CHAPTER XXXV.

Location of the County Site-First Election of County Officers-The Several Elections and Means Employed and the Result in the Selection of the County Site.

Granbury, christened by the legislature as the county site, was yet, however, an uncertain identity; there were several places within the prescribed limits that aspired to the honor of bearing the name of that distinguished General, evidently not so much because of the honor as from the desire of the owners of the several sites offered, to gather the material advantages to be derived from being the county town. And it does not seem to be very accurately remembered by the survivors who participated in the elections and other happenings leading to the final result, just when, or how many elections were held, before the difficult problem was settled. Nor can we do much more than surmise as to the order of events, in the absence of any line of record whatever to throw light on the subject. Presumably the commissioners for organization, named in the legislative act, entered upon their duties early in the following year, 1867, and ordered an election for the several county officers. This election was held under the constitution of the state, as amended by the convention and election of 1866, and while the state government was being administered by Gov. J.W. Throckmorton, all of which was shortly afterwards repudiated and overthrown by the reconstruction policy of the Federal government. This constitution provided for the election of the usual county officers, with a tenure of four years, and from the most reliable sources of information the following men were elected at our first election: Abe Landers, county judge; A.J. Wright, sheriff; Alex. S. McCamant, clerk of the county court; John Morris, clerk of the district court; Peter Garland, treasurer; Gideon Mills, assessor and collector of taxes; C.C. Alexander, Wilks Barker, John Meek and Joe Robertson were the first elected county commissioners, who with the county judge, constituted the police court, now termed commissioner's court. And now, doubtless, after the installment into office of these, and the final report of their actions, the commissioners of organization retired, leaving the responsibility of settling the locality of the county site with the new incumbents. Soon an election for that purpose was ordered; and the several places which stood as candidates were the center, understood to be just to the west and near Comanche Peak; Thorp Spring, Stockton, Lambert's branch and a site offered by Andy Walters at his place on the river east of Comanche Peak. At the first election the center carried by a large majority, but the result of this election being unsatisfactory to those in power and influence, was for some reason not officially declared. And it is said that when the commissioners' court, presided over by Judge Landers, met for the purpose of ascertaining and declaring the result, the final act was averted by a pre-emptory order from him adjourning the court. It seems that a second and a third election was held before the final result was declared. Andy Walters and Stockton places having withdrawn from the race, the center was still probably the most popular point, with P. Thorp and his friends strongly advocating the Springs place, and the officials generally, with many other men of influence and shrewd capacity in favor of Lambert branch, where Thomas Lambert and J.F. & J. Nutt had offered a donation of 40 acres as a town site. In this situation and prior to the final election, a scheme was proposed and carried into execution, evidently by the friends and promoters of the Lambert site, whereby Judge Landers named three commissioners of our sister counties, Johnson, Erath and Bosque, to meet in Hood county and examine into the merits of the contesting points, and decide between them. This commission consisted of Col. Buck Barry of Bosque, Isaac Cowan of Erath and Wm. Burton of Johnson. This extroardinary commission in no manner known to law, after meeting and considering the matter, made up a decision, by a vote of two to one, in favor of the Lambert and Nutt donation; reporting the center as an unfit place on account of the want of water; thereupon a last final election seems to have been held, when every powerful influence possible was brought to bear in favor of the Lambert site. W.H. Kingsbury, of the mercantile firm of Kingsbury & Holmsley, moved their establishment from Stockton to this place and warned their customers in the Paluxy valley where the strongest sentiment, perhaps in favor of the center, existed; that if the county site was taken to the center, so destitute of water supply, he would remove his store from the county, and as his customers had found him an exceedingly accommodating merchant and affable gentleman to deal with, they were loth to give him up, and doubtless the water supply argument had its weight, and with the influence of Cowan, those of his section in favor of the center were, many of them induced either to vote for the Lambert place or refrain from voting at all. At the same time Andy Walters, with his large connectional influence, was secured, his place withdrawn, and he and his influence brought to favor the Lambert place. So the final election, with Lambert's, Thorp's and the center contesting, gave a small majority in favor of the first named. To properly understand the nature of this contest, it must be remembered that our territory then embraced the whole of the present county of Somervell, with its most southern settlements from twenty-five to thirty miles from the Lambert place, hence those of the southern part of the county were naturally in favor of the point nearest to them, which was the center; while the Thorp Spring influences served to divide the vote in the northern section of the county. This long contest was not only animated, but in some measure became acrimonious, engendering bitter feelings between some good citizens, that had its subsidence only when they were no more. Whatever may have been the methods altogether, employed for the attainment of the result; and however long afterwards a controversial spirit of discontent remained with some; yet time and other circumstances seems long since to have established beyond question the wisdom and stability of the selection of the Lambert and Nutt donation as the site of Granbury. The county town, situated as it is, upon a prominent northwestern protruding elbow of the Brazos, which thence sweeps with great declention and rapid stream far to the southeast, leaving the town site nestled within a basin of beautiful slopes, where cold everlasting springs bound over falls of limestone rocks through the short length of half a mile to to the river, forming the channel of Lambert branch; with its surrounding hills covered with the deep shades of evergreen live oaks, a more eligible domicile for the site of justice could scarcely be found.

While these several events were transpiring, the courts and all official matters were temporarily being conducted at Stockton, where Judge Landers resided, and it was here that the first district court, presided over by Judge Jno. Good of Dallas, was held, this being probably the fall term of 1867. A grand jury was duly organized, with Parson Tom Burns as foreman. S.A. Rash and probably Wilks Barker and Wm. Gafford were members of this first grand jury. They were kept busy for several days, but found only a few true bills. They held their sessions in the kitchen of Dr. D.K. Turner's dwelling.

Illustrative of the free-and-easy style of the times, Judge Landers, while the grand jury was in session, made his appearance at the door and addressing the foreman, demanded that the jury adjourn and go out to investigate some depredations that he said were being made on the streets of Stockton by Bob Peters' billy goat, and thereupon conducted that august branch of the court to the saloon, where the investigation consisted of drinks ordered by Judge Landers for all.

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