USA > Georgia > Jackson County > The early history of Jackson county, Georgia. "The writings of the late G.J.N. Wilson, embracing some of the early history of Jackson county". The first settlers, 1784; formation and boundaries to the present time; records of the Talasee colony > Part 9
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"That," said one of the old men, "may be true. Yrtyrmyrmyrmysco has enemies there. Some of them have fol- lowed him and sent this arrow almost through his head. What a true bowman the fellow is !" "Yes," said Umausauga to him- self after the old men went away, "that fellow happened to be Tata Nyxter, as true a bowman as ever let an arrow fly! It is a
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pity that he can not use the other now. But look out, Wokolog ! It's not too late yet !"
Following the death of the leader of the Bohurons and the dis- appearance of his lieutenant, the Talasee colony slept soundly once more. Various improvements were inaugurated and rapidly carried to completion. Among these was a grist mill, the second of its kind built within the present limits of the county. It was known as the Richard Easley mill, and though the runners were of native granite, they ground good corn meal of which the only bread known to the country for several years was made in various ways, chiefly in "oven pones," johnny and ash cakes.
About this time the long expected company of emigrants ar- rived. They were led by William Clark, a man of great energy, and characterized by those who knew him as "brim full of com- mon sense and running over with human kindness." The com- pany consisted of one hundred and twenty-seven men, women and children. Thirty-nine remained at Talasee, twenty-seven went to Beadland, and the others to various points now in Walton and Gwinnett Counties.
Of the number that remained at Talasee there were twenty-one able bodied men as follows: William Clark, Herman Scupeen, James Tinsley, John McElroy, Robert Linton, John Clack, Ezra Lavender, Ezekiel Damron, Thomas Jett, James Varnum, Alton McElhannon, Alonzo Draper, Elkin Kinney, Ludwell Nichols, Homer Jackson, Alexander Bell, Oliver Betts, Thomas Mitchell, Joseph Cook, Russell Anglin and George Singleton. A majority of these were young men, all in the prime of life, and to use the words of one of their number, "increased the colony to twenty- eight hard-working, hard-fighting, rough and tumble fellows." Every man and every woman as well as all of the oldest children, knew exactly how to use the deadly rifle.
Nine only of the late emigrants had families. All the children were small except two, Helen Draper, the sixteen-year-old daugh- ter of Alonzo and Orpah Draper, and Ocean Scupeen, the half- grown son of Herman and Annette Scupeen, and so named be- cause he was born on the Atlantic ocean.
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James Tinsley was a Methodist preacher of the John Wes- ley type, and a man of letters. William Clark was a lawyer from Wolf Island, near New Iverness in Liberty County, now Darien in McIntosh County. He was the man for whom Clarksboro the first county site of Jackson County was named, and not as some have said, for either Gen. Elijah Clarke, or his son, Governor John Clarke. George Singleton was a physician, and ancestor of Dr. A. L. Singleton of "the duello" memory. Thomas Jett was a carpenter and built the first jail at Jefferson. Thomas Mitchell was a teacher, and taught the first general school established by the colony in a small annex to Fort Strong. Ludwell Nichols was a blacksmith and some of his work remains in the country to this day.
The colony now felt sufficiently strong to separate into several different but contiguous communities. Clark, McElroy, Linton, Clack and Lavender settled less than a mile north of Fort Strong near the place which afterwards became Clarksboro; Damron, Varnum and Kinney went to Rodoata near Cold Spring; Bell and Betts settled at Alotha, and, at the earnest request of the Indian brothers, Umausauga and Etohautee, Draper, Jackson and Scu- peen followed their friends to Beadland and settled at Snodon, leaving all the professional men, except Clark, at Fort Strong. The going of Draper, Jackson and Scupeen to Snodon was op- posed at the fort; but it was a division of power seen only by the sagacious Indian brothers, which proved to be of great value to the whites throughout the country.
Notwithstanding the occasional mutterings of the natives, an era of prosperity now began in the colony which showed them plainly that the pale-faces had come to stay.
