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


Captain Shelby became the General
Shelby of the Revolutionary Army, and
Isaac Shelby became the first Governor
of Kentucky. At Kings Meadow, now
Bristol Tenn, they heard of body Of
settlers who had taken up lands on
the Watauga, where the soil was rich
and the climate delightful In the Wa
tauga country Sewer met James Rob,
ertson, the leader of the party of set
tiers, and they became such hfm
friends that Sewer decided TO make
his home in the new country On the
banks of the Nolchucky he built a
| log house, and thereafter he was known
| as Nolichucky Jack. There were only
| two dozen families in all that section
at that time. The people thought they
We're within the domain of Virginia.
BY the treaty of Fort StanwiX Nir-
ginia had come into possession of the
land south to Sc degrees 80 minutes.
THE settlers were south of the line. in
the territory to which North Carolina
had claim. and through this they Were
10 have long and bitter trouble; but
their more immediate concern had to do
with the Indians. The Watauga lands
were on the old War Trail of the In
dams, and the hunting grounds OF
| 20, 900 Cherokees We're close by. Far
to the south We're the Greeks To the
west were the Chickamaugas. To the
north were the Shawnees, with whom
Boone was to have many battles.
For year Sewer lived quiet, peace
| ful life in this nook on the western
| slope of the mountains The handful
of settlers We're smut out from the rest
| of the world by the great mountain
chain, and they had for neishbors the
| multitudes of Indians: but there was
no sign of trouble until the Indian
agent of King George III, James Stu
art. called the Indians attention TO the
fact that the Watauga settlers were
| Invaders: that they were south of the
! 3s-degree Commute line, and that
| they must leave if the Indians SO de-
| sired a conclavc was held. when
was attended by 500 Cherokees, headed
by King Oconostota, Atta-Culla -Culla'
| vice King; Savanuca, prince of Echota;
| Dragging Canoe, chief of the Chlcka-
lmaugas, and others. Sewer and ROD
ertson made treaty with them By
which it was agreed the whites should
have the lands on payment of 5000
in eight yearly instalments, the pay
uents to be made in powder lead and
goods. But the treaty, like most trea-
ties of the time, did not prevent blood
shed Whites came struggling ovel
the mountain passes and took up land:
more and more distant from the Wa
,, tauga. Soon the Indians compliance
that their hunting grounds were oeiht
encroached upon Next came raids AM
scalpings, and then there were opei
! clashes.
Meanwhile a storm was brewing
east of the mountains. The thirteel
:, | To n
mother country. Struggling with thei
own big affairs. the people of Nirgini;
and North Carolina had enough TO at
! tend TO without considering the al
: yenturers across the Alleghanies. The
settlers might have been overwhelnle'
by the Indians at this time but fol
the prompt action of Robertson an
Sewer. Striking quickly. they brok
up several raidng bands, and then b,
! threats and diplomacy brought Ocon
! ostota to promise good behavior II
insure 1t Robertson took up his HON
/ in the Indian capital of Echota for
, year, and through his residence ther
made such a friend of Nancy Ware
the prophecies Of the tribe, tina
thereafter Sewer was kept informe
= of the plans of the Indians
: With the outbreak of the Revolutto
the whole frontier was atiame. Tn
!, English, through the adroitness {
n Stuart planned to use the savages
the rear while the British fleets an
"a British troops attacked the colonis
= in front, Hamilton, the British co
- onel at Detroit stirred up the indian
l. of the West and Northwest Bral
y and Sir John Johnson reused the Irc
= quois IN Western New York, Stuar
~ in the South, supplied the Creeks
d Cherokees and other tribes with pow
der, lead and money. Tho Indian a
lies of the English numbered 10000,
The scheme was a clever thong
dastardly one. To use savage red me
niiamed to commit nameless horro
on men, women and children, W;
base, indeed That It did not succec
NJ was due to the genius of three me
is aehng INDEPENDENTLY and far remove
n. from each other In the West Geort
T Rogers Clark, By one of the most VOL
oertul marches in the history OF wa