Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1895-01-09

Joseph Martin, Greed Taylor and Peter
Johnston, for the former; and Moses
Fisk, General John Sewer and General
George Rutledge, for the latter. having
met at the place previously appointed
Tor the purpose, and not uniting from
the general result of their astronomical
observations, to establish either of the
former lines, called Walkers and Hen
derson g, unanimously agreed, in order
to end all controversy respecting the
subject, to run due west line, equally
distant from both, beginning on the
summit Of the mountain, generally
known by the name of the White Top
Mountain, where the northeast corner
OF Tennessee terminates, to the top of
the Cumberland Mountain, where the
southwestern corner of Virginia term
mates, which is hereby declared to be
the true boundary line between the said
States, and has been accordingly run
by Brice Martin and Nathan B. Mark
land, the surveyors duly appointed for
the purpose, and marked under the di-
rections of the said commissioners, as
will more at large appear by the report
of said surveyors hereto annexed, and
bearing equal date herewith. The
commissioners do further unanimously
agree to recommend to their respective
States that individuals having claims
or titles to lands on either side of said
line as now fixed and agreed on, and
between the lines aforesaid, shall not,
IN consequence thereof, in any wise be
prejudiced or affected thereby; and
that the Legislatures of their respective
States should pass mutual laws to ren-
der all such claims or titles secure to
the owners thereof.
And the said commissioners do
further unanimously agree to recon-
mend to the States respectively, that
reciprocal laws should be passed con-
tirming the acts of all public officers,
whether magistrates, sheriffs, coroners,
surveyors or constables, between the
said lines, which would have been legal
in either of the aforesaid States, had no
difference of opinion existed about the
true boundary line. This agreement
shall be of no effect till ratified by the
Legislatures of the States aforesaid, re-
spectively, and until they shall pass
mutual laws for the purposes aforesaid.
Given under our hands and seals,
at William Robertson's, near Cumber-
land Gap, the 9Th of December, A. d.
1907
The certificate of the surveyors then
followed in the report, in these words:
The undersigned surveyors having
been duly appointed to run the bound
ary line between the States of Virginia
and Tennessee, as directed by the COM
missioners for that purpose, have agree
ably to their orders run the same.
"Beginning on the summit of the
White Top Mountain, at the termina.
tion of the northeastern corner of the
State of Tennessee, due west course
to the top of the Cumberland Noun
tain, where the southwestern corner of
the State Of Virginia terminates, keep
ing at an equal distance from the lines
called Walkers and Henderson, 8; and
have had the new line run as aforesaid,
marked with five chops in the form of
diamond, as directed by the said com.
missioners. This certificate is dated
on The same day the report of the COM
missioners was. Laws were passed by
the Legislatures of both States for the
confirmation of all these stipulations.
AS to the other part of the boundary
between this State and Kentucky, pro-
posals and negotiations, and acts of
assembly continued to be made for
many years, and matters seemed as If
they never could be settled. At length,
in 1919, Kentucky took a step of very
decisive character. Her commissioners,
| Alexander and Munson, came to Cum
berland river, and took the latitude
upon its bank, sixteen or seventeen
miles above the termination of Walker s
line on that river, and to the south of
it, and from thence ran due west to the
Mississippi. Tennessee was about to
open land office, and to appropriate
the lands lately purchased by treaty
from the Chickasaw Indians. Old en-
tries had been made in the land offices
of North Carolina, to q considerable
amount. for lands north of Alexander's g
and Munson g line; and if this territory
should be lost to the State of Tennes.
see, either those claims must be salts
fled out of the residue of the Chickasaw
lands within the bounds of Tennessee,
or must abide the event Of judicial
contest between the two States, when
there might be no longer any lands left
wherewith to satisfy their claims,
should the decision eventually be un-
favorable to the State of Tennessee.
Such were the existing circumstances
at the meeting of the Assembly of the
State of Tennessee, in September, 1919;
and they imperiously called for the at
tention of the Legislature. The subject
was referred to committee, and they
reported, giving historical statement
of all the material facts which related
to Walkers line, and recommended the
appointment of commissioners to nego-
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