Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1879-09-04

the noteworthy characters in the an
nails of Tennessee.
Sewer was the foremost man in all
the councils and enterprises of the
men who afterward formed the State
of Franklin. He was the commander
of the Tennessee Rifemen at Kings
Mountain, and was chosen as the first
Governor, and continued to be the
only Governor of the State of Frank
lin.
Sewer fought hard for the State,
but after the first year of its exist
ence the fight was losing one, for
North Carolina, after the first aban-
donment of her offspring, suddenly
turned about and reasserted her juris-
diction. She had all the power, and
had the communication between the
two States been easy, and bad she as
serted her rights with vigoc aud
promptness, the revolt Of the western
counties would have been crushed in
its ;ncipiency; but the fact that these
two conditions were entirely wanting
necessarily made the policy of North
Carolina a s'waiting" Que, and this
policy, assisted by feuds and divisions
in the State of Franklin, made a
peaceful and bloodless settlement of
difficulties possible.
Major John Upton seems to have
been as unlike Sewer as it is possible
for two men to be. He had none of
Sewers suayity Of manner he was
brusque and uncompromisipg-a man
TO whom it was impossible to endure
a rival, who aspired to leadership,
and who was jealous of all who con-
tended for it with him. This man
had supported the State of Franklin
in its early days, but afterward, prob
ably because he saw that Sewers in
fuence was likely to oyershadow his
own. threw the whole weight of his
influence in favor of return 10 the
jurisdiction of North Carolina,
So rapidly did the fabric of the new
State perish that three years after its
establishment, in the words of re-
cent writer upon the subject, ''no
Legislature at all could be assembled,
and it was one of the duties of the
Legislature to elect the council, and
as the Legislature at its last session
had failed to do this, the council was
soon a thing of the past. To COM
plete this catalogue Of misfertunes,
Judge Campbell, the head of the ju-
dietary, accepted office under the gov
ernment of North Carolina. Gov
| crnor Sewer was left alone in his Off
cial dignity. Even this sole relic Of
the Franklin government would not,
in the natural course Of events, re-
main long exempt from the general
wreck, for the Governors term ex-
pired on March 1, 1888, and it being
a constitutional function of the Leg
islature to elect the Governor, and
there being no Legislature tc perform
this duty, it followed inevitably that
after March /, 1888, there would be
no Governor of the State of Frank
| lin.'
Such were the facts and the State
of Franklin thus ended, but its clos
ing days were marked by the culmi-
nation of the rivalry between Upton
and Sewer in an open encounter be
tween the two and their respective
forces. During a temporary absence
of Sewer on the frontier Upton had
confined in his house certain slaves
taken from Sewers homestead by le-
gal process. On hearing this Sewer
marched with $50 men to Upton
house, and for three days laid siege
to it. Upton had few men with
him, and when Sewer called upon him
TO surrender he replied that Sewer
might ''fire and be damned" Neither,
however, made q direct attack upon
the other, Upton not doing so on &C
count of interiority Of force, and Sc
vier because he was at heart peace
full man, and did not wish to cause
useless bloodshed. At length, on the
morning of the fourth day, a detach
ment from Sullivan county came tt
Tipton's assistance. The morning
was bitter cold, snow was falling
and Sewers scouts had all come intt
camp to warm themselves. Seeing
the state Of affairs the Sullivan militi;
moved cautiously up. and when Close
enough "raised q shout which seemed
to rend the heavens" and the be
sieged, headed by Upton, also rush
, ing out, panic seized Sewers mel
and they fed in every direction.
Sewer met with no more trou5l
from either State or local authorities
He returned home, and although fo
a time suffering from political disa
bilities, he finally became Governo
Of Tennessee, and for many year
. served in the House Of Representa-
. tives at Washington.
, The Cincinnati Commercial is mis-
taken as to the name. The new Stat
:, was called the State of FRANKLANT
instead of Franklin.
The lady was eating grapes. bu
o the sighted gentleman acros
Z the street thought she was throw
b ing kisses, and very gallantly thre'
e them back until roar of laughte
b acquainted him Of his error, an
Il L FILL