188 Chronicles of the Cape Fear River

day is past when a ibited i

sc carsales ny such heathenism can be exhibited in New

z sa = living will remember that Charles, a slave of
* “A. icKinson, was publicly hanged between Seventh and

Eighth Streets about mid
ern line of the street. way and a few yards back of the south-

known, went before the grand jury and attempted to erimi
another man. His examination brought suspicion u ‘= ore
and led to further investigation. Articles that had bdos oda
De Silva were found in his possession and other atin ee
cumstances were brought to light. He was tried and on 2 |
circumstantial evidence was convicted. An appeal was te
the Supreme Court on the ground of inadmissibility of the testi-
mony of the foreman of the grand jury above referred to, which
testimony was given on the trial. This was the grand fae be-
fore the one that indicted Broughton. The higher mie a -
ee the objection and Broughton was hanged. He siemeil
a on the gallows. Nevertheless, the impression was
— = universal that he was guilty of the crime for which he
. The courthouse on the first of January, 1840, stood at th
intersection of Front and Market Streets say about 50 f :
across Front and about 75 or 80 feet aaltnkc Marie The b =
pavement, answering to the lower floor of a residence was ne
one foot, possibly a little more, above the level of the hea a
broad arch gave entrance at either end on Front Street On th
sides running across Market a small arch in the euniee serv d
as entrance, and on each side of this arch and on both sid ~
the building were similar arches across which were b os
rather shelves, serving as seats. The boys of that da “fo nd
delight in playing in and around this part of the eatin
and the older ones met there in the hot summer afterno Tait
discuss politics and save the country. and:
The court room proper and such other rooms as were necessar
were in the upper story and were reached by a stairway locat 4
in the southwest corner. The building was sinetvakiad od brick
and was painted bright yellow on the outside, trimmed with

Early Years 189

white and painted white on the inside. By an act of the Legis-
lature of 1756, the courthouses of the State were to be used for
all public purposes. Somewhere about 1843 or 1844 the County
Court, overlooking this or in ignorance of it, prohibited political
meetings in the courthouse, but they were very soon set back on

the matter.
The town hall in 1840 stood at the intersection of Market and

Second Streets, and was in structure very much like the court-
house, though not provided with seats, we think, for the comfort
of loungers. It was open below and paved, and may at one time
have been used as a market house in the lower part. The locality
went by the name of “Mud Market.” The market house of the
writer’s day was a most unsightly structure which stood on Mar-
ket Street between Front Street and the river, about 150 feet
from Front Street and running back some fifty or sixty feet. It
was built of brick. The pavement serving for the floor was
reached by mounting a large piece of ton timber which served
for a step. The entrance was a wide arch, and the entire roof
was supported by pillars forming the upright sides of arches.
At the farther end, because of elevation in consequence of slope
of the streets, were a platform and stairs as means of entrance
and exit. Under this end of the market house was a room which
at one time served as a guardhouse. This building gave place
in the spring of 1848 to a market house on the same site; a very
great improvement in appearance and in suitableness for its
purpose. It was 25 feet wide and about 100 to 125 feet long,
with a roof of galvanized iron resting on light iron pillars. In
turn this gave place some twenty years later to the present one

on Front Street. |
William Henry Harrison was nominated on December 4,

1839, as the Whig candidate for President. A meeting to ratify
the nomination was held in the courthouse on the night of Janu-
ary 16, 1840, and was addressed by delegates who had returned
from the nominating convention. On the morning of the 18th
the courthouse was in ashes. About midnight, or a little before,
of the 17th a fire broke out in the store of John Dawson on the
northeast corner of Front and Market Streets and rapidly swept
into ruin all the houses on the entire square except the building
(which is still there) on the southeast corner of Front and Prin-
cess and the dwelling-house of Mr. J. P. Calhorda immediately
in the rear. The flames crossed Front Street and were arrested

at the Bank of Cape Fear building in their progress north. But