While this state of affairs was pleasing to the whites it was aggravating to the reds, especially when they learned of some things which the late emigrants had brought with them; all of prime necessity to pioneer life. Among them were an ample supply of arms and ammunition, horses, cattle, hogs and sheep. Among the cattle was a yoke of oxen-great animals with wide- spreading horns that beat against each other with ominous knocks as they walked side by side. From these the natives fled
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in consternation; crying out as they ran, "Nodoroc ! Nodoroc ! go back to Nodoroc!" Perhaps these oxen, the horses, and the shining array of rifle guns, greatly hastened native hostility ; for although the colonists did not know it at the time, it was after- wards found that the teaching of the Indian leaders was, in sub- stance, "We must crush the pale-face before he becomes still stronger."
Of the horses last brought to the colony, the names of three are mentioned here: Hector, a fine animal belonging to Josiah Strong; Dart, owned by the boy, Ocean Scupeen; and Scat, the high-strung steed that went and came at the bidding of the equally high-strung girl, Miss Helen Draper !
During the period of quietude that followed the bursting of the Cherokee bubble, much of Mr. Strong's time was devoted to teaching a school composed of two pupils. Though so small, it was the first school taught in the country, even antedating that at Yamacutah. The curriculum was limited, but the work ex- ceedingly pleasant to the master. He was teaching English to Banna Mar de Vedo, and Creek to Ruth Lahgoon. They were ready learners, and with their previous knowledge of these lan- guages advanced rapidly. By and by, becoming weary of close con- finement, a visit to Beadland was planned for an early day. The girls wanted to visit Helen Draper who, much to their regret, had recently left them.
Helen's features were not really beautiful like theirs; but in form and movement she was the peer of the most elegant, and her hair and her eyes were very pretty indeed, the former long and golden in color, the latter deep blue and laughing. Her manners were so free and easy and her voice so sweetly musical that without any effort on her part all loved and courted her society. Like them she was very bright; but unlike them she was somewhat given to fun and frolic. Like them she was brave to a fault ; but unlike them she was not sufficiently cautious. Like them she was an accomplished horseback rider; but unlike them she was yet deficient in the ready use of the rifle while in the saddle.
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For either man or woman to be "a dead shot at the bat of an eye" was regarded as the greatest accomplishment of the times. Such proficiency was by no means uncommon in those days, and under the training of her friends Helen Draper soon became equal to the best.
When all were ready Josiah Strong and Banna Mar de Vedo, Leon Shore and Ruth Lahgoon, armed capapie, left Talasee bound for Snodon the Dreary, as Helen had characterized the place in one of her letters. They went directly to Calamit where they re- mained several hours. Mr. Strong's first visit there, the myste- ries which still hung over Beadland, Ruth's first discovery of Banna and Iro and their subsequent visit to the place, and the fate of Yrtyrmyrmyrmysco in the immediate vicinity, were some of the subjects discussed.
From thence they went to the old town of Snodon where in a whirling sea of thought Josiah and Banna stood and gazed upon the spot where they first saw each other, and where at that moment was born a love that never wavered during the trying vicissitudes of their eventful lives.
It was near Nere Nara, the great rock pillar already described, and at the mention of which Umausauga had been seen to shed tears. Seated upon the steps within its arch they dwelt silently upon the past, "sadness, hope and gladness" passing, like a weaver's shuttle, back and forth, in and through their minds. None of the few natives who lived near were to be seen. Leon and Ruth had wandered away to the great flat rocks which lie to the south and were gathering flowers of the wild honeysuckles which grew in their crevices. They walked and talked until un- expectedly they reached a swamp hard by. There they discover- ed other flowers and jack-in-the-pulpit was among them. The solitary finger of one of these droll plants seemed to beckon to Leon and say, "Come and get me." As it grew upon the margin of the bog he obeyed the silent monitor, and being weary, as they supposed, the twain seated themselves upon a great boulder con- veniently near.
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In the meantime Mr. Strong and his companion became weary of silence and began to talk again, though in a tone quite differ- ent from their previous conversation.
