Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-12

force was threatened and the Franks
were eager TO see IL attempted. TIL"
Spanish just about this time SAW a good
opportunity to win territory ny giving
counsel and aid To the Franks. ofers
were made TO Sewer and his people that
were hattering i'm the extreme. They
could get at New Orleans three times as
much for their tobacco a they could IA
Richmond or Philadelphia. and IL WAS
easier to get there. They could get more
for their petries, too. and they were
promised tho freedom of the Mississippi
But Sewer could not be induced To lis
ton to the Spanish proposals. Congress
would not recognize the state Of Frank
lin. IL was true. and North Ga, ona had
repudiated all its obligations, but the
state could paddle alone until Il got popu-
loas enough to command recognition
This was his program. and II would have
succeeded but for the treachcry OF John
Upon, or his associates ia launch
ing the new state. This man had taken
orense at Sewers absolute control and
had gone to the North Carolina assembly
and induced that body to appoint him 10
the command OF the militia and also T.
appoint a full set of officers for the seed
ing territory. Then he returned TO
Franklin and at once seized court rec
ords and other papers wherever he could.
sewers men promptly reraptured them
Then Upton seized ;hcm again once
more SEWERS men recaptured them.
With two sets OF officials there was dis
order. One body would nullify the act
Oh the other. Rival judges. rival sieriTs
and rival constables meant anarchy
Sewer easily could nave expelled the rep
resentatiVes of North Carolina by for. a
but that would have meant hloodshed
and he would not do il. \ truce of six
months was patched up by which il VAS
agreed that Sewer was 10 finish out his
term and that Franklin then should &C
knowledge NORTH Cardinals control. but
that so soon il could do so with good
grace North Carolina should let Franklin
ST In fIng ORD.
carolina wanted to do what the Chinese
call save face" Pending the truce A.
VAS optional with the Franks whether
ley pay taxes to one set Of collectors or
the other. They paid to neither
The peace agreement proved Intellectual
and the Indians hearing that Sewer was
In trouble and was to be denosed deter
mined this was good time to wipe out
Old scores Sewer took the field at once
ana repeated the dose he had admins
tered to the red men so often before But
some one had made a treaty with the
Indians whereby they were PROMISED
their territory would not he invaded
again by hostile whites. and they wers
promised too. that all the whites who
had taken W. homes beyond certain
stream would be forced to vacate By
invading the Indian country Sewer was
heid by ms enemies TO have violated this
treaty
TO equip this Indian expedition. and one
!ater mat lasted several months and that
TOOK him far west Sewer had to RAJ.
money on his lands When he returned
from the campaign he found that Upton
or some one acting for him. had used this
debt as pretext for Selling all his prop
erty and stripping him Of all his POSSES
SionS.
In fury. Sewer gathered his friend
and besieged ii. ton and the North Caro-
linan party. There would have been civil
war. but after a nights deliheration Sc
vier decided to ACCEPT the situation. one
man of Tipton's force had been killed ami
one wounded, however, and this placed
him in serious position.
Soon thereafter he was accused of trea-
son. Upton represented that so long AS
Sewer remained IN Franklin the territory
could not be pacified. One day when he
was OH visit to friend he was pounce
upon by TiDtons men. put in irons and
hurried over the mountains to Morgan
ton. where he was placed on trial for
treason.
While the trial was under way body
of Watauga boys arrived i'm town. They
had Sewers tastes: horse with them.
Two of the men entered the courtroom.
Aren't you done with that man. one
of them shouted.
This interrupt ton caused so much OF
diversion that Sewer got UP, went out.
mounted his horse and was away before
any one could interfere.
\ young backwoods lawyer who wit
messed the affair and laughed heartily al
the discontinue Of the judge left Nor
canton soon after to find a home In the
same region as the Franks The young
lawyers name was Andrew Jackson.
North Caroliha made no further effort
to prosecute Sewer. but the state govern
ment at Franklin was dissolved and North
Carolina resumed control. This control
lasted until February -. 1890. when North
Carolina coded the territory to the federal
government. Thereupon President Wash
ington appointed William Blount terri
torial governor and Sewer brigadier gen.
eral or the United States Army, with
command of the militia of the district.
Six years later the territory was admit
ted to the Union as state and its name
was Tennessee. John Sewer was elected
its first governor. There was no opposi-
ton.
He was reelected two years later. and
again two years after that The Consti-
tuition provided against more than three
successive terms. so he stepped aside one
term. Then he became governor again
and again and again. Next he was sen
to Congress and he was reelected and
again elected, and he was a membe. oi
Congress when, on a mission 10 the
Creek Indians I'm 1915, he was stricken
with fever and died.
Never was he opposed for Office. Never
did he lose the affections Of the Peep e.
He was the ruler OF the west of his day.
As warrior he was supreme. He foush Int
thrty-ive battles against Indians and che
against whites. Marvellous to relate. in
all his Indian fights he lost only six men
killed. Never was he wounded Never
did he know defeat. And Yet compara-
lively few persons in America know his
history.
Copyright. 1870 by Richard SpilsneD