Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1878-04-30
Abingdon in the Days Agone.
Wolf Creek so Years Ago.
[ Number D. I


of cattle passed along the road going
Ia the east, mostly from Tennessee snC
Kentucky. These immense herds oi
cattle were driven on foot to eastern
Virginia. Maryland aud Pennsylva
mia and many a dollar was left al
along the line Of the road To gladden.
the heart of the farmer for his surplus
grass. SO great Was the demand fOI
paSturage that the drOves would fire.
queutly have TO diverge from the
main road several miles in search Oi
grass All the money thus spent
among the farmers is now gobbled up
10y the Railroad. From the latter part
of October to the lst of January the
roads would be lined with drOves OF
hogs numbering from few hundred
to 900 in a single drove vending
ing their weary wa 10y easy stages 10
eastern Virginia and North Carolina
where usually they met ready sale
and were bought by the planters and
consumed as bacon by thousands OF
negroes that at that day had to be fed
by the providence Of their owners Il
predict that many of this class do not
now use much hog meat. A large
number of horses and mules were al
so driven over the road. all going to
an eastern market. But the great
sight to the young folks of that day
was the large number of teams, with
the huge Pennsylvania horses, broad
tired v agons, with their clean white
covers, fine harness and gaudy trap
pings, and last, but not lesst, the hoop
shaped beifry attached to the top Of
the hsrnes, containing or bell on
each horse, and such q ringing and
jIuglIng as lot of these teams made
is not easy TO describe =; they always
brought to the front fence the Uumer-
Gus Juveniles of every house, and YVES
hailed with as much enthusiasm as is
nov produced 10y the advent Of Robin
sons circus in its annual passage
along the road.
Then comes the local trade, all done
in carriag {, wagons, carts, and on
wagons and carts Of
len filled with old people, children
aud dogs, five or six meu following
carrying guns and wumen ard chill
dren on foot, ASK them where they
are from. and the answer was fTe-
QUrntly Surry county, \ {. Whlth-
> t-ound ? POsey county, Indiana
= Z this time almost every wear could
- -a-n parties of Indians men,
rquIE- md pspTOo-cs-AiI j0uruey ing
to v Rshirgton City, on foot, TO visit
the Great F=ther, rs they called the
President. The men dressed i'll Tea
IHdisn costumes. carrying bow, ar
r0Us snd tOmahaWk The women car
ryinR the p&pPon-ts strapped To their
bHcks by tIanktf, with their heads
sticking above the BDibef'S. Some
times the citIZpUE would tHke q stick.
split one end put < small piece Of
coin iR the split aud stick Ehe other
end 0f the stick in the ground and
cfftr the Coin - Z rrIza 10 the one
81, cotiH2 It cut of tie split General
IS buC f,-G' >A"ts S,.f-- t;,ede before the
e in changed hands. when il WIS pick
rd UD IN E:rSt give. NJ young folks
had heard ro much Of Indian !arbsri
lies from the older citizens that We
!. al Wholesome dread of them.
sn amusing incident that
happe1ed to the writer. Myself and a
younger brother had been sent one
evening after the cows to a pasture
near where the negro ilIage of Frac-
now stands. Just as we
rescbed the top of hill near this
place ~p SAW 10 or - Indians coming
Ip the hill from the opposite direction.
In tite utmost terror we started for
home on run. and / am sure that
about the best piece OF pedtstrianism
hat I ever performed / did then and
.ht re-. While Gen Jackson WAS Pres
Dent he travelled at least twice from
= sShvilIe to Washington in his ear
-isge drawn by white horses. The
General being an Old acquaintance of
VI r.. CTsig's, always stopped TO see
ser. His coming was always herald |
'd in advance. so II at when he arriv-
-d there was large crowd assembled
o see and shake hands with him. All
hat time there were living many of |
h Eoldiers OF 1872 These men would |
walk for miles to see and shake hands |
Tilh their old commander, the Presi- |
tent. He was q tall, slender man, of |
inc military car iage and appearance. |
In the first settlement of this county |
leer were very abundant, and large |
lumbers were killed. The woods west |
# Abingdon were then called the |
,arIens and the bushes 20 low that |
'ou could see a deer long distance |
pushes as he fled before the hounds. -
recollFct often of seeing Judge john
ton, Gen. p. G. Johnston, old Mr |
Augusta OurY, VIM. Smith and Mr.. |
Ballard PISS by with a negro driver, |
II starter, and large pack of hounds |
N their way TO Walkers Mountain /
or deer hunt, and seldom returned |
without some of the party carrying
eer on their horses. and sometimes
arrying two or three. Not unfre-
uently the deer, when pressed hard
y he dogs, would pass the stands and
ome to the creek or mill ponds.
ave seen several thus caught. One
veniDg late ssw one thus driven to
he creek jump into garden and was
llied 10y n negro man with a cIub.
just at the ford Of the creek. near
'here Mfr. Hurt now lives, I have
cen told since I commenced these
auers, by perhaps the oldest resident
ow living that 3 lot of cabins or
smps were built that were used by
antilles going west to stay in when
rafting fer other emigranis to come
T, so As to have ss strong q force as
ossibie III case of danger or at ack
rom Indians. / also learned from
ne same source that Jas. Piper. when
e hret settled on the creek, had no
eighhors nearer than Seven Mile
ord, and that the first mill establieh-
In his resch was MOrelPs Mill, then
nown as Markland's Mill. The first
ak sown in the county. il ie said. the
led was brought by Mr.. Piper from
ear Wytheviile- When the females
ent cut TO mich the cows they we're
9usliy accompanied by some of he
len, with the ever ready rife. to stand
lsrd over them while performing
lst duty. Mnny of their lady de-
know hut little about such
lties ilow when no guard is needed.