Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-12-24
HABERSHAM HISTORY.

Old Time Freshet and HuFricane-The
Cold Saturday Of 1883.
The writer Of these "reminiscences was born
in South Carolina July Ii, 1929. His father
removed to Habersham county, Ga, about
the year 1892, and died on the 25th Of March,
1885. Thefau Of the meteors was in 1888, and,
strange as it may seea, never saw anything
Of It, neither did any one where was at that
time, and will therefore not here attempt a
recital or recapitulation, but merely say that
great excitement prevailed. On the next day
everywhere the opinion was that the sun
would never rise any more. The people met
and held meetings and prayed for deliver
ance. This grand phenomenon is very ably
written up by several able divine writer's.
The memorable cold Saturday was the Tth
day of February, 1888. and was the coolest
day we have any account OF. The chickens
froze and fell from the roof dead. Trees
froze and burst all that night, making report
like guns. The Thermometer the next morn
ing was from 4 degrees to 10 degrees below
zero.
The stage driver on one Of the mail routes
south of Habersham froze, and when the
horses came to postofice they halted; the
postmaster went out to get the mali and
found the driver In his seat cold and dead.
The Indians were the first settlers of Haber-
sham, but in the mountains where was
raised there were none, and / nevar saw any
of them. / have seen grea6 many relics, as
pieces Of dirt ovens, pipes and other curious
implements. There was said to be an old wo-
man that made a confession upon her death
bed to this effect: That there were once two
tribes and they got to fighting, and one of the
tribes annihilaoed the other. She went on to
say that the conquerors would bring some Of
the others to her tied and blindfoided, and
she would throw them into the river, where
they would go over Toccoa Falls She also
said that she could get forgiveness for every
thing she ever did but drowning these In
dams, but that her doom was fixed, and that
she was going TO he'll then to pay the penalty
of her crime
Calvin J. Hanks was killed at GAINESVILLE
q do not recolect what year,, and his muir
derer went to Texas and there went derang-
ed and died. / do not recollect his name
Texas at that time was entirely out of the
United States, and wes e place Of refuge
seemed like it did not matter what q man did,
if he could get to Texas at that time he was
perfectly safe.
Ward killed Roper at a place called the
Chopped Oak" about fourteen miles from
GAINESVILLE. Ward was Roper's son-in-law,
and they had bees out peddliug with wagon
and team, and Roper was killed with rock
for his money. Ward made his escape and
was gone for some time, but was finally tried,
convicted and hanged, but do not recouect
the year.
Jacob Stroup, from North Carolina, came
RI IA arSha1,, on1 arafsfod frYrY,aca on,
Soque, below Clarksvills, and run it for a
few years and sold out to John R. Matthews
and others, who were styled 1.-THE Haber-
sham Iron Works Manufacturing company"
and they ran but a few years. Jacob
furnace in what is now Barlow county.
Habersham furnished her quota of soldiers
for the Creek war of 1885, and the removal Of
the Cherokee Indians Of 1855.
The great May freshet that is known as the
Harrison freshet was in 1870 went to school
that day to David Hill. Considerable damage
was done, the bridges and mill swept away
by the raging waters. Steamboats, run ON
Broad street In August. Considerable dam
age was done everywhere. Philip Weeks
lived on an island On the Tugalo river, he
was young man and lived with bis mother,
and when the water commenced rising in the
house they got upon the bed and then In the
loft, and when the water rose up in the loft
they tore hole through the roof and got out
on top of the house, and at last when the house
began TO move this heroic young man told his
mother to hold him and he would make a
death struggle for liberty, and he went
through the surging waters and reached terra
firlna safely with his mother, but the house
went down the river to be heard Of no more.
In March, lS41, | and my brother, Green,
were in the field blowing was blowing q
little Chickasaw pony, and he was blowing q
steer. We were forty OF fifty yards apart,
and the wind had been bowling ell day.
About o'clock in rhe evening the hurricane
began in geod earnest. The trees commenced
popping and falling and terrible crash en-
sued stopped to see what Green was do
ing. He had cut the hamestring and turned
the steer loose, and At the same time chest
nut tree fell on the Chickassw pony and
killed it. The ster-m was going toward the
east, and 500 yards from where was it lifted
off the rough and weight poles and piled the
debris about twenty yards from the house
The hurricane then entered the pine ridges,
about mile east OF there, and blowed the
timber in every direction. Considerable
damage was done in the vicinity. Harrison
Black In GAINESVILLE (Ga.) Advertiser.
Where 1t Is Fun to BE q Boy.
In every Mahometan country it is more