The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1879-05-14

BEULAH P. o., Greene Co., Tenn,

may ~, aACeU.a@J p
A CURIosITY-ANCIENF HOLES AND PINS.
To the EditOro< the aE0rristovn Gazette
l have In my possession curiosity
which, I viii describe but not attemptatoa
name the time when formed. Jacob Ba-
ker owns the old General Anderson farm
known as The Soldiers Rest, Il is situ-
ated some eight miles from your town,
and three miles from here. Sometime
last winter DIR. Baker was cutting fence
timber, and Frustrated a white oak,
which measured three feet three inches
through at the cutoff, two aud a half
feet from the ground. On splitting the
tree open there were found in the heart
rail two pins, which were placed there
when the tree was but sapling, evident.
". The holes We're made by an inch
auger, and were about four and five feet
from the ground, one direct above the
other. I have querried whether these
holes were bored one hundred, or more
than three hundred, years ago. If the
latter, these holes must have been bored
and the pins made by De Soto's men,
when they made a famous march from
the sea, through Florida, South CarOli
ma, North Carolina, Tennessee aud Ken
lucky into Ohio, of which history gives
us an imperfect account. The pins are
made of strait grained wood, but judg-
es differ as to the kind, though the ma
jority believe them dogwoOd. Remain
ing in the tree so long, they have become
light in weight, though seemingly SOUND
on looking at them from the outside.
They appear decayed when looked at
from the broken ends. The joints are as
perfect as when hewed out of the tree,
for the marks made by the dull AK or
Ratchet are still visible on the wood.
One was sharpened by six strokes OF the
tool and the other by five.
RELICS FOR THE SMITHSONIAN.
In the last year, I have been gathering
fossils, Indian implements and old-time
relics, which I intend to send t. the
Smithsonian Institute, Washington city.
That institution has agents gathering
the like all the wide world over, and as
the superintendent and his agents and
assistants wits are sharpened by investi-
CATION, will let them have these chips
containing the anger hole and pins that
were found in them, for study
REMINDER AND A REQUEST,
By the way, the late Capt. Treece,
who lived near Tazewell, in Claiborne
county, had some Indian implements,
when visited him last summer, and
promised me to send them to the post
master at TazeweIl, Capt. Snow, subject
to my order. Please allow me to inquire
of him, through your paper, if he has
any relics for me, and if so, to send them
to your office, for which the officers of
the Smithsonian Institute will thank
him, as we'll as myself. .-.
HUGE CUT.
On Wednesday last, James Luttrell,
late of your town, who is running Bash
er's mill, on Flat creek, in Hamblen
county, some seven miles from Morris
town, sawed poplar log which meas
ured more than four foot through. 1t
was cut on the farm OF Mr.. Bull, who
resides near st. Paul's church. 1t was
so large that the saw could not reach
through it, 50 Mr.. Luttren faced" it on
one side, ran the saw through it and then
turned it over and ran the saw through
on the opposite side, which was a very
nice operation. . ..s...c p
THE CROPS.
The wheat crop, hereabouts, is look
ing only tolerably well, aud never will
till the farmers prepare their land bet.
ter. ca ea aFJ
The young corn is being destroyed by
the cut worm. There is considerable
ground to be planted in corn yet.
Spring oats are coming up very well.
The winter oats were, but are not, in
these corners. They are most thorough
ly winter killed.
The grass is late, owing to the cold of
April and the dry spell preceding the
late abundant rains. It is now too late