Montgomery County NcArchives News.....The Burning of the Montgomery Court House April 20, 1843 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Carolyn Shank Carolynshank@msn.com January 26, 2008, 5:19 pm April 20, 1843 Charlotte Journal April 20, 1843 MONTGOMERY COURT HOUSE-- We learn that the examination of ELIJAH and HARBOARD SPENCER resulted in their full committment for trial for burning the Court House. The 7th Section of the 34th Chapter of the Revised Statues makes the burning of a Court House or other public building, a felony, punishable with death without benefit of clergy. The motive for the perpetration of this crime was at first supposed to be to destroy the evidence of a forgery, for which ELIJAH SPENCER, the father was under indictment in Montgomery Court, in altering a deed, but it is now stated that in addition to this motive, there was an execution against him for some $200, and a heavy bond filed in the Court House, for the forthcoming of a number of negroes, who had been seized to prevent their being run off to the South. These were all destroyed. The only thing belonging to the office which was saved, was one of the Register's books, which happened to be at the house of a gentleman of the bar. The loss of all the wills, deeds, dockets, bonds, settlements of estates, etc. etc. must be a source of incalcuable and irreparable evil. -- Fayetteville Observer File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/montgomery/newspapers/theburni279nnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/ncfiles/ File size: 1.8 Kb