The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1891-02-26
BOONE, ROBERTSON. SEWER.
How the First Settlement Beyond
the AIIeghenies Was Made.

Baltimore Sun
Prof. James Roberts Gilmore gave
the frat of series.of lectures at the
Peabody Institute last night. Prof.
Gilmore is widely Snown by his pen
name Of Edmund Kirke,' under
which several ni his early novels were
written, the most popular being his
tale Of Southern life Among the
Pines" He is the author of a large
number OF other works, and is now en-
gagged in editing national encyclope
dia of American biography.
Prof. Gilmore's subject for his first
lecture vas "The First Settlement Be-
yond the Alleghenies He said 10
part; "Daniel Boone had visited this
region rs early as 1760, but he was by
no means its original explorer, nor
was he in any sense, as he is so often
styled, the founder Of Kentucky. At
first he was a mere hunter, then the
agent OF a company of land specula
tors. But he had the good fortune to
be the first to set in motion the stream
OF Western colonization, and 50 his
name has become indissolubly con-
nected with Western history.
"To Boone this virgin country was a
new world, and he told wonderful SO.
ries Of its resources when he returned
from his hunting trips to his home on
the banks of the Yadkn But his tale
fell on incredulous ears. II he failed
10 arouse passion for immigration
among the farmers, he did excite
spirit speculation among the wealth
ier classes, which led to the formation
OF a company to buy from the Indians
all the land lying between tie Ohio,
the Kentucky and the Cumberland
rivers. T news Of this intended ex
ploration induced the farmers of the
Yadkin district to depu'e one Of their
number, James Robertson, to accom-
pany Boone on his third visit in 1868
"To Robertson. and not to Boone,
should be accorded the honor of hav
ing been the pioneer of Western cipi
lization. Robertson was not long in
deciding upon a right location for
settlement, and while Boone and his
companions went on to Kentucky he
remained behind to make prepara
tions for the coming colony. In the
following spring he led sixteen fani
lies, numbering, all Sold, eighty souls,
to the beautiful valley he had discov
cred. Trees were felled, and in a sur
prisingly short time all the families
were domiciled ia comfortable abodes
The settlement bore no striking re-
semblence to u modern New England
village, but civilized man was there.
He had como to stay, and had brought
all possibilities Of civilization with
him. And the men were manly race
"a grand race Of men who had their
homes in their saddles and their libra
ries in the crowns Of their hats. M
better material could have been
brought together to hew out a path
way for civilization through a savage
wilderness.
among these earnest workers we're
Evan Shelby and John Sewer. Robert
son continued To- be the nominal head
o. the new settlement, but the mo-
ment that Sewer set foot on the Wa
tauga he became the soul and moving
spirit OF the infant commonwealth
Shelby was born diplomatist, but
Sewer was soldier, diplomatist and
statesman combined. On these three
men hangs the whole early history of
the Southwest When the battles OF
Lexington and Concord were fought
the shot which was heard around the
world echoed in that secluded valley
OF the Watauga. AS it sounded
through those grand old woods every
backwoodsman sprang to his feet,
grasped his rifle and asked to be en-
rolled for the defense of his country
Under John Sewer they began career
for which, ! think, there is no parallel
in the history of anv country. His
military genius made him a
turning point in the most critical
period OF our nations history"
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