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in the cause to JOHN HUTT, the Justice of the Peace from whence they first came, and that the plaintiff have the benefit of her judgment recovered before the said Justice.” The Supreme Court also ordered Mr. Mills to pay Ms. Goings’ costs associated with the appeal. Though 175 years have passed since Goings v. Mills, this case could easily have occurred today, albeit with slightly different procedural facts and higher dollar amounts at stake (I doubt too many attorneys are willing to accept $0.68 in fees and costs these days). Like cases today, this one involved a failure to pay a promissory note, a default judgment and procedural errors—the same chorus of issues still playing out today. While I doubt that any reader will cite this case in a brief anytime soon, hopefully there is some value to considering a case whose facts began before statehood. Our forefathers in the legal community dealt with issues not too dissimilar from those issues we deal with today. Perhaps reflecting on this will help us feel more connected through the 175 years of Arkansas’s legal tradition. Endnotes 1. For more on Albert Pike, see The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture at http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/ encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryid=1737. 2. See The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture at http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail. aspx?entryID=5724. n
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