The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1871-01-13

From the Home journal. -
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Bf COL. W. q. M'AD0c.
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The village of Clinton, in Eastern
Tennessee Is situated on the northern
shore of the river Clinch, ono ok the
most beautiful and important Of the
affiuents of the river Tennessee.
The name of the stream originated
! in a ludcrious circumstance connect.
cd with its earliest exploration by
| the white man, more than q century
since. An Irishman unluckily iguor-
ant of the art of swimming, was one
of the party of adventurous pioneers !;
end by some accident, he fell from
the rude raft that bore them into the
pellucid depths beneath. In his
! eager anxiety to survive, at least long
enough to complete his exploration
of the "new country" before adven-
turing into another world Altogether,
he exclaimed, with energetic fervor,
every time his head popped above
the surface of the water. "Cltnch
me boy" He was speedily rescued,
and amid the good-humored raillery
of his companions, it was agreed That
the river shonld be known as the
"Clinch," in commemoration of the
circumstance. fsas
The Indian name for this beautiful
river now displaced by the trivial in
cldent of serio:comic character just
related, was Pelissippi. confess \
preference for it, and q wish that 1t
were restored. Civilization is not
al ways improvement on barbarism.
The village itself, tickle as the river
or as woman, has also changed its
name. Originally, it was named
Burrville-honorine Vice. President
Aaron Burr in the very first years Of
the present century by its name and
its teeming population of an hundred
inhabitants. But after the storm of
popular indignation had bufst over
the name of Burr, in CONSEQUENCE Of
the death of Alexander Hamilton,
the discreet village quietly put aside
the name by legislative enactment.
The surname of the rising DE. Witt
Clinton fell over it as mantle, which
it yet wears.
1t was the very quictest OF all the
quiet villages of the earth at the pc
riod of the incident hereinafter re-
lated. There was not mile of rail
way in the whole State. The Pe.is-
sippi River was innavigable TO the
little steamers which sometimes did
puff and blow their way over the
shoals up the current Ol tho river
Holston TO the moro consequential
village of knoxville. A wall Oflofty
and picturesque mountains rose OH
the horizon in every direction. The
great world and its bustiing concerns
were shut out by the Titantic hand
of nature, and the deep repose which
usually rested over this charmed vii
lage was of that weird character as
cribed by Tennyson to the land Of
the LotOs Eaters, where Gas the poet
declarcs) 1.-The languid air did
swoon.'
About the beginning OF the year
lS4l this pleasing land of drowsy-
head was slightly startled by the
phenomenon of the arrival of a stran-
ger in the village. lie took lod yings
at the inu, and remained there with
ont eny apparent business tor Pc
riod of several weeks. He was rare
" seen outside of the limits OF his mar.
row apartment; yet he was not i'll,
and did ample justice at every meal
to the Widespread table of his host.
His time was chiefly spent in sitting
before good fire in his little room,
and in reading few small volumes
which he brought with him, and
kept carefully stored in his Saddle
bags" when not using them. His
horse and equipments bore the marks
of q long Journey. He repelled with
an emphasis bordering ON ferocity all
questions put to him by the curious
villagers respecting himself or his
past history. The humble inn kept
no register" and his name itself was
unknown. Whence he came-whith-
er he was going-were as much mys-
teries as our Savior affirms were the
comings Of the wind which "bloweth
where it listeth;' and these good
) sympathetic Samaritans of Clinton
were a great deal mole exercised
about them than they could have
been about any atmospheric pheno-
!, mena whatever. Public opinion III
this private little village was fast
, settling down into the belief that the
mysterious was insane, though the
wisest man of the village. with all the
dictatorial AMI overwhelming elo.
, quence OF Cfabbe's "Justice Bolt
stoutly maintained the theory that
he was all escaped convict.
5 The seal of death was speedily put
) upon al this mystery-to be broken
only after the great trump shall have
, been sounded, and the secrets of al
! hearts shall bc made known. Ono
: morning hc was found in the street
5 at some distance from the hotel, starL
! dead in his congealed blood, will
! traces OF desperate conflict with some
| unknown adversary on the frozei
; ground. about him. The mystcr,
{ which then hung, and yet hangs oveI
the affair, threw a deep and uncom
s mon feeling of horrer over the whole
l community. The weather was iii
!, tcmsely cold, aud for the purpose o
y holding an inquest over the body, il
;. was removed, after The arrival Of tht
: co:norer, TO the Court House, few
c wards distant L there beheld In.
i fearful sight. The frozen finger
$ were clenched, The arms contracted
C and the cye-balls glarcd beneath tn,
Il shaggy and scowling brows will
: demOniac hate that death himself hat
:. failed completely to quencl. | eau
Il uot describe tho overpOwering horro
It which seized me at behOlding tn
is spectacle, and it haunted me day AM
If night for weeks afterwaru. -
n Time passed ON, however. Th
le subject was talked Of less and les;
d and at last w as scarcely ever mention
y, cd. The horrible picture gradual
Ie faded from my youthful mind; or
d occasionally brought up by som
= passing circumstance, il was but In
rt distinctly, and was quickly banishc
,r for something more agree sble.
,t On New Years day lS42, ] too
lc ND nv abode in the village of Clinton
,e for the purpose of attending a Lati
l. school which had just been establish
is ed there. The gentleman Of Who's
in family became for time men
ID ber was sending his son to the sam
y school. Being clerk of one OF th
te courts, he had under his control
re very comfortable little room adjs
Of cent to his Office, on the upper st0r
Of of tile aua;St, old sto.e Court llous'
a whichs-u,ejn 4 s.led to US as study
Is room s4aE ymg apartment.
y found SH3 situation very pleas
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