Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-09-18

Turpin and one Of the Renfroes were
killed. The rest OF the little band
mainly women and children, escaped
in the night to French Lick. Soon af
ter, strange to relate, most o. them
went BACK to the little station on Red
River for the purpose Of bringing away
any articles the Indians bad not car.
ried off. Other persons from the
French Lick, even woman aud chill.
dren, appear to bave accompanied
them. The result OF this fool-hardy ex.
pedition is soon told The party had
camped all light at springa few miles
off from the Station on Red River.
I'm the morning. the historian tells
us, "Joseph Renfroe going to the spring
was fred at and instantly killed by the
Indians They then broke in upon the
camp and killed old mir. Johns and his
vile and all his family. Only one wo-
man, Mrs. Jones, escaped. Eleven or
twelve others, there at the time OF the
attack, were all killed. The Indians
taking possession OF the borses and
other property went off towards the
Sonth."
To this distressiul end came the ven
ture of Moses Renfroe and his little
band He gave to Red River the name
which it bears to-day; and he and his
sons, and his daughters, and his little
grandchildren, we're the first white
people who ever stood on the hills
around Clarksville and called it home.
Something more than hundred
wears ago. The Cumberland Country
had a wonderful interest for TIE dwell.
lers along the coast of North Carolina
and the old settlers in Virginia. Hun
ters had been through here, Dsniel
Boone among them, and even before
the beginning OF the Revolutionary
war had carried back wonderful tales
of the fertility OF the soil, the beauty
OF the valleys and romantic hills the
fish that filled the streams and the
game that abounded in the woods. Il
was learned also that no Indian tribe
had its fixed home here, though the
Cherokee and other tribes on the South
Fand the Shawnees on the North, wan.
dered over it as hunting ground, and
made it battle ground whenever they
Glanced to meet each other on their ex-
cursions.
One of our old citizens, Mr.. James
Ross, in a work which he published
some time since, "The Life and Times
OF Elder Reuben Ross" gives a most
interesting account OF his own trip to
this wonderful Cumberland in 1901
when he was lad of half dozen years.
Although twenty-seven years had then
elapsed from the time when old Moses
first set up housekeeping on the banks
of the Cumberland and Red Rivers, it
shows that the interest in this wonder
ful land was still fresh in the minds OF
the people in the old States, and that
marvellous les concerning it must have
been ahoat even then:
"The 9th Of may, 1907, was set for the
commencement OF the journey, on
which day all were to meet at a deserted
Episcopal church in pine forest few
miles West OF Williamson and there
pitch,their tents for the first time.
Several other families had concluded to
emigrate with US. Among these was
that of our uncle, Charles Cherry In
those early times, the emigrants that
left Carolina or Virginia hardly expec-
ted ever again to see those those from
they parted, especially if somewhat adj
vanced in years. The great distance,
the intervening mountains and rivers,
the difficult roads and the cruel savages
that roamed in around the new coun-
try, forbade the indulgence OF this
hope. They parted much as those do
who part at the grave"
''The children and the negroes that
were along kept up our spirits pretty
well by thinking and talking about
Cumberland, the name of the beautiful
new world we were to find at the end
Of our journey. We loved to hear the
word pronounced, and when journey
ing on towards it, if a stranger asked us
to what parts we were going, we an
swered proudly, TO Cumberland. y
We always lost heart though a little
when told there we're no shad or her
ring, chincopins, huckleberries, or pine
knots to kindle fires with, in all this
beautiful country. The negroes made
a serious matter of the pine knot ques-
ton, and thought the lack OF those a
great draw back to any county, however
blest in other respects-even on Cum
berland ITSELF.
Ao aarl., oc Eol-..o-.. 1877 -. -