Courtrooms Yesterday and Today: Days gone by By Tom Boggs
Published 3:00 pm Saturday, February 8, 2025
- Marengo County Courtroom 1973. Photo submitted by Tom Boggs
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Tom Boggs is a
columnist for the Demopolis Times and a native of Marengo County. His column, “Days Gone Bye,” appears weekly.
How out of place I really was in our photo this week, being a thirty three year old wet behind the ears lawyer in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, standing with such distinguished, experienced, and wonderful individuals making up the court system in Marengo County in 1973.
At the left stands the Boggs next door neighbor and County Attorney, Joe Camp. Seated is Laura Drinkard, the Circuit Court Reporter. Lawyers always asked her what she thought about a case when the jury went out to deliberate Then, there in the middle, surrounded by a light it seems, sits the Circuit Judge himself, E.F. Hildreth, who came back from World War I to practice law, and then presided over the court system for many years. Seated on the Judge’s left is that marvel, and dear friend of mine, Circuit Clerk Charles Rentz. You older readers remember what all he could do, and little he could not do, being born with nubs for arms and legs. Then, there stands my daddy, Tom Boggs, Sr, who came back from World War II to begin serving as District Attorney until the death of Judge Hildreth, at which time Governor George Wallce appointed him as Circuit Judge. Oh, yeah, that’s just me on the right.
I was the oldest lawyer present at the Marengo Court House recently when our former law partner, and longtime District Attorney, Greg Griggers, was sworn in to replace retiring Judge Eddie Hardaway.
Most of the other younger lawyers present had never practiced in the Circuit before any judge other than Judge Hardaway, and none of the others before any judges except Judge Hardaway and now retired Claud Neilson. My friend, Drayton Pruitt from Livingston, and I are the only active Circuit lawyers who, when Greg Griggers presides over his first cases, shall have practiced before five judges presiding over cases in Marengo, Sumter and Greene Counties.
As written, Tom Boggs, Sr, took over from Judge Hildreth, but was only on the bench a short time before he succumbed to cancer, and was replaced by lawyer Claud Neilson, who served many years before he retired, and was replaced by Eddie Hardaway. Now comes the era of Greg Griggers.
ORDER IN THE COURT.
