In a suit brought before Justice Corson, of Schuyler, in 1862, the parties hailed from Columbus, some of them being well known. F. Stevens, in December, 1862, swore out a complaint against John Rickly, Jr., John Rickly, Sr., and E. Ahrens, for assault and battery, which is said to have taken place in the store of Rickly & Co. The paper set forth that the senior assaulted complainant with a cleaver, the junior with a pitchfork, and Mr. A. with a club, and prays that the defendants may be dealt with according to law.
Subpoenas were issued for L. M. Beebe, George Clothier, Hiram Bennett, George Bennett, Charles Curtis, Charles Small, David Anderson and H. M. Kemp, to appear as witnesses.
Of course, as in all such cases, the witnesses did not all hear Mr. Rickly order Stevens from the store; neither did they agree as to whether Stevens gave Mr. Rickly provocation for an assault; whether the door was actually burst open or not by the party called upon to put Stevens out; whether tumblers and things were slung round. In fact, no two witnesses seemed to be sure about anything, except that J. Rickly, Jr., got his pitchfork from the south-east corner of the room.
After looking the matter over, Justice Corson granted an appeal to the defendants who appeared--the Ricklys--but overruled a motion made by them that there be a non-suit granted upon the ground that there was nothing proven in the testimony that the assault was committed in Platte County. This is the last heard of the suit. It was nolled, however, as Mr. Rickly informs the world.
FIRST DISTRICT COURT IN PLATTE COUNTY
About 1859 the first district court was held in Platte County, Hon. Augustus Hall, chief justice, presiding. Judge Hall had been a member of Congress from Iowa. He was appointed by President Buchanan as Judge Ferguson's successor. Judge Hall was a short, very corpulent man, with a round, benevolent face like the full harvest moon. He had the perfect respect of the bar and it is said that his decisions were rarely reversed.
The little town hall in Columbus, later known as the Saints Chapel, was used as the court room, and rooms in the American Hotel were secured for jury rooms. The grand jury, twelve good and true men, were impaneled, and on completing their labors returned twelve indictments, one against each of themselves for selling liquor without having a license.
At that time there was a license law enacted more probably for its moral effect upon the people outside of the territory than with the intention of enforcing it. But it provided that any complaint of its violation being made before a justice, he should hear the allegations and if sufficient to convict, should render judgment against the accused, by committing them to jail until the fine was paid.
Few, if any, convictions were charged under this law, largely for the reason that they did not want to convict themselves to jail.
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