Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1892-08-11

ANNIVERSARY,
SPEECHES BY GEN. DAVID
SON AND OTHERS.
REPORT az THE IIISTORICAI.
COMMITTEII.
AshcvilIc was not properly Il hundred
years old till Che! Marshal BAN dcantcr,
ed up to the square on "A brown horse at
10 clock tins morning aud announced
to the people that thco could reach the
Centennial grounds where the speaking
was to take place by taking the Mont
ford avenue cars. The band music that
had been promised was missing.
The cars stopped just lclow Magnolia
avenue on Cumberland and discharged
their passengers in the midst of the In
dian tents ON top of the hll. The grand
stand, gaily decorated with rcd, white
aud blue, and with big North Carolina
flag conspicuously displayed, nestled on
the next hill, at the corner of Flint street
and Magnolia avenue. There we're seats
under the trees for 800.
From their lcafy bower on the grand
stand the speakers faced an audience that
filed every seat and leaned itself against
the big oak trees surrounding. Tho
gathering Was composed OF people from
all over the county They were slow
about getting to the grounds and it was
ll:2O whcuChairman atDavidson raped
on the speakers table with his umbrella
and introduced Rev. {. ID. Smith, o
Franklin, as "a native of Buncombe
born in three miles of Ashcvillc and one
whose years have been an honor to tht
country" DR.. Smith opened the pro
grammc with prayer.
The FiI st orator.
Attorney General Theodore L. David
son, anothcr native Buncombcitc, wa
introduced as the first speaker. lis sub
cct being "Buncon.be's history" His
address opened with a recital OF the OF
fetal creation of Buncomhc county il
1891 by the state Legislature, Tic county
bsing cut of from Iurl c and Ruthcr
ford, because those counties were too
large for practical purposes. The new
county was called Buncombc after ;
brave soldier who gave ZIP his life on th'
battlefield in order that his people nigh
be free and happy, Edward Buncomhc
When the call for arms was sounded ht
was the first to respond and he raiscC
and equipped an army and maintained
it for year at his own expense
BuncOmbc county i'll those days included
everything west of Burke and Ruther
ford. The Chcrokccs were very hostiI'
and managed to keep the whites from
the remote parts of the domain. Run
combc had i'll all a population of SSH
according to the censns OF $500. Th
first meeting to organize a county gov
crnmcnt was held in April, 1892, at tl'
house of William Davidson, and produc
ing musty volume, the leaves OF wh'cl
were stained and worn BY age, Genera
Davidson read a section of that day
session OF the justices Of the peace from
the original manuscript which is en-
braccd in the report of the historical
committee. A list OF the names OF man
old settlers was greeted with applause
containing as it did those of Weaver
Vance, Mcdowell, llughcy. Patton
| Sans and many others. Gen. DavldSo
drplurcd the fact that much oft hiStoi
1 ical record oi the county has been los
and he urged the collection and prcscrv;
ton OF everything possible on this lin'
Hon KenpI II Battle speaks.
Han Ecmn y nott,r. who ;s nnt
:, '''' - Il
huhcomDe man. put WHO 10 o"e vi u
best North Carolinians incXistcncc, can
forward smiling when Col, Davidson il
..,,,,,o1 r;r, ,n ,h. o,d;crc, His FIR.
''''''>>" "''' W. ~, ','''., ~ :,
move was l" surlrse t''c crown oy u
claring that n llncal descendant OF E'
ward Buncombe was in their midst an
in uroof of it he called on Richard Goce
Carraway OF Ncwbcrne to step up an
snow iiilhse'l' Mr. ,.'I,.,., Na' away u.u u, y,
ooa''.l I'm, " hmt h;s nrcscnrr wns nnnlaudc
Dr H,ttle's s,ccch was one rather of hi
morous rcm;niscencc than of historic
facts and the audience enioycd it il
mcnsclv npnlnudingl cely and freuucntl
Telling of his first to'trip the mountain
( he wnyc in much of interest, and claim,
the right to rank alongside of Christoph
Columbus and Amcricus Vespuccio as di
coyercrs, because of having been the fir
one to discover Hon. Zebulon B. Van'
1t was on MS return 10 MS eastern '.l liol
lo'' .ha Wna i's -, o. .hnn rer,, yomng ma
would some day be a figure of natior
importance. He had nothing but pra
q for Governor David l.. Swainy but
ludcd laughinSly to the tact that Il
great man, when boy and living on