The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-08-28

tco country, assembled, and set up Q ssp@
srste government Of their own. Tbil
Government called itself "the State Of,
franklin" and for four years sll The
functions OF . regular State government
existed. 1t had Legislature which en-
acted laws and even made treaties with
neighborinR powers. It also sent o.
delegate to the Congress Of the United
States, yet that body refused to recoa.
nise him.
Matters grew to such proportions, and
in such defiance Of the regular North
Carolina authorities, who insisted upon
the collection Of taxes and the exeroiss
Of other powers over the colonists, that
the Governor Of North Carolina felt
called upon to suppress the "Holston
rebellion" He did it with one Colonel
Upton and small body of State mill
itia, which met the forces of the seces-
sion at point ten miles east Of Jones'
boro, In Washington County, Tenn,
then tho oldest town in the State. A
few lives were lost in the short battle
which ensued. The "leader OF the re-
bellion," as he was called, Colonel
Sewer, was captured or surrendered.
He was taken, in irons, for trial in the
State courts at Morganton in North Car
olina. A few dauntlcss followers from
the colonists on the Holston, with
others, followed and rescued SEWER
from the officers of the law, and he
escaped into the country west of the
Blue Ridge, where he afterwards evaded
and defed capture. His rescucrs after
wards became among tho most famous
people in North Carolina, the McDowells
being in the number. Colonel Sewer
and Colonel Mcdowell, the founder Of
the North Carolina family, had been
previously associates In the attack upon
the British at Kings Mountain.
Sewers family have, likewise, be-
come eminent in the history of Ten
nessee. Colonel A. S. Colyar tho noted
Nashville editor, politician and flnan-
cier, is lineal descendant of Governor
SEWER.
The Legislature Of North Carolina, at
its first session after Colonel Sewers
escape from the State authorities, passed
IN act pardoning Sewer.
One Of the State laws of Franklin has
been often quoted and made the subject
OF wit and laughter. The lawful cur
rency Of the State, the circulating
medium Of the realm" as the historian
puts it, was: FLAX cloth, three shil-
lings and six pence per yard; coon-skins,
shilling and three pence apiece; and
whisky, two shillings and six pence per
gallon" But even this primitive cur
rency was sometimes "coun forfeited"
as we are told, and by the sowing Of
coon tails to 'possum hides. In this
way one long tailed coon and one pos
snm hide could bo converted into what
passed for two coon skins.
The great Daniel Webster on one 90
casion in the United States Senate at-
tempted to poke fun" at one Of his COZ
leagues from the South, in allusion to
his ''coon skin currency" The 'col-
league became indignant, but the affair
ended more pleasantly than have some
of the remarks Of modern statesmen Of
in that august body.
Governor Sewer was great and i'm
pressive man who figured extensively
in the history Of the country in four
States. Yet the student may search In
vain for any reference to him or to "the
State Of Franklin"-of which he ives
the head, center and ruling splrlt-in,
many Of the most pretentious volumes
of American literature dealing with
history or biography. AS secession has,
cost the Nation so much in blood and
treasure and estrangement, it is little
curious that moro has not been said
about this first secession in the history
Of the Nation.
Among the Northern friends Of Colonel
Sewer who sympathized and COR
responded with him in regard to tho
new State was old DR.. Ben Franklin.
But 1t is due to his memory to state
that all his relations to the new move
ment were not inconsistent with those
Of the true patriot In all his cor
respondence with Colonel Sewer there
is nothing revealed showing that at any
time was he sympathizer with real So
cession. From the great Pennsylvania
the State received its name. 1t would
appear that DR.. Franklin had been So
licited to become q sort of godfather
to the new sovereignty Some OF tha
old pionesrs insisted on calling the now
State "Frankland," in token of the
frank and dauntless people who eom-
posed its population. Official docu-
ments of the government were quite as
frequently signed "Frankland" as
Franklin"