Year: 1871

bLOUNTNILLE, IENN., May D.


To the Editors of the Chronicle.


write from what was once one ofthe pref
tiest little villages in all East Tennessee


but the rebellion left it little better than 9
mere wreck of its former SELF Two battles
were fought right over it. The artillery Of


one army was planted upon hill east OF


the town, and an eminence at the west end


of the village was occupied by the other,


and as natural consequence the cross-fir-


ing of the two armies soon set it in flames,


and large portion of the most beautiful


residences and best business houses were


burnt to the ground. Yet, Blountville is
a pleasant, and / may say growing place,


for it is steadily building up the waste
places and adding to its population, and
the prospect of railroad within less than
a half mile tends to increase its prosperity
and the energies of its people. Next week
we expect corps of engineers along this
way locating the Atlantic, Mississippi and
Ohio Railroad. If they should select what
is known as the Tennessee route" not
only BlountviIle, but large portion of
Sullivan county, will be greatly Benefited
and we cannot see how they can well af-
ford to adopt the Virginia route" when
they find such large balance of advan-
tages as we believe they will in favor of
the first named location.


THE CROPS.


Farmers are becoming somewhat fidgety
over the continual wet weather, especially
those who are not done planting, and two
thirds of them are not through with put
ting in their spring crop. The wheat in
some sections of the county has been seri-
ously damaged by the fly. In other sec
tions the rust has appeared OH the blade,
and fears are entertained that it will reach
the stalk and effect the grain. as it has
made its appearance so long in advance of
harvest. But still there is in few neigh
borhoods of this county, the farmers say,
the most splendid prospect for an abund-r
ant yield of wheat than there has been for
fifteen years. The apple crop is almost an
entire failure. In many large orchards
there was scarcely bloom, but there will
be no dearth of peaches, without something
unforeseen should arise to blast the abund-
ant prospect. We have had two or three
very destructive rains within two weeks
past; grist-mills, saw-mills, houses and
fencing has been swept away in various
ing tides have afforded our river trading
men unusual fine opportunities for getting
their grain to market, and the Knoxville
merchants have reaped harvest that will
be sorely missed by Bristol trading men
and merchants at other points east of
With one or two active and
honest commission men to teach the peo-
pie of the upper counties that it is
to their interest to ship to that point
Norfolk and Lynehburg might .whis-
tie for the trade they now get from Sulli-
van, Hawkins and the other upper coun-
ties.s Besides, merchants that now go East
for their goods would go to Knoxville if
they could get good market there for
their feathers, ginseng, &c. aI.s 7l;e y !


A white boy and some negroes got into
a adifficulty, near Thomas Mill, on Beaver
Creek, in this county, on last Wednesday,
and in the fracas one of the, negroes was
shot and painfully but not dangerously
The white boy, whose name
was Love, was arrested, brought before a
magistrate and bound over to appear at the
next term of our Circuit Court. Not giv-
ing security, he was sent to jail. Kuklux
had nothing to do with that, for if we have
any of the chivalrous gentry in our midst /
,hey are not much on "their muscle nor
much ITO raise fight"