Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/363

 HISTORY OF SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 303 This jail building was two stories in height and had a dungeon below, which was entered through a trap door. The jail was burned about 1850 by a prisoner. In 1856 it was re- placed by a new structure at a cost of $4,400 ; the present jail was erected in 1870 under the supervision of William Carter and L. D. Walker. The first court house was used until 1850, when it was replaced by another build- ing at a cost of $8,000, and was erected by H. H. Wright. In July, 1885, the contract was let for the construction of the present court house. James P. Killiek was the con- tractor and he turned over the completed building on October 7, 1886, the total cost being $15,560. The court created a new township in St. Francois coimty in August, 1836. This was called Marion township and was cut off from the north part of Perry township. In 1840 a township called Black River was created in that part of the county out of which Iron county was later formed. Of the other town- ships in the county Iron was formed in 1850, Randolph in 1858, and Big River in 1863. Scott County Scott county was created by an act of the legislature, December 28, 1821. It was or- ganized from a part of New Madrid county and was named in honor of Hon. John Scott, the first congressman from Missouri. At that time it included the present county of Mis- sissippi. The governor of the state appointed Richard Mathews, Andrew M. Ramsay, and James Houts as the county court, and John P. Rutter as clerk of the circuit court ; Joseph A. Hopkins as sheriff; and the count.y court appointed John P. Rutter as its clerk, also. Enoch Evans, Abraham Hunter, Thomas Roberts, Joseph Smith and Newman Beck- with were the commissioners to locate the county seat. They selected the site of the town of Benton, and here in a little log house were held the first meetings of the courts. At the time of the organization of the county there were but two townships: Tywappity, which included ^Mississippi county, and Moreland. The county court, however, soon created four new townships : Richland, Kelso, Mississippi and Wolf Island. In 1836 Ty- wappity township was divided and the south- ern part was called St. James township, and in 1839 a township known as St. Jame.s Bayou was created. Scott county was made part of the southern judicial circuit and the circuit court was ganized February 11, 1822, by Judge Thomas; Joseph A. Hopkins was the first sheriff. He gave bond in the sum of five thousand dollars, and his sureties were John Hall and William Meyers. At the next term of the court, which was held in June, 1822, a grand jury was impaneled, and it returned indictments against Samuel Glove and James Ramsay for assault and battery, against Newman Beckwith for selling liquor to the Indians and against Anthony Wills for va- grancy. The first court house in Scott county was a small log building erected on the public square at Benton. Shortly after the town was laid out a jail costing $500 was erected in 1837. Before that time prisoners had been kept in the jail at Jackson. The first court house was torn down in 1844 and a brick building erected. It .was so poorly constructed, how- ever, that it soon became unsafe and was re- placed by a frame building. The legislature moved the county seat away from Benton in 1864, to Commerce. The old court house was then sold and a brick court building erected at Commerce. In 1866 a jail was coUvStructed, costing nearly $4,000. However, the people