Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1866-06-14

would scarcely have been recog-
nized as a road, if. the traveller
were not assured that such was
the fact, by the erection of pub
lie land mark.
After wandering, now this way
and that, the better part of a day
in this wilderness of the noun
tains, l accidentally fell into the
company of a mountaineer, who
with his rifle and his game on his
shoulder, was returning to his
home, which, he informed me, was
in the vicinity of Barbersville.-
In consideration of draught from
my flask, the man consented to be
my guide; and after wandering
through a succession of glades,
fens that were intersected with oc-
casional ranges of towering cliffs,
and deep and scarcely penetrable
forests, we reached the city of my
search. Itcontained q building, oc-
cupied as Jail; grist mill. a
tavern, a blacksmith's shop, and
gallows and stocks, and a whip
ping post. It's entire population
might have amounted to thirty or
forty, possibly fifty persons,-I
was too late when | arrived to at
tend to any business,-especially,
was l behind banking hours, and
bank business, and therefore made
up my mind to wait till the next
morning, ere / attempted to do
anything. In the meantime, 1
availed myself Of beautiful
moonlight night, and a vacant
hour, to look at the Elephants of
the magnificent city of BARRIERS
vile. The first object that AVA
kened my curiosity, was the build
ing occupied by the president,
Directors, and Company of the
Bank of Barbersville." | was in
debted to the courtesy of the only
servant that was in the hotel, for
a personal inspection of the oast-
side of the edifce. 1t was COM
posed of round logs, dove-tailed
together at the ends, and was, !
should think, about fifteen feet
long, by six or eight in width, and
might have been six or seven feet
high. And this was the banking
house that had already inundated
the State of Kentucky with a Sc
ries of beautiful bank notes, en-
graved by Murray, Draper, Fair
man and Company, Of every de-
nomination, from one dollar to
one thousand. To me the edifce
was an absolute novelty, though it
did not seem to awaken the espe-
cial wonder of my conductor, the
hostler.
The Jail was indeed curiosity,
in architecture as well as utility.
1t was composed of logs, erected on
superstructure and base of the
same material, perched at least
fve-and-twenty feet in the air.
1t was approached by a ladder,
which its keeper put up and took
away, as necessity, convenience, or
his caprice dictated. The main
door was confined by placing the
shaft of tree, some fifty feet in
length, against it, butt-end fore
most, while the smaller end rested
on the ground. The great weight
of the shaft rendered it formi-
dable means of security and con-
finement, for it took at least q doz-
en- men to move it. That it did
afford abundant means of confne-
ment, was proved by the fact, that
at the time 1 saw it, it contained
two incarcerated victims, under
sentence of death for murder.
Having seen quite as much OF
Barbersville as / desired, went to
bed, slept soundly,sand the next
morning, at 10 o'clock, ! called on
Col. Joseph Eve, the President,
and Mr.. Benjamin Tuggle, the
Cashier of the Bank of BARRIERS
vile, and desired them to liquid
ate the claim | presented.
Col. Joseph Eve wasa good look
ing man, and seemed to be in pos
session of some of the qualities of
civilization; but Mr.. Benjamin
Tuggle, Cashier, was a very diff.
ferent kind of parsonage. He was
blind of an eye; his face bore def.
mite marks OF many a bloody af
fray; and the haft and hilt of the
long bowie knife that protrnded
: from his bosom, made quite an un un