The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1889-10-25
BRAssrowN CREEKS BATTLE.
A Deputy L. s. Marshal Sent to the Peni-
tentiary and an Ex-Lesi>latOr Gets
Into Jail.

Ientiary and EX.LegiSlatOr Gets
Into Jail.
At the late Superior Court of Clay
county a case was tried which was locally
known as the Battle of Big Brasstown
Greek, which according to the evidence
lasted some three hours and IN which over
hundred shots We're fired, some clothing
pierced with bullets, but nobody killed.
The facts as We learn them are these:
There was a small piece OF meadow land
in Clay county which has been in litiga-
ton for the last eighteen years, the case
having gone 10 the supreme Court three
or tour times In tie litigation the Chas-
talns were defendants and J 5. Ander-
son. formerly member of the legislature,
was their surety for costs ana general
Dacaer. The ChaStaIns We're finally beaten,
and the land having oeen sold under or
der OF court, Anderson became the pur-
chaser 10 save himself from loss. lmmed-
lately the position OF Anderson and the
Chastalns became antagonlstlc. The sher-
If placed Anderson IN possession of the
land, the ChastainS contendl1g that the
writ OF possession only covered part OF the
land. Threats and counter-threats were
made. Anderson bought a lot of Win
chester rifles, added shot guns and pistols
which he already had, and on the eleventh
of June last, IN at half past one at night,
left MS home at Hayeovllle, eight miles
distant, with twelve men and his arms,
and went TO the disputed land. The
ClastalnS had also supplemented their
stock of shot guns and pistols by the pur-
chase of nchester rifles and ammunition.
About an hour and a half before day, when
Ande rsou aud his party commenced tear
ing down fence erected by the Chastalns,
the CnastaIn party, who Were concealed III
the bushes across the creek, fired into
hA. An rot 10
! fire and there was continuous roll OF
| mushetry until daylight. The Chastain
party then fell back to the log residence
OF one of them on the hill. In this house
| ttey had cut port-holes and blackened the
| lids to the port holes. The Anderson
| party advanced, but when they got within
| 300 yards from the house Anderson with
| his glasses eSp.ed the blackened port
holes and would advance no nearer but
| rained shots on the roof and sides Of the
| house. One of the Chastain band fired
| from behind bee gum one of the An
derson party plugged it with mimic ball
| which shed not blood but bushel of
money.
The case came up for trial before Jud- -e
Clark at Clay this month. OF the Chas-
| tain party several were arrested, some
escaped over the State line, and only two
were identified and convicted. One OF
I'll, IL was sent to the penltentlary Tor =
Years and the other Tor 2. OF the Auder-
son party all thirteen were identified, but
only six were arrested, the other seven
having escaped over the line of the SIX,
the jury convicted all except boy, An
derson's son, who was acquitted. Ander-
son was sentenced to months in jail and
fined 800. His four followers got thirty
days each in Jail.
There has been no other case in North
Carolina like this except the we'll known
case of Ray and Anderson which was .
| similar attempt to settle the possession tc
a piece of land with fire arms. That case
resulted in the death of three Of four cltl
zens and bill of costs of $4,000 paid by
the tax payers of Mitchell county.
One of the Chastains sentenced to the
penitentiary Is or was Deputy L. 5
Marshal, and Capt. J. T. Anderson ha'
several times been member Of the Legis
lature from Clay, and was an Independent
candidate tor ne State Senate three years
ago against Kope Elias, Esq