The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-06-12

North Carolina, had come into the
Watauga country. They had to be ex
PEELED. For a time they preyed upon
the Indians and then they Joined
Dragging Canoe. There could be no
peace so long as the nest of the rene
gades and the Chickamaugas remained
undisturbed Sewer never had been in
the Chickamauga country, and only
| one of the Watauga men had any
knowledge of it. but secretly SEWER
planned an invasion such as the In
dams never had dreamed Of High up
| the Tennessee he led his force, felled
trees. made 100 rough canoes, and then
| padded down the river.
The Indian encampment was ma
tural fortress In one of the most majes-
tic spots in that wonderfully rugged and
picturesque region. To outwit Indians
is hard indeed. but so silently and sec
reilly did Sewer and his force approach,
| that they took the Indians by surprise.
| They put the startled braves to flight
| and then they burned the village and
| all the store of grain. but they did
not burn the great quantity of powder
and lead which the tribe had just re-
ceived from the British. This was
! taken back to Watauga.
From Sewers exploits the Indians
got to look upon him with superstitious
| awe. He moved so fast and struck so
suddenly that they could not under
| stand II. Many braves had shot at him.
but never did bullet strike him.
They began to believe he was fav-
| orite of the Great Spirit. Once this
/ idea got possession of them the knowl-
edge that he was on the warpath spread
terror. They would fight other white
chiefs. but they feared to come within
the power Of his wrath.
1t is not strange that the indians
got this notion. Even some whites
marveled at the speed with which he
moved. But there was no mystery He
was great horsenan and great low
er of horses. He imported into the
| watauga Valley the best blooded horses
he could obtain In Virginia. He studied
blood lines and he bred horses for
speed. Every Sunday he had horse
race. He would travel far to see q
/ particularly good horse or be presen,
at horse race. The horse was the
locomotive and the telegraph of the
land beyond the Alleghanies, and with
in ten years Of his arrival in the Wa
tauga Valley Sevier not only had per-
haps the best horses in America, bu
NE Ildu t'iou5ANSs N-AS
| glon over which he held sway the bes
system OF communications that thf
| whole frontier could boast.
From the thoroughbred of the Wa
| tauga, the Clnch and the Holston val
leys may be traced some of the bes
families OF race horses In America to-
day, for John SEWER. perhaps more thar
any other one man, was the father OF
the American turf. But he did no
train his horses and his neighbors
! horses so much to race for sport az
to race after or from Indians, as the
situation warranted.
Kings Mountain.
In 1880 there came an appeal e
Sewer to help the people on the cas-
tern side of tho mountains. The Brit
ish had captured Charleston and Sa
vunnah, and had overrun the whole
of the Carolinas and Georgia. Their
hardly was a patriot force In the field
Sumter was In the hills, wounded. ant
Marion was In the swamps, ever,
other organized body had been cap
turcd or dispersed. The Tories an
there were many of them, We're muir
dering such Continentals as they coul
md and CORVALLIS was proceeding t
march to the north to invade Virginia
Sewer called for volunteers and NOR
responded than he could employ. II
was Joined by force from the Back
water Dtetrict of Virginia and Shelby
mon from Kings Meadow. Tnes
formed aMjunction later with bodle
from Washington county, North caro-
lima, and Washington county, Nirglnli
The little army numbered 900 men
had no recognized commander eac
body working Independently,
That this army should cross IN.
mountains. sweep down upon the saf