Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1921-10-14
POCAHONTAS IN THE OLDEN
DAYS.


POCAHONTAS IN THE OLDEN
DAYS.
For several years in the distai,
past this section was terriorized b.
Two outlaws, or horse thieves. The
committed various acts of thieyer
and lawlessness, ravaging the couis
try and causing much fear and il,
dignation among the citizens espec
tally during the civil war when s,
many of the men were away from
home. They caused William Reed |,
move from his home on Laurel owe
into Abb's Valley. The enraged cit.
zens finally decided to put stop t,
it at all hazards. and by shrewd an,
united effort caught the williams. Ncal
the site of the present Coaldale Tu,.
mel strong men bent over some goo,
sized saplings, tied their victims witt
a strong rope around the neck. tie,
the other end of the rope to the sa,,.
lings and let them fly back with tn,
Williams hanging by the neck. There
are two graves on the st. Clair pla,.
near Pocahontas, and there is SO,
OF tradition that these are the graves
OF the horse thieves, but this ma
not be true. Others say that one oi
the men was federal officer.
Out beyond the machine shops near
Pocahontas are "Peeled Chestnuts.
familiar name to one who has ever
spent much time in this section. hut
~ may not be generally known that
the Indians are responsible tor ti.c
name. 1t is SAID on good authority
tnat they used the peeled chestnuls
as sign or guide TO them in the,r
travels through this section to an,l
from points In Ohio. Their trail lei
from some point southwest of helc.
possibly in Pulaski County on up
New kiver via Blueiield, Graham,
rails Mills, the lower end of Abb.s
valley and out by Peeled Chcstnuts.
Ihis section was termed by thcin
The valley of sweet waters" on ar-
count OF the delightful water, Chill
iicothe was their rendezvous in Ohl,.
The well known Pinnacle Rock co.,
tains some of the Indian hyoroglyp-
MICS,
The above information is vouched
Ior by Col. James S. Browning, who
came to this section from Richmond
on February 2S, 1865. moving to
Mrs. Brownmg's>f farm in Abb's VAL
ley. lie had graduated at Emory a.
Henry College i'll the class of 1876.
entering the legal profession after
graduation. For a f0w years before
coming to Pocahontas he had been
private secretary to Governor Came.
ron. The discovery OF the rich coal
deposits on Mrs. .Browning's land
leu HIM later on to discontinue the
practice of law in Pocahontas ami
uevelop the coal. In this business al
Tempt he was successful, although
somewhat overshadowed by his pow.
er1ul rival, the Southwest Virglnla
Improvement Company. Some of ns
varied experiences would form an in
teresting story. The Colonel was an
inveterate ''scrapper" in the legal
sense Of the term and according tv
the opinion of his best friends was
hardly satisfied unless he was M
some legal battle. The writer and
many orners remember some of his
scraps with Logan Bullitt, President
OF the S. w. Va. Improvement Com
pany and the Pocahontas Light and
Water Company. Colonel Browning
bought from Mr.. Alex st. Clair the
1arin on the North side of his wife
farm in Abb's Valley, on which wa,
the Abb's Valley Spring, which sup.
piled the town of Pocahontas with
water. In one of his scraps with Mr.
Buliitt Col. Browning had his men
TO cut the pipe line which supple.
the town with water, and also the
works of the big coal company. Quite
a serious predicament for all con.
cerned but it was more or less ar
act of good humor on the part of tnt
Colonel to show the company thai
they could not put anything over OF
him. The pipe line ran through HI.
land and he claimed that the had :
right to cut the water off. Just how
matters were settled l do not re
member at this time.
Another incident is recalled of 81,
exciting incident that occurred th,
day when the court house bell ran,
loudly, which usually attracted !,
crowd under ordinary circumstance
but this time who should the offii,
ers and detectives have in charge bu
President Logan Bullitt, wendin,
their way with him to the same plac
where all prisoners had to go. If m,
| recollection is correct President Bui
lit retaliated when the water pipe
were cut, by putting force of me-
to work tearing up the railroad tracl
to the Browning. mines. Col. Brown,
ing started at the head of the troubl
by having MIR. Bullitt arrested. Whe
he was brought before the court uy
der an escort of detectives and pv
licemen and the hearing had prc
ceeded q distance q disturbance or
near disturbance arose and pistoi
were drawn in an instant. At thi
the crowd scattered like rats wit
one exception. A gentleman who !,
now o leading professional man
the town jumped to the top of bi
I.iron safe to see the fun, standing O
top of the safe in the midst of th
excitement over the pistol exhibitio,
Mr.. Bullitt was admitted to bail, an
the company and Col. Browning se
tied their difficulties afterwards.