The Portland daily press., 1897-05-15
AMOS OWENS.
His Castle on Cherry Mount and His Deeds
of Barring.

The county of Cleveland was the scene
Of stirring events during the Revolution.
At Kings Mountain, 10 miles from Shell
by's, the forces of Campbell. Sewer, ETC.,
swept the summit after killing Col.
Furgerson. one of the bravest and most
skillful officers in the English army.
Furgerson vauntingly boosted that he
held a position from which God AImigh-
ty might not dislodge him But the in
trepid mountaineers Of North Carolina
and Virginia showed him that with God
and Dukard's rifles nothing was impos-
sible.
This battle was the turning point of the
war IN the South, and Tartleton was so
harrassed by the deadly fire of the
gathered clans of this region on to
Meeklenburg county that he called Char
| lotte "hornet's nest.''
AS sequel to the battle of Kings
Mountain Sc veral Tories were hanged not
| three miles from where I live, and the
stump OF the ''gallows tree'' is still in ev-
idence. Some of our leading citizens
are descendants of those Tories, and, as
proof that time heals all wounds, have
| 1ntermarried with descendants of the pa
triots who helped hang their progenitors.
Ihls county joins South Carolina and
has on its northwestern border spurs OF
the Snake Mountain region. The most
noted Of these is Cherry Mount. On its
summit stands the castle of Amos Owens,
&C character celebrated in song and story.
when the invisible empire held high car
nival, Amos was high priest at the
mysteries When the betrayal began
among the weakened brethren Amos
mad to tread the wine press. For his cas-
| tlgatlon of erring negroes and obnoxious
white folks he served term in the Al
bany penitentiary. But nothing would
curb his iron will. He came from the pen
ltent1ary an unreconstructed rebel, with
his hand against the powers that be and
the heavy hand of the Federal govern
ment against him. He was man Of no
education, and his progenitors have made
Whlskey from the time the memory of
man goeth not back to the contrary, and
III order to spite the government he be-
came daring dealer in contraband
Whlskey, also a maker thereof. With a
zeal worthy of good cause he defiantly
operated his moonshine s'still,'' and for
this has served many terms Of imprison-
ment and paid many fines in this
State. Judge Dick, of the Federal court
regards most as incorrigible and calls
him hard7headed, hard backed sinner.
At the castle of Amos, on Cherry
Mount, is an orchard Of large mountain
cherries. Some of these trees are two feet
IN diameter. In June the fruit ripens
and Amos, with the help of his "labora-
tory gets up a decoction called" bounce -
This beverage is said to contain one part
cherries and seven parts John Barleycorn,
alias corn whiskey. Pilgrims from many
lands here congregate ostensibly to enjoy
the scenery, but really to drink bounce.
scenes are here enacted that would rele-
gate classic Donnybrook to eternal OBJ
scurity.
Country buck and town bully try con-
clus1ons, and the snap of the frolicsome
revolver at times becomes promiscuous,
especially when some hoodlum has been
to Texas" and found that as holy ter
ror he was dismal failure. On Cherry
Mount, when he has absorbed enough
bounce to feel free, strong and great, he
gives free open air performance, and
winds up the circus by some tallow-faced
mountaineer knocking him speechless
with a brick. On these occasions Amos
feels that he has not lived in vain. He
dlspenses smiles and bounce and has fast
and furious dancing in his dance hall,
While the hungry guests eat, pelt each
other with Irish potatoes and smash table
ware over the heads of all who are not
sufficiently respectful. While Amos has
a wholesome contempt for the 'sgovern-
ment,' he has at last appealed to the
courts. As a result some Of the boys and
girls of,about three counties are under
bond to appear at Rutherford court in
May, 1887. By the time the racy develop
ments are concluded it is likely the see
merry of Cherry Mountain will hereafter
afford no charms Atlanta Constitution.