History of Western Maryland. J. Thomas Scharf

      Sheriff Kelley converted a portion of the brick mansion in Westminster now owned by William Reese into a jail, and used it as such until the present prison was built. There was but one prisoner confined in it, and he is said to have made his escape by sliding down the spouting. The county commissioners met in a room of the Wampler tavern, and organized with Otho Shipley as clerk, and Thomas Hook county collector. A number of places were suggested as sites for the. public buildings, including the land on which they now stand, the lot at present occupied by the Dallas mansion, and the ground on which the Reformed church is built. The advantages of all were fairly considered by the commissioners, and on May 25, 1837, they accepted for the site of the courthouse an acre of ground from Isaac Shriver, immediately in rear of his tavern-stand, and about three hundred yards from Main Street, with ground for streets on three sides of it. For the jail they accepted an acre of land a short distance northeast of the court-house site, and about four hundred yards from Main Street. This was donated by the heirs of David Fisher.

      The jail was built in 1837, by B. F. Forester and Johnzee Selby, at a cost of four thousand dollars, and since that time the jail-yard and other improvements have been added.

      The second term of the Circuit Court was held Sept. 4, 1837. Chief Justice Thomas B. Dorsey presided, with Thomas H. Wilkinson as associate judge. The grand jury, the first in the new county, appeared, and was sworn as follows: William Brown (foreman), Jonathan Dorsey, Charles Devilbiss, Daniel Stull, John T. Mathias, William McIlvain, David Z. Buchen, Jacob Kerlinger, Daniel Horner, Nathaniel Sykes, Frederick Ritter, William Caples, William Fisher, John Jones, Jacob Grove, Michael Sullivan, Andrew C. Fowble, Thomas Sater, Samuel L. Swarmstead, Edward Dorsey, Joseph Shaffer, Isaac Dern, and John Henry Hopper.

      Nicholas Kelley was sheriff, William Willis, clerk, and Emmanuel Gern and Henry Geatty, bailiffs. The grand jury returned true bills against George Ramsbery for resisting an officer; Jacob Boring, breach of the peace; Whitfield Garner, the same; Charlotte White, colored, larceny; Michael Wagner, assault; B. Eck, maltreatment to his slave "Poll;" William Coghlan and Peter Bankert, misdemeanor in office; William Grimes, Benjamin Davis, Resin Franklin, Jacob Gilavier, Nimrod Booby, Jacob Sanders, selling liquor without a license. The presentments against the last four were withdrawn by the grand jury and not returned. It will be observed from the perusal of the above that the offenses committed in 1837 did not differ materially from those of which the county courts take cognizance nowadays, though there was a commendable absence of the higher crimes, such as murder, arson, burglary, and robbery, which too frequently deface the present records of judicial tribunals. James Keifer was appointed court crier. James Mybrea filed a declaration of his intention to become a citizen of the United States and renounce his allegiance to the King of Great Britain. Henry Short, a native of Holland, also appeared and gave notice of his intention to become a naturalized citizen of this country. The following was the petit jury, the first in the county: John Cover, Jacob Gitt, John Kuhn, Sr., Basil Root, Evan L. Crawford, William Shaw, Joshua F. Copp, Robert Crawford, Isaiah Pearce, Nicholas H. Brown, Elijah Bond, Henry H. Harbaugh, Benjamin Bennett, Daniel Yeiser, Evan Garner, Thomas Smith, Thomas Bartholow, Nimrod Frizzell, Benjamin Yingling, Mordecai G. Cockey, Hezekiah Crout. The first case tried was that of an appeal of William Naill vs. Jesse Reifsnider. The witnesses for appellant were Elias Grimes and Elias Naill, and for appellee, Samuel Reindollar and Israel Hiteshue. The jury found for the appellant without leaving the box. The next cause was that of James Smith vs. Samuel Gatt, William Shaw, Silas Hauer, Washington Hauer, and Jacob Shoemaker, trustees of the church, an appeal. The witnesses were John W. McAlister for appellant, and James Bar, David Kephart, John Thompson for appellee. Judgment was affirmed with costs. Godfried Guyser, a native of Wurttemberg, Germany, John Reisly, of the same place, and Jacob Lewis and Philip Yoost, natives of Darmstadt, Germany, all filed their intentions to become American citizens. Fifty-six witnesses testified before the grand jury, among whom were the following constables: John Shockney, Jacob Frankforter, Thomas Brummel, Andrew P. Barnes, George Ogg, Emanuel Gernand, Warren P. Little, Evan Black, John Krantz, William Grunbine, Abraham England, William Stansbury, Samuel Lammott, John Clabaugh, David Kephart, George Willott, Frederick Yingling, Joseph Smith. On the petition of John S. Murray to inquire whether George Ecklar was an insane person and a pauper the jury refused an inquisition. The first criminal case tried was that of the State of Maryland vs. Charlotte White (colored), indicted for larceny, and the jury found a verdict of not guilty. The second State case was that of George Ramsbery for resisting a constable, in which a verdict of guilty was returned. The defendant was ordered to pay a fine of five dollars and be imprisoned sixty days. The third session of the County Court met Sept. 3, 1838, when the following grand jury was sworn: Jacob Landes (foreman), John A. Byers, John Adlisperger, Josiah Shilling, Peter Lippy, George W. Manro, Eli Hewitt, George Miller, Thomas Shepherd, Nimrod Woolery, Robert J. Jameson, Richard Smith, Samuel W. Myers, Robert B. Shipley, Joseph Poole, William Lookert, Solomon Myerly, Lewis Shuey, Benjamin B. Forrester, Henry Cover, Martin Krole, Adam Beiser. The petit jury were John McCollum, David Weaver, Julius Bennett, Nelson Norris, David Buffington, Isaac Powder, John Fowble, Francis Haines, David P. Deal, Henry W. Ports, Daniel Hoover, Micajah Rogers, Richard Owings, Denter Shipley, Horatio Price, Beal Buckingham, David Fowble, John Krouse, John Gornell, Michael Sullivan, John H. Hoppe, Francis Shriver, George Bramwell, Jacob Null.

      The cornerstone of the present court-house of Carroll County was laid in June, 1838, with appropriate military and civic ceremonies. It was an occasion of general rejoicing, and a large concourse of people assembled to mark the event. Four military companies marched in the procession, commanded by Capts. Skinner, of Hanover, Swope, of Taneytown, Bramwell, of Finksburg, and Longwell, of Westminster. The stone was laid by Andrew Shriver, assisted by Col. Joshua Gist, then in his ninety-fourth year, a brother of Gen. Mordecai Gist, of Maryland, who won an imperishable name during the Revolution as a soldier and patriot, he having especially distinguished himself in the battles of Long Island and Camden. An address was delivered by Samuel D. Lecompte, and a number of impromptu speeches were made by prominent citizens. Conrad Moul was the contractor for the building, and the masonry of both the courthouse and jail was done by Ephraim Swope and Thomas W. Durbin. The court-house was built at a cost of eighteen thousand dollars, and notwithstanding it was erected more than forty years ago it is now a substantial and durable edifice, and a credit to the commissioners under whose administration it was constructed.

      In 1838 the county government was perfected, all necessary subordinate officers had been elected or appointed, those who had opposed the creation of a new county had become reconciled to the situation, and thenceforward Carroll took its proper place among the older organizations as one of the most vigorous, progressive, and influential counties of Maryland.

      Carroll County is bounded on the north by Pennsylvania, on the south by the Patapsco River, which separates it from Howard County, on the east by Baltimore County, and on the west by Frederick County. Its natural advantages are great. The surface is