The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-05-01

Britain Fuller. from September. Ts2. I'M
til after peace was declared
After the end OF hostilities. Coiorel
Lane exerted every effort TO allay the bit
terness which had arisen ~hlIe The wa.
was in progress, and oeftie led many
Loyalists who were obieets o. hatred %
a less generous element Of the Wings
than tina. to which he belonged, Among
other Tories. who had reason to BE-
thankful for his good offices, vas colonel
John Hamilton. whom he probably knew
before the war. as both were from Hal
flax county. Hamilton was one OF the
bravest and most active officers siding
with the King, and a man of character
who had treated American prisoners
with more than ordinary kindness. Trough
even this did not save his estates from
confscation. For some years att-- the
Revolution. he was British Consul a: Nor
folk. Virginia. and finally went TO Eng
land. where he died. Serving o. Iia.ntl-
tons staff was a young ensign DuSJll
Mckethen. who became a uScfsl ari re-
| spected citizen OF Raleigh after ,he r.
turn Of peace, and married one q Colonel
Lanes daughters.
In the time treated of by this sketch
Wake county abounded in large game. and
h~unting was 4 favorite pastime. Just
inside, and westward of the southern en-
trance. Of Capitol Square in Raleigh. there
is still living a large sassafras tree, which
was a famous deer stand. The writer
learned this from his father. the late DR..
Richard B.. Haywood, who personally re-
membered one of Colonel Lanes nephews.
Edmund Lane, who himself claimed TO
have killed nearly forty deers there.
Before the Revolutionary war. and
during that struggle, the capital of North
Carolina was somewhat migratory. 1t
was, as a rule, located where the Gov
ernOr happened to reside, for hat func-
tionary usually summoned the Legisla-
ture to meet at that place which best
suited his convenience. So. after indie
pendence had been achieved, the State
convention, which met at Fayetteville in
1883, gave the General Assembly instruc-
lions TO fix permanently the capital. pro-
vided it should be within ten miles Of
Isaac Hunters plantation in Wake coun-
ty, which radius was chosen on account
of its central location. Nine commission
ers were appointed to purchase a site. but
only six attended the meeting which was
held for that purpose. Those present
were: Frederick Hargett. Chairman, Will
liam Johnston Dawson, Joseph Mcdowell.
James Martin, Thomas Blount, and Willie
Jones. The members of this board were
from different parts of the State. They
had to choose from seventeen tracts which
were offered. In reference to their de-
cision, the Honorable Kemp p. Battle. in
his 1892 Centennial Address on Raleigh.
says that the Hinton tract on Neuse river
, received, on the first ballot, three Of the
six votes cast; the tract offered by Joel
Lane received two; and the other vote
was cast for land owned by Nathaniel
Jones, Of White Plains, near the present
village of Cary. AS a majority was not
received by either tract on this ballot,
the board adjourned until next day. Con-
tinuing his address. DR.. Battle says.
Willie Jones was a master Of the art
Of persuasion and was an intimate friend
Of Joel Lane. Lane himself was a man
Of influence, who had served the State
in the Colonial Congress and as Senator
for ten years in succession. Very prob
ably he offered new Inducements as to
price. At any rate, on Friday, the 30t.l
Of March, a second ballot was taken, with
the result that Wake court house received
five votes, and the Hinton land received
only one vote. Possibly Lane was ad-
versely criticised for his tactics in winning
the contest. There was abundant room
for unpleasant talk on account Of his en-
tertaining the commissioners at his
mousse. L uey were dclllS DIS Judges, anu
were certainly, Notwithstanding their
high character, liable to the criticism
that they ate the bread of one of the It'll
=, gants. I cannot find their accounts of ex-
penses, but it is altogether probable that
they paid for their entertainment. l no
tice that Lane was Senator from 1882 to
1892, both inclusive, but that in the next
year James Hinton had his place. This
i is some evidence that the Hinton family
resented his success in the negotiations
/ and that the people took their side. If SO,
the displeasure was evanescent, for he
) was Senator again in 1894 and 1885
: flames Iredell afterwards a Judge of
: the United States Supreme court intro
: duced the convention ordinance requiring
: the capital to be located in Wake county
5 and the name Raleigh is said to have
been first suggested for the new city by
Governor Alexander Martin.
< "Thc death of Joel Lane occurred or
! the goth day of March. 1875. In an adj
| dress delivered in Raleigh, on August "a.
1867, Ex-Governor Swain Colonel Lanes
great nephew refers to the last resting
place Of the old patriot, saying that his
remains 'moulder in the midst of other
unrecCrded dead beneath the shade of q
mulberry on his ancient domain. There,
indeed, is his grave, OF which no VeStlge
now appears. The spot is in an open field
upon which the town is fast closing i'm.
and lies d few feet east Of Boylan Ave-
, nue., about thirty-fve yards south OF Nor
;, gan street.
after the death of Joel Lane, his son
Thomas, to whom he bequeathed his resi-
! dence, sold it on December 81, 1908, tC
: DR.. Allen w. Gilchrist who married Colo
!, mel Lanes daughter. 1t was afterwards
bought by Peter Browne, a native Of
Scotland, who was an able lawyer, bu1
withal a miser and utilitarian, respecting
nothing above its value in dollars anC
cents. Finding that the burying grOunC
(where, also, many other early citizens
besides the Lanes, were interred) was ar
Improbable piece Of property, he had i
plowed up and planted in cabbages' /
one leaves this spot, and walks about {
IL nal q In1f nnctI En III 1nnn Inrna Z