The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1910-09-21
WHEN RED MAN ROVEO HERE
"REMINISCENCES or OCTOGENA.
RIAN JUDGE MUSSELWHITE.
Oats Then Grew as Tall as Men


Five miles from the log cabin Of
Georgia's war governor, Joseph e.
Brown, and where now stands the
thriving city of Cordele, lives Judge
Thomas A. Musselwhite, one Of the
oldest and most prominent citizens
of this section of the state. He has
lived to see the great yellow pine
forests Of this section transformed
into productive farms and dotted
with many beautiful towns and
cities, and remembers many Of the
stirring events the early settlers had
with the Indians in this section of
Georgia.
Judge Musselwhite is 50 years of
age, hale and hearty and up to this
year has been actively engaged with
his farm interests and his duties as
justice Of the peace He was mar
ried in 1849. and has reared a fam
lily of seven sons, one of whom. War
rem J. MusselWhite, was nominated
in the last primary to serve Crisp
county as it's tax collector In af
fairs of county and state he has al
ways taken an active interest. For
more than forty years he has held
the office of justice of the peace for
the district that now bears his name,
and before him his father held the
office for twenty-One years.
Judge Musselwhite was in a remi-
mic hyr
respondent Of the Savannah Morning
News, and talked freely of the Incl
dents Of his early life. Why said
he, Il remember the time when the
wild oats grew as high as a man
head and very plentiful all over
southwest Georgia. Cattle and deer
fed on the oats in summer and win
ter. At this time the country was
very sparsely settled, and my closest
neighbors lived from five to seven
teen miles apart. Deer and all man
ner of wild game were here in abund-
ance. At the time that my father
settled at the place where | now
reside and where | have been liv-
ing for seventy-four years, very lit
tie land had been taken up by set
tiers from the government, and it
was considered of such little value
that my oldest brother, Stephen, gave
my father 900 acres of land as he
cared nothing about it.
During my boyhood days the In
dams frequented this territory as a
hunting ground, coming here from
various tribes. / remember, when
seven years of age, that a party of
EhnrnL1aC ~
thirty in number, were on a hunting
expedition in Dooly county. While
here they killed a great many hogs
and cattle of the settlers, and com
plants were made to the govern
ment, asking protection of their
property. This seemed to enrage the
Indians, and they became shy and
wild, and would have nothing what
ever to do with the few people who
were living here at that time, and it
finally developed in considerable
trouble, in which two lives were lost
and considerable property DESTROYED
and many of the houses of the set
tiers burned.
Pursued Marauding Chcrokees.
"On receipt of the order from the
government James Brown, Rich
Story and Mac Wade loaded their
rifles, saddled their ponies and set
out in pursuit of the Indians. Only
going a short distance they discov-
cred an Indian with a hog on his
shoulder which belonged to my
father, and Jim Brown, seeing the
Indian, a battle ensued which re-
suited in Brown killing the Indian,
and for this act Of heroism Brown
was afterwards called throughout
life Indian Jim Brown.
These men notified all the settlers
that the Indians had become en-
ragged and an outbreak was eminent
In the meantime the Indians had
buried their fallen comrade, using
lightwoOd knots to dig the grave
The three men started the trail of
the Indians and carried it to where
they had burned q house and the
occupants of the home fled in great
haste to the home Of my father for
protection. At u o'clock this party
OF Indians came to my fathers house
and shot down two of our trail dogs
which so frightened my mother and
the other friends that they fled to
a nearby swamp for safety. We had
built a small school house, and Just
at this time the teacher by the name
OF Whitney. who was old and Grip
pied and who was returning to nv
fathers house for dinner. was killed
by the Indians, shooting him three
times in the back, stabbing him sew
en- times in the neck and then
scalped him.
The community became so en-
RACED at this outrage that MANY
gathered to pursue the Indians but
they Immediately left the section
making their way back to the Chero-
kee Notion without ever being over
taken"
The Indian of 40 Years Ago.
Judge Musselwhite talked at some
length of the customs of the In