Law, Order and Oppression

From "Selma; Her Institutions, and Her Men" by John Hardy, pub. 1879:

On the 2nd of December 1836, the town Council adopted the following ordinance, which will show the difference in the way trade was carried on at that date, and that of the 1st of December 1868:

Be it Ordained by the Town Council of Selma,
That from and after Monday the 11th inst., all Negroes found offering for sale in said Town, any article of Provision, Corn, Meal, Poultry, Eggs, &c., &c., without a written permit from his or her master, shall receive on his or her bare beck, a number of lashes not exceeding thirty-nine, to be ordered by the Intendant of said Town or any member of the Council.

And be it further Ordained,
That any person who shall be found purchasing of any slave, any of the above enumerated articles shall, on conviction, it a free person, forfeit and pay the sum of ten dollars; if a slave, he or she shall receive on his or her bare back, not exceeding fifteen lashes, to be inflicted as in the first section.

And be it further Ordained,
That no negro belonging to any citizen of the town, be allowed to sell any of the above enumerated articles within the limits of said Town, unless in the presence of his or her owner.

U. GRIGSBY, In't.

D.C.RUSSELL, Sec’ry

On the 14th day of August 1837, a most fatal affray occurred in front of "Johnson’s corner," between Dr. James R. Dickenson on tone side, and John Blevins, Wm. Blevins and Byron C. Rowan on the other, resulting in the death of Dickinson, with a bowie knife, in the hands of Wm. Blevins. The high standing of the parties to this unfortunate affair, and the peculiar circumstances leading to its cause, created an intense excitements in the public mind. On the 7th day of April, 1838, the case was called--before the Circuit Court at Cahaba, Judge E. Pickens presiding, with the following jury in the box: Geo. P. Moseley, Alfred K. Smith, Alfred Roberts, Theoderick Oliver, Archibald M. Kiles, Peter Moseley, Laird c. Graham, Thomas H. Wiley, Pleasant S. Martin, John Crawford, Henry Martin, P. W. Herbert.

Hon. John S. Hunter and Maj. Graham, the Solicitor, prosecuting: Charles G. Edwards, Geo. W. Gayle, James B. Clark and Thomas Williams, defending. The trial occupied two days, when it was submitted to the jury, who after a few hours deliberation, returned a verdict to the court of "not guilty," as to Wm. Blevins and Rowan a nol pros having been entered as to John Blevins. It was said that Dickinson had been engaged to a daughter of Wm. Blevins, but becoming estranged the engagement was broken off, and the young lady married Byron C. Rowan, who after the marriage, required Dickinson to return to his wife letters that had passed while the parties were engaged. It was told to Dickinson that Rowan boasted on several occasions, in a public manner, of having made Dickinson return the letters, which let to the unfortunate affray.

A Dr. Rossum, a reformer, about this date came to the town, proposing to cure all kinds of diseases, in a few minutes, by sweating and hot water--the Thompsonian system--and created quite a sensation by his wonderful cure of chills and fever; but one day, having steamed one of Gen. Brantley’s negroes a little too much, the negro died while under the blanket; we heard no more of the curing of chills and fevers in that way for some time after Dr. Russum having changed his residence.

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