The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-11-08

(herOEGa county , IL pooA
of independence; others 10 Ie5aiii
broken fortunes, and aspiring TO attain
responsibility unattainaDle In the ldhu
of their nativity. The land beyond
the mountains offered them at Iedse'
exemption from the supercll1ous an
noyances Of naughty crown onlcers'
VIC claimed pre-emlnence over THEM.
Others came for a broader purpose o.
laying a deep foundation for a tree
government OF and Dy the people, ana
Of acquiring under it distinction Tor
themselves and poStcrlty, Ioi
all time further persecution az tn
hands Of the English ~tyTanIs. Here
they set to work to erect tor tneH1'
selves homes under a free government.
The defeated Regulators settled on tht
Holston, Watauga and Nolachuchy Tar
beyond the influence and power or the
State laws and OtIlcerS OF the
Province Of North Ca Dina.
The people dwelt mostly in ISOLATED
farm houses; in the midst OF villa
forests or in close vicinity to log sta
tions,' block houses, encolnpasSed by
palisades, in which were a few cabins
to house the women and children II
case of hostile invasion by the Indians
Scattered as they Were, it is WONDER
full with What speed men came to-
Gether, on occasions of sudden danger
either to JonesboIo or to the home OF
Sewer on the Nolachucky, the usual
places of rendezvous. AS many as
two thousand are knoWn to have as
sembled within t~Wenty-four hours
after Sewers couriers had sounded the
alarm throughout the territory-so
perfect was his system for conveying
Intelligence, and SO fleet were the ami
mails bestrode by those ~tireless riders.
The settlers, for the first few months
were without laws or protection, save
civ ri - no 1,yT ~ 4 - ~ rs hoT 0xun n ~
ton, but in 1772, under the wise coun-
ellis Of Captain John Sewer, James
Robertson and other leading spirits
they drew up regulations for their
guidance (the Watauga Government),
which was p%aternal and patriarchil,
SIM pie and moderate, but summary
and firm, which sutticed for the first
few years. The people enjoyed the
advantages of their inchOate and in
FAINT government and under it accom-
plished many things, worthy OF note.
They opened paths across the noun
talns, felied the forests, opened fields.
built forts and homes, "subdued the
earth" and began rapidly TO 'replenish
it. for they married and We're given
IN MARRIAGE and the State OF North
Carolina, some years afterwards,
deems it a good opportunity for hel
TO gain the credit of an act Of super
rogation, by passing a law confirming
marriages and other deeds and dotngs
Of her hayward children of the
wood Colonial Revolutionary and
State Records Of North Carolina).
In June, 1776 odd Abraham led a
t~reacherous band Of Cherokees from
the ChlihoWee Mountains against
Fort Watauga' commanded by Cap
tam John Sewer and James Kobert-
son. During the siege Captain Sewer
discovered a young lady Of tall and
erect stature coming with the fieetness
of a roe towards the fort, closely pur-
sued by Indians. and her approach to
the gate being cut off by the enemy,
who, doubtless were confident of a
captive for their scalping KNIVES or of
a victim to their guns and arrows; but
turning suddenly, she eluded her pur-
sueIs, leaped the palisades at another
point, and fell into the arms OF Cap
tain john sewer. This remarkably
acuVe and reSolute woman was Miss
Catherine Sheriff., who, a FEW wears
alter this sudden leap into the arms OF
the captain. became the devoted wife
OF the colonel, and the bosom COM
panlOn OF the general, the peoples
man and the patriot, John Sewer. 1,
is reported she used to say that. this
attack led by old Abraham was tn,
pest thing he ever did, and that she
was READY at any time to have anoth-
er such race and even leap the nails
aces IN order to enjoy another such
introduction"
In 177S Captain Sewers first wife.
a MISS Hawkins, Of Virginia, died,
leaving six children. and in 1873 he
was married to the beautiful Gather
me Sheriff.. Who bore him ten chill
oren. 1t is truly said, She could out
run, outlunp. walk more erect and
noe more gracefully and skillfuTv
nan any other lady in all the noun
talns round about
saac Shelly. a native of Ma,v,.n
norn 1890, fought under Cenarai
ro1ns IN 1'5S when he led the ad-
aIice' ana took from the E>ranch
Fort DuQuesne." He settled sc ~
anousnt' within the confines of Wv
line 49,, but when the boundary
me between Virginia and North 49,
hna was run in 1878 he found hia