The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1881-06-29
A Surprised Town and a DiSap-
pointed Captain.

70 genuine surprise. Everybody
for awhile was engaged in asking
everybody else what it all meant
and who was able to answer anybody
the question. a company ofsoldiers
with uniform on, feathers in their
caps, guns in their hands, fire fash
ing from their fierce eyes had sud
denly marched into the town.
Where they were from no one knew.
What they came for no one knew.
Who they were going to fight and
capture and xiii was unknown.
After a while the Sheriff of the
county and the Captain of the army
were seen on the street together in
conversation. When they separated
everybody rushed to Bob Blevins to
find out what he had to tell Bob
smiled quietly and said he did not
know exactly why the soldiers
came, but it appeared that the Gov
ernor of the State hal ordered them
to report to him or to the jailor Of
Hawkins county for duty. Bob
said as he had no use for men with
arms, he had ordered the army to
take the train at Z o'clock and ride
hack To RpOv0iIIa
Upon inquiry it was found that
somebody at Knoxville or Morris
town had been telegraphing fright
ening stories to Governor Hawkins,
representing to him that there was
tremendous excitement in Hawkins
county about the murder Of Arthur
Larkins; that there was great danger
of a mob taking George Larkins
from the Sheriff and killing him. It
was also said that kilograms had
been sent to Washington asking for
the United States Army to come
here to keep the peace. We wish
General Sherman had come and
brought his twenty thousand men.
1t would have been a general show
for our little boys and girls who
came into the world since the war and
never saw any soldiers. But Sher-
man never came, and we are sorry.
AS we said, however, Capt. New
man came into town with his TROOPS"
at daylight. We venture the guess
that Capt. never in all hi S march
ing days marched into just such
quiet village. A Sabbath morning
in May was nothing to it for quiet
ness on that occasion. The entire
day before the troops" come had
been remarkable for its quietness.
There were no loafers on the streets.
The squad that lounge about the
shady grove at the rear Ofthe Court
House had dwindled down to one
lazy good-for-nothing white boy and
two darkies Of equal bad character.
l'very man and boy who had any
work n him was and had been for
a good man. days, busy. Quiet
ness reigned supreme in Rogersville.
And yet the wires between Knox
Vile and Nashville were hot with
dispatches about the mob. Who Is
the fool that got up the panic? We
would like to know. If the fellow
that got it all up had any object
what was that object? 1t has cost
the State of Tennessee four or five
hundred dollars. What for?
We have no criticism to make up
on Gov. Hawkins in this matter.
He was deceived and imposed upon
by designing men or by men who
from some unknown cause had got
ten themselves into a panic. The
Governor was doubtlessly trying to
act for the best interest of the State,
and to keep the public peace. We
can say to Gov. Hawkins, however,
that so far as his namesake, Hawk
ms county, is concerned, the people
up here are not likely to give him
any trouble. We are all busy. We
love peace. We are as a general
thing law-abiding citizens. We
have entire confidence in the cour-
age and prudence of our sheriff and
his deputies. If a mob should at
tempt to commit murder here,
Sheriff Blevins can get two Thousand
home men in this county to stand
by him and enforce the law. We
can tell Governor Hawkins another
thing, and it gives us pleasure to
say it; The people of Hawkins
county have entire confidence in the
integrity, uprightness, and unfinch-
ing frmness of Judge Newton
Hacker. We are entirely willing
to trust the fate of all violators of
the law into his hands. It does not
matter how high or low the violator
of the law may be, Judge Hacker
will hold the balance even, pre-
nounce the law as it has been written
in the books, and the men of old
Hawkins viii stand by him, sup
port him and see that all things
are done decently and in order.
There is no danger of mobs here.
We want no troops to help our own