The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1893-02-03

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3 Years ago the people OF Bris stols s4grehi
on the ccntrs of Main street as the Stnte
I; line for the sake of conyenisnce.a ,Iu the
water works suit Virginia claimed that all
Of Bristol was on her side of the line,
, while Tenness: claimed that the State
line was really the cast rn limo of Main
street. This is the point they expect to
establish in the United States Supreme
Court.
The records in the case would fill scy.
era! bound volumes of ordinary size, and
include hundreds OIL. depositiens tSkAn ht.
Bristol and along tho line al thcswSyat tSi'
Cumberland Gap, copies of surveys made
at different times, and reports of the sew
the dispucd boundary at diffefent times.
The records contain much valuable his
torical matter which has never appeared
in print.
Going back to the beginning, there
was a controversy between Virginia and
North Carolina regarding the line be-
tween Virginia and the territory belong
ing to North Carolina now embraced in
the State of Tennessee. In 1888 a com.
mission was appointed to establish the
boundary, starting on the Atlantic coast
When they reached White Top Mountain
that bold sentinel of the Allcghanies
which can be seen a hundred miles in
any direction, upon whose summit the
three States of Virginia, North Carolina
and Tennessee corner. they disagreed as
to the line westward. Two lines were
run from the White Top to Cumberland
Gap, only three miles apart. One survey,
conducted by the Virginia commissioners,
was called the Worth survey. The North
Carolina survey was known as Hendcr
sons, and was made by General IIcndcr.
son, who at one time had charter for
nearly all the territory now included in
the State of Kentucky, and in whose
honor the city of Henderson was named.
Neither survey was ever adopted, and the
strip of disputed territory soon became
known rs mo Mans Land,' and was
the rendezvous OF thieves. murde-cT.i,nd
criminals OF every description. These
outlaws came from both sides of the strip,
and when q man committed crime
within reasonable distance he made q
break in that direction, where he was
positively secure from officers of either
State.
The coalition Of affairs was the cause
of bitter controversy between William
B.ount, first Governor Of Tennessee, and
the Governor of Virginia. They eft
and bed" as the saying goes, over the
matter from the time Tennessee became
State in 1896 until 1902, when they finally
agreed to appoint commissioners from
each State to settle the boundary. These
| commissioners agreed on a compromise
cqui-distant between the Worth .ni
Henderson lines, which has ever since
been recognized by both States. The
people on either side work their roads
and pay taxes up to this line. 1t is sup.
posed to be n straight line, but it is not.
The law required the engineers to run
absolutely due west from the White Top
to the CumDerIanu mountains, out owing
to the density Of the forests and to other
natural obstacles there are several offsets
the most valuable Of which is in Denton's
valley in Hancock county, and in Powells
| valley, near Cumberland Gap.
There was no trouble about the line
any more until along in the sos, when
the country had become moe thickly set
| tied Confusion then arose as to the
| proper location OF the boundary, because
| Of the destruction by fire and otherwise
of marked trees
In 1858 both States agreed on a Joint
| SoIhhiiooioh, WIN I'"CI up)olut CuBl-
neers to run out and remark the compio-
mise line of 1909. The Virginia commits.
sioners were Leonidas Baugh and James
Black, of Abingdon, aud Tennessee was
represented by General Milligan, Of
Greenville, and Colonel George r. BIC
! lieiiand, of Sullivan county. A carefn
survey was made and exhaustive reports
| of the same submitted to the rcspcctiv,
| Governors. The commissioners reported
that they had found no difficulty with
the old line, and that it was correct nc.
cording to the compromise.
Governor Wise, Of Virgins, recon-
mended the rejection of the report, which
the Legislature proceeded to do. His
objection was based on the fact that the
engineers commenced their survey at the
base Of White Top Mountain, instead OF
going to the top. Tennessee never acted