The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1881-03-23
& CIR EvouS WRONG,
How .hc Trouble About Titles
20 Cumberland Mountain
Lands Originated.
From the McMinnyi.lc New Era.

&
/ From the McMinnyi.Ic New Era
In your issue Of Feb, 10 YOU have m
Im..cIo headed "Grueti," in which very
/ JUS. complaint is made Of the suits
| brought against the settlers by "claim-
ants to the lands they have purchased
.oni improved" 1t IS time this matter
vas thoroughly Investigated and the
titles 3, these land. put in such shape
that settlers may be assured they will
not be robbed by irresponsible persons
selling lands, the tides to which have
.my cuim upon them. The foundation
Land root Vi this difficulty originated in
inc immense fraud committed years ago
by one Edmond Monroe, and Samuel
I 3. R9rrolI, If Boston, Mass, who en-
yIoycd one john stump t. enter large
Judj,s al land under the act Of lS29-3O,
vita Il view Oh speculation, but in doing
wilc& they went beyond the lNw in such
q aoy that the Grants they obtained ON
them, il i, coulcNdcd, conveyed no IL
tie. | will rndeayor 70 explain their
proceeding, but before doing 50 will
state that this John Stump, under the
pretcucc Of this act, entered for these
parties, SO,OOOacrcS OF land in Franklin
county, i6LSlZ IN Warren, l2O IN Ma
npn h",VOo III EcItce, $4,000 in Lin
coin, 10000 in Cannon and Others
making N the whole JOU,OO acres, all
Of which We're pretended TO be assigned
to the said S'amHrl i. Darrell, in whose
name grants were issued. The law Of
l22j-3O reads Ns thus:
p, t,,.ot..I L.. a., co,o.ol A.
.,,, ,r,,1 ,.', tq,'",,o. Dl',' ., ,L';,
lan InJ NAV. hn L,v r,'I Gnr nny n ,,',, >,
,r ,,.r.',.,.4n ont.. am' nh,n,n ,,,.,L :, -
1 ,;,. rI '''',' o', ,,i I',', e,,a
w., ,I,I|r.innJ * nnoI na.,, ' nnr,, an5 oast
- ,La ' r,,'.nao, ral "'. ' ra
J ,n - , ' T'', ,,' ,'|, ''''
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The records show they commenced in
Franklin county, where they used the
, names Of sixteen individuals, one to
tacH i,y" thousand acre entry or tract I;
, ,hcnro they went to Warren county, and
q from there to Marion and 50 ON, using
the same names they had originally
used in Franklin, and again in other
counties as they took them in rotation,
thus infringing on and invading the in
| ;cntion Of the statute, which says that
+ no person shall enter more than five
thousand acres in the territory north
and east Of the Congressional rcscrya-
7 ton lime, and north Of the Tennessee
b river. In further illustration | will
describe their actions in Marion county.
s At that time Samuel b, Mitchell was
The County Surveyor. The mountains
in Those days we're sparseIy settled, and
tine party stayed all night with Osborne
' Thompson, whom they employed as a
= chain carrier, stating to him their bust
ness. AT his suggestion they ran out
, Tor HIM, around where he lived, Il five
hundred acre tract, before they com
moncod their general operations. They
, then made their starting point from Il
g bridge that crossed the Big Gizzard
creek, on the old lligginbotham turn.
pix" rrad, running due west one mile +;
from this point they turned due north
.aod ran about fifteen hundred poles !;
they then turned east and at about four
I hundred poles came to the bluff at Little
.o'QUAt"bie. II Was the fashion at that
time 10 carry jugs Of whisky on expc-
,d,tipns Of this kind, and by the time
! this point was gained they had mbibcd
,cnaugh to induce them to quit work,
and ihoy all returned to 'Inompson's for
the night They had now got sufficient
data to enable them to plat and enter
the whole county, which the, did andn0
further surveying was made. IN pla.
tiug they continued this imaginary
north line to the extreme of the county
and set off ), 900 acre tracts right and
left; but for the purpose Of giving the
appearance Of reality to their proceed
ing, they gave various dates to their
entries, and the books show the follow
ing Us Il sample: Entry 1885, dated
Feb, II, 1887, Frederick II. Stump en-
tcrs 5000 acres beginning ON the north
west corner Of Leonard p. Chcatham,
then north 500 poles, then west S9G
poles, then south 500 poles, then to the
beginning. Entry l5ll, dated Novem-
Der "A, 1896, Thos Craddock enters
1000 acres, beginning on the northeast
corner Of Frederick II. Stump, then
east S96 poles, then south 500 poles,
then west S9G poles. then tu fine hrriu.