SC1896_FF1_125

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Turney being the mover of the Resolution, was
first named on the Committee & acted as Chairman.
They had the usual authority to send for
persons & papers, and exercised ttem, to a most unwarrantable
extent. They sent not only into
every county of his circuit, but out of it into others
where he had presided, and summonded as witnnesses
against him, every man known to be
unfriendly to the Judge, without regard to the
character of the witnesses - some were summoned
against him, who wanted the office,
& others were summoned, by whom they expected
to prove, any thing they wanted.
The Committee sat for some time in conclave
and after some time, made a Report very
unfavorable to the Judge. The Report was sanctioned
by a vote of the House, & a committee
of Managers appointed to draw up the charges
& conduct the impeachment - of this Committee
also, Turney was chairman, & Mr.
A. W. Overton, Joshua L. Martin & others were
Members. This Committee with the aid of
a Lawyer (Mr. Cobb of Columbia) employed by
the Committee at the expense of the State for
the special purpose of drafting the Articles
of Impeachment, reported to the House some
7 or 8 charges against the Judge, same of most
others of remote date; some altogether frivolous
in their character, & not one having
truth for its basis - amongst others was a
charge of not holding his courts at the regular
terms, when the truth was that he had
not failed to hold a single court, except
when prevented by high Waters or other Providential
Cause - Another grave charge was
"Capriciously going to sleep on the bench"