered. In March, 1874, John Wagner with Durham, Moore and Williams, were appointed by Kellogg, jurors. Dr. West was appointed physician, Du Bose was continued treasurer, Law, clerk, and Williams, president. In June an estimate of $13,500 was made for 1875. In May, 1875, T. J. Williams, A. J. Fort- son, F. Y. Dake and E. R. Best were appointed jurors; A. J. Bell was appointed physician. J. L. Williams and A. R. Williams were employed as experts to examine the accounts of ex-Tax collector R. A. DeWeese. The expenses for 1876 were esti- mated at $14,500. Samuel F. Smith qualified as juror in June, 1875. In December the proposi- tion to subscribe $100,0OO to the New Orleans & Pacific Railroad secured 201 votes, and was op- posed by 159. The expenditures for 1877 were estimated at $11,350. In January, 1877, R. R. Riggs, N. S. Moore, J. H. Williams, J. P. McElroy and Simon De Soto presented their commissions as jurors from Gov. Nicholls; J. P. McElroy was chosen president, and S. F. Walker, physician. In April L. B. Wilcox succeeded Dr. S. P. Du Bose as treasurer, and in November S. B. Foster succeeded Law as clerk. In March, 1878, the new jury qualified: N. S. Moore, president; J. H. Will- iams, W. J. Horn, D. W. Prude, Jacob William- son, R. R. Riggs and J. P. McElroy were mem- bers. They were succeeded in January, 1879, by E. B. Brown, James King, G. W. Martin, Dr. Frierson, Samuel Hobgood, S. E. Guy, N. S. Moore and D. W. Prude. The estimate of ex- penditures for the years 1879-80 was $10,950. The jurors present in May, 1880, were M. J. Scott, John J. Gardner, L. M. Rambin, with Guy, Ring (W. S.), Frierson, Williams and Moore of the old board. N. S. Moore succeeded Guy as president. Expenditures were estimated at the same sum as in 1879, but in 1881 the estimate was placed at $9,350. D. Eatman took Juror Scott's place in August; G. W. Cummins took Moore's place in May, 1882, and S. E. Guy followed Moore as president. In March, 1884, John T. Smith, W. B. Peyton, S. E. Guy, J. J. Gardner, D. Eatman, Dr. W. S. Frierson, L. M. Rambin and J. H. Williams formed the jury. Dr. Frier- son was chosen president. In July, 1885, resolu- tions on the death of S. E. Guy were recorded. Messrs. Peyton,* Frierson,* Gardner,* Rambin* and J. H. Williams,* with George J. Pitts, C. F. Lafitte and S. T. Williams were jurors in 1886, while in 1890 the members whose names are marked * above were still on the board, with M. Ricks of Ward 4, and G. B. Williams of Ward 5. In March, 1890, a great petition was presented, asking that the question of voting aid to the Gulf & Kansas City Railroad Company be submitted to the people. The jury granted this petition and fixed a day for an election, when 900 votes were cast for, and 478 against, granting such aid.