Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-12-11
JACKSON AND DON

This Quaint little town. nesting
among the hills of east Tennessee, is
The oldest in the state and was once,
says a correspondent Of the New York
IlybUnc at Janesboro, Tenn, the seat
OF The territorial government. 1t was
settled in 1919, and is now the county
seat OF Washington county. which was
then part of North Carolina. and ex-
tended rs far west as the Mississippi
river. In the logs of an old stable,
still standing in the middle OF the
town, is to be seen q remnant of the
old courthouse i'll which, during the
first yaars>of the present century, An
drew Jackson sat as presiding Judge,
and other less noted cele brities appear
ed as counsel for the enterprising pio-
ncers. The present temple of justice is
more p%retentious, but some of the first
records of the county are still preserved
in it. In looking over the musty vol
umes to-day, a Tribune correspondent
came upon the following remarkable
record, which is reproduced word for
word. The docket from which it is
taken extended from Feb, 10, l7SS, to
Feb, %. 1893, the date of this partiou-
lar case being Feb. %. 1890. 1t shows
with what great severity ho~rse-thievcs
were treated by the intrepid pioneers:
State Of North Carolina Who by jury are
John Wilson i Jas: Fulsa,n. horsc-s'ealinig.
Being called TO the bar anu asked what they
had 10 say why sentence agreeable to law
should not be passed upon them. say nothing.
ltis therefore ordered that the said John
Wilson ana james Eulsam be confined i'll the
public for the space OF one hour, that each of
Them have both their ears nailed to the pill
lory and severed from their heads. That
they receive at the public whipping-post
thirty-ninc iashes upon their bare backs. well
laid ON, and that each OF them be brandcd
upon their right check with the letter II and
on their Jeff cheek with the letter +, and That
lne. sheriff of Washington county put this
sentence into execution between the hours
III IL and i this afternoon.
Along the margin of the docket is
significantly written: "Sentence exc
cutcd.'' Such lawbreakers were al
Ways obnoxious to Tennesseeans and
less than twenty years ago horse-stealing
was a capital oifense in this state. The
same dockets in later years bear the
bold signature of Andrew jackson, pre-
siding Judge, in more places than one.
III the latter part OF the past century he
was admitted to the practice OF the law
III Washington county, and a few years
later he was elevated to judgeship. The
memory of "Old Hickory'' is still green
in The minds Of the older residents of
Joncsboro, and they delight to narrate
"reminiscences of the intrepid warrior.
i tradition showing at the same time
the remarkable courage and true dem
Ucracv Of the man is as follows: Rus
sell Bean, probably the first W bite child
born III what is now the state of Ten
ue@see, grew up to be Il great Indian
fighter and Il very desperate man.
Along in 1902 he made Il protracted eX-
cursion into the Indian country, and
returning found a new occupant of the
cradle at his iireside. which the length
Oi his absence led him to believe had no
claims on his paternity. The discovery
naturally iucensed HIM and in Il fit of
anger he brutally cut of the child's
cars, rem1rking, rs he did so: Il want
TO be able to distinguish the brat from
my legitimate children" This bar
barily greatly incensed sober-minded
people OF jnc new settlement, and
when court assembled an indictment
was found against him Tor manning the
child. Bean deiied the sheriff, and,
prouluiming that be would never be
taken alive. ~intrenched himself among
the ~chinquapin bushes on Greene hill,
which rises 1T the south Of the town.
He was well armed, and the sheriff and
bis posse We're afraid to attempt his
capture. although they had him entire
ly surrounded. That officer, not want
inc TO Kill Bean and much less to sac
rillce any OF his w men, repaired to
the court room, where Judge jackson
was presiding, for Instructions. The
facts having been reported to him,
Jackson said: ''Enforce the law. Bring
III your man, either dead or alive. ii
YOU have not men enough to do it, sum
mon them. Summon anybody and
everybody; summon the court If nee
essary.'
''In that case, Judge said the sher.
III. Il will summon you"
''All right replied Jackson; q
think we can bring him. You need not
summon any more"
Having adjourned the court and Sc
cured his pistols, he strobe rapidly up
the hill, and was 0 o confronting the
desperate singlc-handed. That worthy
'iiscrcetly surrendered, admitting after
ward that be ''Saw shoot in Jackson's
eye, AS the story goes, the prisoner,
"ho that morning had boastel that he
vas "a stallion that no one could
.ide,'' was taken down the hill and Sc
cured under Il w"gon-bed upon which
4 huge stone was with difficulty placed.
In the morning lie craWled out from his
restricted prison house and was taken
before the Judge, The memory Of the
oldest lnhabit< fails TO recall what
punishment Bean was made to suffer,
and 10 record remains.
SIX miles from Jonesboro, on what is
called Boone creek, stands q huge beech
aree, in the bark of which is still leg
lb!e the inscription:
D.. boone cilled bar on tree:
and under this is a date not legible. but
supposed 10 be ITO. Daniel Boone,
Who hunted throu.. this country pre-
yious to the first settlement, was q
warm personal friend OF Col. John
SeYter, the famous ".Nolichucky Jack.n
WHO was the inst governor of the state
ui El'aHkIand, or the present state OF