Title: Washington County Circuit Court Indictment

Date/Date Range :   1845

Extent: 0.1 linear feet

Abstract:

This document is an indictment from the Circuit Court of Washington County, Tennessee, accusing Moses L. Workman, Andrew M. Workman, Landon C. Hale, John L. Baskett, and William Ladlock of disturbing public worship and riot.

Call number: MS-2144

Repository: University of Tennessee Special Collections Library, Knoxville, TN

Aquisition Information:

This document was purchased in July of 2000.

Access Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Copyright:

The copyright interests in this collection remain with the creator. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library.

Preferred Citation:

[Identification of Item], Washington County Circuit Court Indictment, MS-2144. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Special Collections Library.

Collection consists of a single folder.

Other than the information present in this collection, no biographical information was found on these five men.

In 1845 the Tennessee court system was divided into two parts: Circuit Courts, which dealt with criminal and civil cases, and Chancery courts, which handled cases of equity. Appeals could be presented to the Supreme Court, which met in three districts: Knoxville, Nashville, and Jackson. In the Circuit Courts, an indictment was presented and a jury determined whether or not the person or persons in question were guilty of the crimes they were alleged to have committed.

According to this particular Circuit Court indictment, on February 01, 1845, Moses L. Workman, Andrew M. Workman, Landon C. Hale, John L. Baskett, and William Ladlock "unlawfully interrupt[ed] a Congregation then and there assembled for the purpose of worshipping the Deity," an act prohibited both by the rules of the congregation in question and by the laws of the state of Tennessee. The men also "riotously, routously, and unlawfully" interrupted a temperance meeting, attended by "divers good and worthy citizens" of Washington County, for which they were further charged with riot. They were apparently found guilty of these offenses, since the indictment was forwarded to the Grand Jury on February 26, 1845.

• Civil procedure -- Tennessee.
• Criminal procedure -- Tennessee.
• Tennessee. Circuit Courts.
• Washington County (Tenn.) -- History.