"Do you know, dear one, for such I now venture to call you, how dear this place is to me?" asked Josiah of the blushing girl at his side. "And why, Mr. Strong, is such a place so dear to you?" she asked in trembling tones. "Because here I first saw you, the only woman whom I can always truly love." "And she a poor, unknown savage who had never heard the name of God! O Mr. Strong, can you be in earnest?" "Yes, my own 'Twink- ling Star,' in earnest, absolutely! Though you may have been comparatively unknown, you never were a savage. The best blood of Spain, pure Aryan blood, beats gladly in your heart; the rich red blood of the Cid Campaedor. Blood as proud, as noble and as brave as ever beat in human heart was his. And so is yours. Then too, the blood of your mother, the peerless Elancy- dyne, the 'Shooting Star' that blazed upon the red-stained plains of Numerado, Radoata and Arharra, with such dazzling splendor, also beats in your heart and runs through your veins. As we now know your mother was the daughter of an English nobleman, the same race to which I belong, and of which we are both surely proud. Then say not my Eltrovadyne, my Glittering Star, and dearer than all, my Banna the Beautiful, for my this name I first knew you, that you ever were a savage. And still more, as the daughter of undisputed royalty, your rights would place you on a throne to-day. So darling, you are not only of noble blood, but that of royalty as well. As such I salute you, and bid you all hail my beautiful, my only queen !"
In an honest endeavor to repeat a long history in a few words, and overcome with intense earnestness, the speaker paused for want of breath to proceed. He looked at the trembling girl who was crying as if broken-hearted. For the first time he took her hand in his, and placing the other on her shoulder continued :
"O, Banna, for a long time you must have known that I love you dearly. Because of the unsettled condition of the country and my earnest wish to tell you so at the very place where I first met you, I have not mentioned the subject until now. The time
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has come at last. I can not afford to let it pass unheeded. Then with the full assurance of all my heart, will you here and now consent to become my wife?" Still trembling the girl remained silent and thoughtful for a little while. Then she deliberately took the polished mussel shell from her bosom and quietly show- ing him its contents said : "Here is my answer. Since I took this lock of your hair from here on the same day that a mean boy snatched it from your head and threw it away, I have carried it near my heart almost constantly. I would not exchange it for the brightest diadem that ever crowned a queen. If I think so much of a single lock I have no words to tell how much I should value all that clustered around it. So, as you are the only man I ever loved, I am free to say that I am willing to become your wife."
Mr. Strong eagerly grasped her hand with both of his, and gently, tenderly leaned his head upon her shoulder. She re- turned the pressure and softly placing her head upon his manly breast, they both audibly thanked God for the happy consum- mation of their fondest earthly hopes. Ah! ah !- the irony of fate! Two lovers, both of whose hearts were always readily responsive to all the fine feelings of human nature, whose acts were often close akin to the acts of an angel, and who never caused each other to feel either pain or sorrow, had plighted their troth over the sleeping dust of a victim of unrequited love !
A hard battle had been fought and won hard, not because one had ever seriously doubted the other, but because of the turbu- lent times in which they lived, and the many difficulties incident to pioneer life-a life vastly more trying than this or any suc- ceeding generation can ever know.
At last the lovers remembered that there were other beings in the world to claim their attention; a lesson seldom forgot and never neglected. And now that the hitherto dreary old town of Snodon seemed to have taken on new life, they thought all the world akin. The curious rock pillar, the quaint old wigwams and the unfrequented paths around them, all decorated with festoons of spider webs spun with geometrical accuracy, and spread in
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rich profusion upon myriads of wild flowers that swayed back and forth in the golden sunshine, instead of seeming desolate as heretofore, were now arrayed in gorgeous robes of blue, violet and gold. This transformation made them long to tell their truant companions how happy they were.
Lost in their own thoughts, Leon and Ruth were loth to leave the vine-clad boulder upon which they sat. They had ceased to notice the festoons of sweet-scented honeysuckles that, moved by the evening breeze, were playing hide and seek all around them. Leon Shore was twirling a long, slender jack-in-the-pulpit between his fingers, and calling Ruth's attention to it said :
"Sentimentalists say that jack-in-the-pulpit is an emblem of Hymen's Altar. And now, my dear Ruth, you know that a long time ago you promised to be my wife sometime. The matter has, for good reasons I confess, been delayed. I think the anxious 'sometime' has come at last. I now offer you this flower, this Hymen's-Altar-leader, and if you are willing for me to lead you to such an altar at an early day, take it and make me supremely happy, and in turn I will do all that mortal man can do to make you happy also."
The blushing girl took the flower and kissed it. There amidst the deep silence of the wilderness where the feathery honey- suckles reached out their tendrils towards the stable rocks, and jack-in-the-pulpit nodded his approval from the swamp, they sealed their vows.
They too had forgotten to note the flight of time, and hastened to join their companions at Nere Nara.
