Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1894-03-09

".Hi"rS Is closely associated with thni
ni IL woman who is declared by The ST.
LonIs Globe-Dcmocrat to have com,
pretty near to being queen in reality
rs well rs in mime
1T was i'll 1856 that Ellen Ouinu
went from Western North Cnrolin,
To this part of Texas. As would he
Judged from her name, she had Irish
p'ool III her veins, Int it was mixed
VITA II copious strain of Indian. dc.
rived from the Chcrokees that still in.
haoit reserve among the Carolinn
Mountains. Just under what circum.
stances she left her native State mn
one seems to remember, but soon
after she announced her intention Ia
open school for the benefit of the
surrounding country. 1t seemed nc
IL Tie school would likely benefit the
country literally SO called, us there
were very few inhabitants to get the
good OF 1t. What few men there
were, however, got together and mt
mp II house for her. 1t was the first
schoolhuusc ever put up in Montague
Iouiiiy, and was made OF rough
logs cut from the timber surroundinn
the hnsc Of what is now known no
Queens Peak Il was situatcI about
mali way up ON The southern side in
order to protect it from the cold
northern winds of winter. There
were several reasons why this site was
CHOSEN. Wood was near Mt hand for
building the house and supplying the
iircs Ill winter, which items were very
important ones to the Texans of those
lays. Water could be obtained from
spring close Mt hand, and this also
was not to be sighted. Moreover.
the Peak, though only IL hundred or
so iect above the surrounding prairie.
WAS the highest point for miles
around, and from its summit II watch
e"nid be kept for the approach of
lndians or other hostile characters
From it signals could be given in case
Of danger.
School opened with four punils nj,
OF whom came from the Only siosrss
within two miles of tho 81, OIL,
however, it began to iliera;ise 81 sthe
fact of its existence begeh4 d &c Gdise,j
abroad through the cou,ftrys Z,
l5Mef ssyho had como tnGifs & ss ~, ,
hoy ard s5eil l;S9et,fon tiYe frontie,
| saithot = etl,lssl advantages woull
Ia al Miss Quinn in o.Jn,
SttoTaS esin cir Iosstime. They cam,
4 tfonisGny whefeamthih 100 or 200 miles
Most of them could come for only ,
lew months consecutively mt time,
when there was little to do on firm q,
ranch, but they put i'll good worl
when they did come. For some month,
the Attendance would run MS high n,
thirty and then again it would dror
down to three Or four. Tuition wa.
uniformly So per month. 1t must have
been ON interesting sight to see the
little room crowded with big, bearded
cowboys porting over their books.
They probably had spurs jinglinc nj
their heels and big mx-shooters dane.
ling from their belts, but the blacl;
haired little Indian-Irish woman wa.
mistress for all that. On one occa.
SION big six-footer refused to obcv
some command she had given him. Go.
ing to the flour sack in which she kent
collection of her miscellaneous be.
ionglngs, she gathered up handful OF
black pepper. She had probably pre-.
pared this for just suck emergencies.
end before her recalcitrant pupil knew
what was coming she threw the pepne,
square into his eyes. The bully sprano
to his feet with q roar of pain. while
the rest of the school shouted I'M.
roarious approval of the act OF disci.
pine. Then n dozen of the devotees
OF learning grabbed and carried hin,
bodily to the foot of the Peak. HI
was then informed that if he ever en-.
tered the schoolroom again or in any
way molested the teacher there would
be feast for buzzards and coyotes.
Fornwhile Ellen Quinn was troubled
by occasional travellers who, in poss
ing through the country, would MS,
her schoolhouscs as lodging place fol
the night. One night, Just no such ,
party were pushing in the door, roal
like that of cannon started them onf
on investigation it WAS found that ,
rusty old musliet had discharged abou
n double handful of slugs into the roo
with force enough to have killed /,
dozen men had they bcen in the WAY
From that time on no NOCTURNAL in
ruder ever entered that schoolhons,