The Wilmingtonian, and Delaware register., 1825-05-26

|
ed with ditch, to secure them from intrn
sion; but finding on the experience Of on,
season, that his crops could not come to mo
turity III consequence of the coldnes of N.
area IN which they were located, he aban.
doned the top of the mountain, and cam,
some distance down its side, where he toni
up his residence, built mill, and made ma.
ny domestic regulations for his convenience
and comfort, some of which showed the
work OF an ingenious hand. His mill was
made on a small construction, was kept IN
motion by the water of small mountain
stream, and would grind from half a busbel
to bu h i of grain per day. He once erect,
ed an iron manufactory on the mountain He
wasa man of uncommon physical strength
and had performed feats entirely within
| himself, in the erection of his buildings and
machinery, which it was judged would have
required the strength of four or five com.
mon men to perform.
Greer is, on his fathers side, of Turkish
descent. He has a good education, and was
| esteemed, when in his youth, young man Of
| fine talents. But the unfaithfuness of the
object of his affection, and the thus unhappy
termination of "love affair."" gave him an
aversion for society; and settling alone on
the Bald Mountain, he, took up the idea that
he was the monarch and sole proprietor Of
it, established lin IS, marking the extent Of
his dominions, and declared himself inde-
pendent of any other human government.
A tax was once levied on him by direction Of
the Court of Buncombc county, within the
bounds of which was some Of his property.
He refused to pay the tax, waged war against
the court by whose order it was levied, went
to the courthouse while the court was in ses-
{
and then returned unmoested to his kim
dom, crowned with the laurels of victory.
where he was ever afterwards permitted te
remain free from the visitation Of tax gather
ers He established AN entry takers Office,
exacting certain sum of money from every
man who brought his cattle into his tlomin
ions for the benefit of the range, and assign
cd TO each a certain portion of land, which
he designated by some particular name, as
Halle Patch, HQ7v Thicker. &C. This reg
ulation was generally acceded to without
dispute, by those who took their stock thith-
er. He some time ago drafted constitu-
! tion for a government on his own plan, which
was exhibited in court as evidence to estab-
lish his lunacv.
The origin of his antipathy against Higgins
was disagreement in thci" trading Greer
conceived that Higgins had told him false
hood, and he had treasured in his mind a
powerful aversion for lying. The quarrel
between them became so high that they
proceeded to blows; after which Greer ap-
piled to a magistrate and had his antagonist
arrested, as he has since avowcd, for the
sole purpose of having good chance to
shoot him, while he was under arrest. He
processes to believe that it is not wrong to
kill "bad man." and upon this ground JUS
tihcs his conduct. His first shot proved un-
successful, when he unperccived got ahead
of the party, and from a waste house near
the rode where they were to pass along on
their way to the magistrates, shot Higgins
dead on the spot. He was arrested by the
constable, MIR. Erwin, assisted by Mr.. Coop
cr, who had been aiding the constable to
apprehcnd and convey Higgins to trial, af-
ter violent resistance, Tin which 1t became
necessary to main HIM by shooting him
through the hand,) and committed to prison
in Jonesborough for trial.
| The case was ably argued by the counsel
on both sides. The ground OF defence as
sumed by the counsel for the prisoner was
his insanity. The jury retired about an
hour, and returned with a verdict of acquit-
tai in consequence Of insanity. A bond was
given to the court for the prisoners keeping
|
AS soon as he was discharged from custody.
he took up the line of March for his noun
tain kingdom.
The Cincinnati Emporium states, that at
the wocllen mandatory in that city, there
is model of machine for excavating tho
earth for the formation of canals, the inyen-
tion of Mr.. French, practical engineer. It
excavatcs, elevates and places the earth on
the side of the canal, i'll any given distance
from its margin.
A gentleman at Boston has presented to
the university, at Cambridge, a most valua-
bic collection of 400 models of crystals, made
in Paris for that distinguished mineralosisS'
| Count Bournon.
1 .dcciaenf.-John Wood, respectable younS
man, was drowned in Seneca Lake, BY me
upsctting Of boat. The editor of the Pal
ladium says"It is a singular fact, attending
the Seneca Lake, that bodies which SINK III
deep watcrnever rise again. Within lzof
Is years past, probably more than the SAINT
number of persons have perished by accideh,
tai drowning in the waters of the lake aho
never, IN a single instance, has one OF the"'
been known to rise agan to the surtae'
Many very ingenious theories have been IN
agined to account for this phcnomenoli--"S
for instance, that at the bottom OF the iake'
shere rise innumerable springs, the cnl
rents, eddics, and bubbling of the watei'
keep the sand in constant motion, which, ~