Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1894-12-19

Anglo-Saxon, or-as Mr.. Freeman pre-.
ferred to style tour "English race, y
that next to life itself it values good
order and good government. These
steps were necessary, for the colonists
had to be both self defending and self
governing. They were on the soil of
North Carolina, but that State, which
was never more than their stepmother,
had then more than 1t could do to pre-
serve its own existence. 1t had to call
to its rescue John Sewer, one OF its
Western colonists, and-to its everlast-
ing shame, be it said-for the saving of
its political life it repaid him by pro-
scriphon and outlawry. H
Robertson's government was scarcely
organized when an Indian war burst
upon the colony. Then for two years
the settlers were practically shut up in
their log stations, and cut off from civ
ilized life by a girdle of hostile savages.
The loss of life among them was fright
full. On an average man fell in every
six days, and at the close of the period
only seventy were left alive of the orig
inal 256. Their corn also gave out. In
lieu of bread they had to eat walnuts
or chestnuts, a slice of venison, or the
breast of the wild turkey; and for roast
beef, juicy steak cut from the haunch
of bear or buffalo.
But in the face of actual starvation,
and with this terrible slaughter going
on constantly around them, there was
light hearted gayety in the colony.
When the labors of the day were over
the settlers gathered together in their
log stations, the song and the dance
went round, and there was cracking
of jokes as we'll as cracking of wal
nuts, They seemed insensible to fear;
to even delight in danger.
But not only did the colonists lack
for civilized food; they soonr ran short of
their accustomed apparel. No supplies
coming among them after their arrival,
their clothing became in time 80 worn
that the principal men went about ar
rayed in shreds and patches. But when
patch had been added to patch until
there was nothing left of the original
fabric, and the motley garment was
itself falling to pieces, the settler had
to look about for other wearing mater
ial. He had not far to seek. The bear,
the deer, and the buffalo were plentiful
in the forests, and their skins could be
had for single charge of powder. The
settlers fashioned these skins into all
sorts of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., trousers,
hunting shirts, and even into garments
worn next to the person; and this was
the work of the men as we'll as of the
women as they gathered around the
great wood fires of the forts in the long
winter evenings.
When arrayed in the primitive fash
ion the pioneer presented a very pic
turesQue appearance. His cap was of
fox or wolf skin, the tail dangling be-
hind; his trousers and hunting shirt
were of deer skin, fringed with the fur
of the bear and the panther, and the
latter garment belted about his waist
with strip of buffalo hide, tanned and
dyed some bright color; and he was
shod with the skin of the buffalo,
dressed to such softness that his tread
was as noiseless as that of "the wildcat
of the mountain" When he went
abroad in winter he threw robe of
this material on his left shoulder-the
right being left free to handle his rifle
and, wrapped in this, he slept warmly,
even if his bed was snow bank. The
dress of the women was of the same
material as that of the men, though
more ornamented and cut with greater
regard to the --latest fashion," 1t was
commonly of deer skin, dressed 10 re-
selnble Canton Grape. and colored with
various vegetable dyes that, gave it a
brilliant and really attractive appear
ance.
The Cumberland settlers abode for
nearly four years veritable Crusoes on
a flame girdled island in the far off
wilderness; and it was not till March,
1854, that ten pack horses, which had
journeyed for six weeks across the Al
leghany and Cumberland mountains,
and all the way from Philadelphia, un-
loaded freight of cheap calicoes and
woolens at the door of rough log
shanty in the one street of Nashville,
and afforded them the raiment of civil
ization. But before this time they had
broken through the Gordon of savage
fire and secured connection with the
Eastern settlements. This done, and
her own desperate struggles for exist
ence being over, their distant STEP
mother extended over them what some
of her lawyers styled the @gis of North
Carolina. She gave them a legal exist.
ence, Court of Common Pleas and
Quarter Session." and created them
into county, with right to send two
representatives to the General Assem-
bly,.
Robertson was one of these repre-
sentatives, and also the presiding Judge
of the court which was at once estab.
lished. This court was in nvested with
extraordinary powers it was made
legislative body as we'll as a judicial
tribunal It could anact sumnt,av