The Case of the Foot X-Ray

We stopped by the Marietta Museum of History yesterday.   It was just a stop-by to see what was new, or what was new that was  old or what was old that was new or ???

We saw the curator Amy in action.   A lady was there donating some stuff to the museum.  I heard her say her family lived on Bells Ferry Road.  One of the things she donated was a Civil Defense Helmet.  She had some other stuff too she was handing Amy one at a time and said she had some more in the car.     She also said she had a plow shear that she doesn't have any more.

The museum has a section all about the courthouses of the past.  There are some pictures of the previous courthouses.

 They had a picture of Judge Manning.  I remember once when I was on Jury Duty I  noticed during the long boring proceedings the Judge decided to steal a few winks, but when he nodded  he woke himself up. 

Every time I go to the Marietta Museum of History something I see brings back memories.  This time it was the old court room in the Old Court House.  I was either early junior high school or grammar school and was on the Perry Mason kick.  I read all the books I could get a hold of by Earl Stanley Garner.

And, being a boy, fanaticizing about everything, I imagined myself growing up to be sharp lawyer, just like Perry Mason, out fighting for justice.  Being the compulsive person I was, I decided to visit a real trial at the court house.  I think my daddy probably told me when the next trial would be.  I  went and got a fairly decent up close seat, being one of the  early ones there.

A black lady  accused a black man of raping her behind the Lemon Street School House one night.   The whole court proceeding was a mockery of justice in the south.  The Assistant D.A. and the Defense Attorney, would talk to the jury and the judge in a dignified manner, but then turn around and talk down to the black lady... they even put things in child-like terms so they thought she might understand.   And sadly to say, the black lady fighting for justice and the black man fighting for his freedom was a funny show for the jurors, bailiffs .   judge, and all other white people there that howled with laughter with all the "jive talk".

Shame.

Remember this thing below?  As a child who when at the Square (almost every day) certain places I would drop by.  Like at Fletcher Jewelers to check out their latest window display with moving parts, Schillings Hardware to stand on the big scale to weight at the entrance in front of the knives under glass display.  Also a shoe store that would x-ray your feet to see how your shoe was fitting - you could actually see your foot bones, like toe bones, etc.  It was at a shoe store on the East Park Square but I forgot if it was Murray's, Coggins, or what. 

Note:  I originally named this post  "THE CASE OF THE DISAPPOINTED BOY" because I was talking about Earl Stanley's Perry Mason books which always had a title, like 'THE CASE OF THE SQUEAKY DOOR"    ... they always started out THE CASE OF then ended an adjective and a noun.    But after looking at the title with my 3rd eye, I decided some might think I was disappointed in the museum which is not correct.  So!