Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1882-04-03
AMONG THE NATIVES IN TEN
NESSEE.

ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE OF THE MoN1ToR.I
At the close of my last letter we
were just driving into Cookville, the
little village which is the county-seat
of Putnam county, Tenn, and the
only village in the county, for Ten
nessee is not divided into townships,
as Vermont is, and there is nothing
to stimulate the growth of village
at any point, save at the county seat,
and that is located as near the geo.
graphical center of the county as pos
sible. In one county of the state
this is carried rather beyond the point
of reason, for the courthouse, jail,
etc., are located on the top of
mountain which, with an evenli"r+
span of horses to haul us, it took an
hour and quarter to climb, and driv-
ing that time did not pass place of
residence. In fact, there was no
room for houses, for the road is built
up the side of a mountain covered
with rocks and stones, and in very
few places is it wide enough to per-
NIT two teams to pass each other.
There is, you see, good reason for
the preference given to horseback
riding, for carriages get pretty Sc
we're treatment and sometimes their
occupants fare worse than they do.
Cookville has two hotels, four or
five churches, few stores, saloons,
etc., court house, jail and residences
for perhaps three hundred people.
1t looks quiet and peaceful enough to
satisfy any ordinary mind that life,
liberty and happiness are as safe in
Cookville as in Barton. Perhaps
they are; Barton may have changed
since [ knew it we'll. l presume your
friend of the recent Florida CORE
spondence Che will pardon me for
forgetting his name) would be quite
certain that either in Cookville or
| Sparta, of which | wrote in my last,
| there were no men with either pistols
or knives about them. / wish there
was no cause to think that gentleman
might be mistaken, but after rather
extended experience in several por-
lions of the sunny south, | would
recommend him never to feel sure
about the absence of pistols and
knives until he has personally inter-
viewed every mans rear breeches
pocket, and shield pocket on the left
side of his coat.
AS rule men do not wear theil
implements of war for ornaments to
their watch chains, but the Judge ovel
in Georgia, who had occasion the
other day, to demand that every per-
son in the court room should bring
his body arms to him, found that
there were fUe men present, who, fol
some unexplained reason, had no pis.
tol, the rest of the crowd were well
equipped. | wouldn't swear every
man in Cookville and Sparta wears 6
shirt, but | will that, ds rule, he
carries a weapon of some sort.
Why, during the ten days previous
to our visit, two men were murdered
in Sparta, in broad daylight, and nc
arrests. During the third week fol
lowing our visit man killed his fa
ther-in-law, and shot two of his neigh
bors. No one was arrested. The
same day a boy fifteen years old sho
his father dead-but this was five
miles from McMinnville, where W.
started from.
In Cookyille, less than year pre-
vinus to the time of our visit, mar
was knocked down, his skull broker
in two places, bullet put through
his thigh, and he left for dead; +.
companion was also shot, and th,
Threats of their two horses were Gu
by their enemies. The man who's,
skull was broken recovered, but +.
week ago, while riding within tire,
miles of McMinnville, he was killed
by men secreted by the roadside
twenty-four bullets entering his bod,
one carrying away his nose, tw'