This is a column that has been in my heart for many years. Hopefully, there is someone who remembers the name, Lewis S. Proctor. He was a Justice of the Peace throughout my lifetime with him. This was a small judicial position, but he served many folks in many ways. He ran for office every four years in this electable position, but he never had opposition. Hs held court for minor offensives in a room behind Sheriff Peyton Youmans’ office. Since both of our fathers spent their days in the courthouse, “Little Payton” and I found the courthouse a fun place to play; our favorite was the large formal courtroom upstairs. We held our own court when it was not occupied and found all of our defendants GUILTY. One fine day, we overheard that Superior Court Judge, Robert Humphrey, was holding an important case in the formal courtroom. From here further, this sounds like a tale from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Both agreed that we should take a seat in the balcony and watch an important case. Since we were small in the big seats, we were discovered midway of the trial by a bailiff who immediately took us by the hand to the office of the Sheriff. Little Payton and I were both found guilty, especially because the testimonies were quite lurid. Our punishment was that we were not allowed to ever go into the courtroom again. When I saw the movie To Kill a Mockingbird, and saw Jem and Scout watching a trial from the courtroom balcony, my thoughts went back to Little Payton and I. I must say, “Thank you” to Harper Lee for my all-time favorite book. Write to Shirley at sptwiss@ gmail.com.