When the parties met the situation was at once comprehended by all. Congratulations went from one to the other in quick suc- cession, and together all rejoiced in very gladness.
Alonzo Draper's "little house in the woods" was soon reach- ed. It stood near what is now known as "the black gum hollow" in the northern suburbs of Winder. Herman Scupeen, Homer Jackson and a few other families lived near, Scupeen being the first settler of what is sometimes called the Morris old place, and Jackson built the "Wright cabin" which disappeared many years ago.
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To use the words of one present, "the girls were in a blaze of glory that night and did not go to sleep at all, and the men stopped talking only long enough to sometimes sally forth and shoot some wild animals." However the howl of the wolf, the scream of the panther, and the sniff of the prowling black bear were noticed only when unpleasantly near.
Among those who came to offer their compliments to the vis- itors from Talasee was Ocean Scupeen. He was a bold, mis- chievous boy, but never mean. He was as true a hero as ever trod the soil of any country. He was handsome withal and had a good elementary education. His devotion to Helen Draper was equaled only by his heroism. Except that bright, vivacious girl, he acknowledged no leader willingly. They were nearly of the same age, and had hunted wild game and played together from early childhood. Both were at home on horseback, and the wilder the horse the better they were pleased. When on foot both were unerring shots, but had never practiced loading and firing when in the saddle and on the run. To see Ruth and Banna perform these feats with such consummate skill, "set them," to use Ocean's own words, "all on fire to do so, too."
The visitors began their homeward journey on the evening of the following day. They were accompanied by their friend Helen, who rode her high-spirited but well-trained horse already known by the name of Scat. Tata also was with them on foot, and it was amazing to witness the ease with which he kept in advance of the horses, even when at a full trot. Wanting to reward the boy for ridding the country of their arch enemy in such a master- ly way, and at the same time secure the services of a highly valu- able friend, the colonists had arranged for him to become one of their number. No better trade was ever made.
In due time that party arrived at Talasee, and no one received them with a more hearty welcome than Pyth and Damon, though it required several days for Tata to gain their confidence. To Banna Mar de Vedo the world in which she grew to womanhood seemed to have changed into a new one. And in many respects it had.
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CHAPTER VII. THE VISIT TO YAMACUTAH AND RETURN.
Trained by Banna and Ruth, Helen Draper soon learned "to drive the cross" on horseback; but it was another thing to load the rifle and drive the cross when the horse was at full speed. Yet in the course of a few days the skill of her trainers and her own unyielding disposition "to do or die" enabled her to oc- casionally succeed in both loading and shooting. Having done so for a few times, she threw her bonnet high in the air and shouted :
"Hurrah for success! There is nothing like making an effort, long and strong if need be, to achieve success. My darlings, how about that?"
"It's all true," replied Ruth. "I think, however, that Scat is too frisky for such work, especially to begin with."
"She can practice on Iro," said Banna as she led the white horse forward. When the necessary movements are learned by actually performing them, Helen will ask Mr. Frisky no odds."
"Hurrah for success!" exclaimed the girl as she again threw up her bonnet, and bouncing upon Iro's black as a sparrow to the top rail of a fence, she continued, "Please give me my gun, bullet pouch and powder horn. Hurrah for success and the scamp of a boy I left behind me !"
So saying she gave Iro the necessary signal, and at high speed he dashed into the woods. Aiming at a large tree the bullet "barked" a smaller one near by and the horse went on. Now came the tug of war; her gun was empty. After many ineffect- ual efforts she finally succeeded in loading when Iro was at a full run. Having thus practiced for a part of several days, her teachers informed her that it was only necessary for her to practive awhile on her own horse and then she "would be fully competent to meet an enemy on the wing." This so greatly pleased her that she rode to the front door of Mr. Lahgoon's dwelling where a number of the colonists had assembled, and shouted :
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"Hurrah for success, Helen Draper, Iro, Scat, my darling girls, and every one else that lives here and at home, especially my mother who is the dearest, best and sweetest woman in all the world."
The "darling girls" were present, and leading Helen into the house, they crowned her with a wreath of wild flowers which they had prepared for the occasion. Having securely fastened the wreath upon her brow, they threw up their hands and said laughingly, "Hurrah for success and Helen Draper, our own vic- torious queen !"
