The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-08-10

| TWO GONERNMENIS,
two sets of courts, ETC., now existed IN the
Washington District, or State OF Frank
lin," each having adherents among the peo-
| pie. The leader of the Anti-secessionists or
| Submissionists was Col. John Upton. AS both
! Governments strove to collect taxes, collisions
were inevitable Upton with a party made
| a descent ON the court at JOneSboro, eIected
| Judge and jury, and seized the court papers.
! Sewer made similar descent on the State
| Court at Buffalo. The opposing parties met,
the leaders had hand-to-hand fight, and
| Tipton's followers were routed.
| Sewer sought TO obtain recognition for his
State but failed. His delegate to the
! Continental Congress was refused admission.
! He wrote BENJAMIN Franklin for advice, but
! even the prospective honor OF having State
named after him did not educe letter from
the old sage and patriot. Georgia refused
| to make an alliance with him. as did the
+ Counties in southwestern Virginia. Commits
sioners appointed to make a treaty with the
State authorities at New Berne were not
recognized. Sewer wrote his disappoint-
ment TO Gov. Caswell on their return, saying
he had hoped for separation "on honorable
principles" or to be reunited on lasting and
friendly" terms
The "soft answer of Caswell, though it
did not cause Sewer 10 yield, turned away
the wrath of many of his followers; so that
in the election of members to the North
Carolina Legislature which followed, Sewer
carried but two out of seven Counties in the
new State"
The Legislature of the State of Franklin" !"
expired of mere inanition in September
17S7. But the Governor was Obdurate. He
would not surrender.
Col. Upton stirred up party, including
the Sheriff, to seize Sewers negroes. They
were captured and carried to Tiptons farm,
on the Watsuga River. Sewer, with $50
supporters, followed and surrounded TiptOn's
house Upton had but Is men, but he sent
messenger to Col. Maxwell, in an adjoin-
ing County, who came Immediately to his
assistance with several hundred men.
A SEVERE FIGHT
ensued, in which two men were killed and
Sewers two sons taken prisoners. Upton
was only dissuaded from hanging them by
the earnest efforts of friends.
Sept. II, 1768, Sewer wrote to Gardoqui,
Spanish Minister to the United States offer
ing to put the Estate of Franklin under
the protection of the Spanish Government,
urging it as opportune that North Caro-
lima has refused to accept the new Constitu-
fore a considerable time will e!apse before
she becomes member of the Union, If that
event ever happens"
In July, 1879, Sewer, who was then in
command of strong body of armed men,
gathered ostensibly for repressing In
dans, was by order of the Governor of
North Carolina arrested on a charge Of high
treason. Tipton managed the affair, ard
after conveying Sewer in irons to the jail at
JonesborO, fearing rescue, he had the pris-
Oner secretly transported over the mount
aims TO MorgantOwn.
At the trial which Immediately follow
ed, Sewers friends gathered in crowds
Daring the proceedings the Judges were
astounded by one Cozby, who stepped in
front of them and said, Are you done with
this man ?" pointing to the prisoner.
Sewer, in a moment, was at the door, where
another friend was holding his feetest steed,
which in another instant he was astride of
and Guiding toward the mountains.
In November following he was elected to
the Legislature by an overwhelming vote,
where soon after special act restored him
to the rights of citizenship. A monument
to his memory stands in the cemetery at
Nashville. Tenn.
The one really treaDnable act of Sewer
in Offering to transfer his State to the Span
ish authority was but an incident in plot
on the part of Spanish representatives to
erect Louisiana into vice royalty and ex-
tend its domains up the Mississippi Valley.
AS General of the Revolution, James Will
kenson, was the leader on the American side
of this movement, it is properly known to
history as
wTLKENsoN's CONSPIRACY.
In 1857 Wilkenson, who had gone as a
trader to New Orleans with boat-load of
tobacco, butter, bacon and flour, during a
period of some three months had almost
daily interviews with the Spanish Governor,
Miro. Traders previously who visited New
Orleans during the Spanish domination had
been so imposed upon by the officials there
that numerous schemes had been proposed
by Westerners TO get control of the Missis-
sippi. The reason why Wilkenson received
different treatment was because the Span
iards, aroused to the danger of losing con-
troll, bad determined on a counter-pIot to
gain and perpetuate power. Wilkenson was
the instrument chosen to effect this, an am
bilious but INSCRIPTIONS man with ordinary
powers of Judgment, but extraordinary
powers of Discrimination. That WilkenSon
agreed to deliver the territory of Kentucky
up to Spain is conclusively shown by his
own letters, which afterwards were secured
and published, and by the correspondence
of Miro with Valdez, the Spanish Minister
of Foreign Affairs. Had Gov. Miro and
Gardoqui, the Spanish Minister at Philadel-
pha acted in concert, the general object
both had in view might have been success
full
But they were jealous of each other,
though both intriguing for power, so that
when GsrdOqui discovered that Miro had
arranged with Wilkenson TO get control of
the territory of Kentucky he sent his agent,
Pierre Wower d'Arges, TO the Cumberland
region to invite" the people to emigrate
to Louisiana. Quite number of families
were induced TO 60, and became Spanish
subjects.
This movement, as it clashed with Wilken-
sons purpose, g the delivering up of Ken
! tucky into His Majesty's hands," awOke the
jealously of Miro, and he wrote to Valdez
that he had been considering the propriety
Of communicating Wilkenson's plan to
d'Arges Il" in order TO unite them and dis
pose them TO work in concert" but adds:
/ dare not do so, because d'Arges may con-
slider that the great project of Wikenson's
may destroy the merit OF his own and he
may communicate them to someone who
might cause Wilkenson to be
ARRESTED as A CRIMINAL"
The arrangement was that WilkensOn