Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-02-16
THE LARGEST CIRCULATION
CT ANY Daily Published in East Tennessee.
THE FRANKLIN COUNTY DIFFICULTY.

Our readers are aware that certain gen.
tlemen of Franklin county were arrested
near Winchester last week, for an alleged
violation of the Internal Revenue law, by
illicit distillation of spirits. They are
aware, also, that it is alleged on the part
of United States officers, that mob, COM
posed of the citizens residing in that vi
cinity, rescued certain gentlemen after
they were arrested. After the rescue, the
officers proceeded to Nashville, procured a
detachment of troops, and returned to
Winchester, where they made number
of arrests, including among them Jesse
Arledge, a member of the late Constitu-
tional Convention, and other prominent
men, who were implicated in the rescue
of the prisoners mentioned. They were
taken before United States Commissioner
Goodwin, who held them all to bail in the
sum of 200, except Jesse Arledge, whom
he required to enter into bond i'll the sum
of $4,000 for his appearance before the
next term of the Federal Court to be held
at Nashville. The charge against the par
ties is that of ''unlawfully resisting
and opposing United States
officer in executing process of a United
States court directed to a United States
officer, and receiving property lawfully
seized by an agent of the United States
Internal Revenue Department, and rescu-
ing and removing distilled spirits, con-
trary to the provisions of the seth section
of the act of Congress, passed July Goth,
1857 We suppose the facts of the case
will be brought to light when it comes up
for investigation in court. Just now they
have rather ugly look for the people of
that country, who, though once notorious
ly rebellious, have for some time past been
very loud in their protestations of loyalty.
The most influential men of the commu-
nifty in which the affair came off are inn
plicated, and to look at the matter in its
most favorable light, it does not give this
man Arledge the reputation of ordinary
prudence. Look at it just as it is present
ed by various gentlemen in the Nashville
papers, and it does not appear as if these
people were peculiarly the law-abiding peo~
of the State. 1t looks very much as if
there was mo great anxiety to obey the
laws of Congress, and very little repug-
nance to engaging in a resistance to the
United States officers.
Considered altogether, it is very unfor-
tunate affair for the people of the commu-
nifty where it occurred land in some degree
will throw discredit upon the entire State.
In this connection, we must beg of our
Northern contemporaries, and of strangers
generally, not to confound East Tonnes
see with that portion of the State west of
the mountains. Take your Biographies and
you will see that the Cumberland noun
tains intervene between us, and they do
not present a more formidable natural bar
rier than is presented in the difference of
political sentiment between our people and
those west of the mountains. Middle
and West Tennessee were intensely rebel
lious. East Tennessee was just as strongly
devoted to the Union. There, outrages are
of frequent occurrence. Here the people
respect and obey the laws of the country.