A lively, good natured tussle followed, which soon turned into a real break-down dance. Most of those present quickly joined in the giddy whirl, and round and round, back and forth went the uproarious revelers in what they called "a Georgia gallop," until the strongest became exhausted. Such was life in the olden time when life was real, when life was earnest, and effeminacy and mistrust were almost unknown.
As it was impossible to obtain a marriage license in that part of the country, after the dance was over a party was formed to visit Yamacutah or Tumbling Shoals where lived a minister who was authorized to issue such papers. It consisted of Josiah Strong and Banna Mar de Vedo, Leon Shore and Ruth Lahgoon, Abel Trent and Helen Draper, to which, Joseph Starr, the former mes- senger to that place, was added as guide and always welcome companion, especially in time of danger.
Abe Trent, as already known, had long ardently loved Ruth Lahgoon, but proved himself to be too much of a gentleman to bear ill will to the man who had supplanted him. Speaking of the matter he said: "I attach no blame to any one. If I loved Ruth Lahgoon it was because I had never seen Helen Draper."
No wonder then that Abe was anxious to accompany his friends, especially as he too was always a welcome companion as well as a friend who never failed to respond to the call of duty.
Well mounted, well armed, and carrying their dogs and hunt- ing horns with them, the party reached their destination in due time. They rejoiced to meet that noble band of pioneers who had preceded them, and whose fame had reached far beyond the lim-
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its of their travels. They received that royal welcome which such men as Jordan Clark, Jacob Bankston, John Harris, Dale Clover, Dr. Henry Therrauld, Jared Cunningham, James Mont- gomery and Hiram Bingham can only give. A salute of fourteen guns, two each, for their guests, was fired, and in response double that number was given by the visitors. All this was followed by the united shouts of both parties which raised such a din that, as usual, the dogs howled and the wild animals in the neighbor- hood ran to their hiding places. Dinner, consisting of "hog and hominy" and many of the meats known to the native forests and streams-meats boiled, stewed, baked and broiled after the tooth- some style of Mrs. Clover's cooking. Then too there were butter and milk and cheese made after the old Virginia fashion, and rich, porous "johnny cakes," and "batter cakes" made of un- bolted rye flour, good to the taste.
Instead of sitting around in idleness and waiting for their host- ess to serve them, the three Talasee girls went to work as they did at home. Rolling up their sleeves and tucking up their dress- es, they cooked, washed dishes, carried water and swept the houses and yards around them. Then shouldering their rifles they roamed through the woods and showed the admiring citi- zens that they could "bring down a buck at full tilt," or "chip a squirrel" from the top of the loftiest tree when riding at full speed.
"Can it be," thoughtfully observed the quaint John Harris when speaking of these girls one day, "can it be that such flowers will ever fade, such eyes ever grow dim, and such nerves ever become unsteady ?"
"Yes, yes, but they will bloom again in Heaven; for I find that all three of them are devoted Christians," replied Dr. Therrauld who happened to hear the remark so seriously made.
And that was the turning point in the life of the wonderful John Harris who, though never a bad man, was never seriously inclined until he began to consider the mutations of time as brought to his attention by the foregoing episode.
The men spent their time in conversation, hunting, fishing, run- ning, jumping, and in a critical examination of the mysterious
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circle* and its appendages which then existed at that place. Thus four days passed away like the shadows of an hour before the Talasee party could get their own consent to leave such con- genial friends as the Yamacutahans proved themselves to be. But early on the morning of the fifth day after their arrival they tore themselves away and began their homeward journey.
The parting of the girls with the lovely and accomplished Mrs. Clover and her little daughter Flora was touching, even to the lion-hearted men who stood about them.
Josiah Strong and Leon Shore carried their long-coveted mar- riage licenses with them. They had been issued by Dr. Therrauld, the same that afterwards gave a license authorizing the marriage of William T. Brantly to Idalone LeCain at the Dunson log-roll- ing. He and the two famous singers of that age, Jared Cunning- ham and James Montgomery, accompanied the party to Talasee.
Abe Trent said he wanted a license too, but did not know whether to apply for one or not. When asked why, he said :
"I can not bring Miss Helen around to the sticking point. She seems to think pretty well of me; but then she apparently thinks the same of everybody else. Somehow she refuses to make any distinction. 'Spect that harum-scarum Ocean Scu-or whatever his name is, has something to do with it. That's just my luck at any rate."
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