North Carolina Minute

Jesse James shot dead

St. Joseph. Missouri, April 3, 1882 - After more than fifteen year of robbing banks and hijacking railroad trains, Jesse James has been killed - by his cousin, a member of the James Gang Bob Ford. Some say that Ford never really liked Jesse, and when a reward of $10,000 was offered for either Jesse or Frank, Ford thought this would be an easy get rich deal for sure.

It is said that Jesse did not trust Ford, however being his cousin he want him involved in the gang's activities. On that morning of April 3, Jesse had taken his pistol and belt off and Ford told Jesse that a picture hanging on the wall was dusty. As Jesse James stood on a chair to dust the picture, Ford shot him in the back of the head.

Ford was arrested and tried for murder, found guilty and ordered to die by hanging. However, the Governor who offered the $10,000 reward pardoned Ford, but he never received the reward money.

Ford traveled all over the west giving autographs and lectures of how he killed the famous outlaw Jesse James. He was given the title, "The Man Who Killed Jesse James." In 1892, Ford opened up a dance hall in Creede, Colorado. The Hall had only been opened a short time before it burnt to the ground along with most of the town. Business was good for Ford so he pitched a large tent to continued his Dance Hall business. The day after he opened a man by the name of Edward O. Kelly stepped into the tent leveled his sawed-off shotgun, firing both barrels at point blank. Kelly at that point became "the man who killed the man who killed Jesse James."

Note: It was rumored for many years that Jesse James had a hideout in Franklin County and visited there many times.

Education in North Carolina

Note: The following article comes from the book "Public School Education In North Carolina" by Edgar W. Knight, PhD in 1916. This story deals with the schools in the last-half of the eighteenth century.

"Perhaps the most illustrious educator of this period was Dr. David Caldwell, whose celebrated "log college," which was located near Greensboro, served for so many years in the capacity of academy, college, and theological seminary. The school was founded in 1767 and in a short time became the most important institution of learning in North Carolina and one of the most influential in the entire south. Thoroughness rather than an extensive curriculum was its chief feature. The average annual enrollment in the school was between fifty and sixty, and it is said that more men entered the learned professions from its student body than any other school in the south. Five of Dr. Caldwell's students became governors of states, several went to congress, and many became prominent as jurists, physicians, and preachers. But for a temporary interruption by the British in 1781 the institution had an unbroken career of success until 1822, when old age compelled its brilliant leader to retire from active service."

Go west, young man go west

In this writing we are going west, but only as far west as Rutherford County, North Carolina. There is a mountain range in the county, which before the Civil War was called "Flint Hill." The name came from the fact that before the American Revolution flint rock was found in the area. Flint was used in the firing of "Flintlock" rifles and pistols.

Following the Civil War the mountain was called Cherry Mountain, for the abundance of cherry trees that grew in the area. Hundreds of people gathered on the mountain to gather cherries when ripe. However, more people gathered on the mountain to get their pint or quart of "Cherry Bounce" made by one Amos Owens, a bootlegger of note.

Amos was married once and only once. When he got ready to get married he mounted his horse and went to his sweethearts home. Upon arriving, his future father-in-law asks what he wanted. Amos replied, "Oh, nothing particular, we just thought we'd get married this evening." Marry! The devil" quoted the old man. "No, just his daughter," said Amos. Amos found her in the field bareheaded and without shoes. As though it was planned, she mounted his horse and rode off to find a justice of the Peace.

Amos served five years in prison for unlawful activities and twice for making moonshine whiskey. On one of these court cases the judge told Amos,

"Look at me, I am 60 years old, was never drunk, and have never incurred the woe pronounced against him that putteth the bottle to his neighbors lips. What have you to say? Amos cocked one eye and looked at the judge and said, ‘Well, judge, you have missed a durned lot of fun if you hain't never made, drunk, nor sold licker." It is not recorded how much time the judge gave to Amos."

Another time that Amos went up against the law for not paying taxes on his moonshine whiskey he told the law," as a confederate soldier, I fought the government, been imprisoned by the government, been starved by the government, and I don't propose to divide profits of my whiskey business with the government."

Call your next case!

Onslow County

One of the interesting counties in North Carolina is Onslow County. The county was formed from New Hanover County in 1731. In 1735 the county was empowered to built a court house 30 feet long and 18 feet wide and a prison 12 feet square, with a partition down the middle, with stocks and whipping post. By 1755 the courthouse was destroyed and a second one built at a place called Johnston.

In 1786 a storm known as "The Great Gust" blew away the second courthouse and destroyed the town.

During this storm a young lad of five-years-old, when found was so frightened that when asked what his name was, he could only say "had not," so they named the place Hadnot's Point.

The third courthouse was built in 1787 and in 1801 the fourth one was constructed and called Onslow Court House, but was later changed to Jacksonville, in honor of General Andrew Jackson..

I believe Onslow County has had more court houses built than any other county in the state. In 1885 the fifth courthouse was built and the sixth was built in 1901. Yet another was built in 1920 making it the county's seventh courthouse.

1967

• March 13 - The Country Doctor Museum at Bailey, North Carolina was established by two women doctors, Drs. Gloria Graham and Josephine Newell.

• July 4 - John Ford established The Blockade Runner Museum at Carolina Beach. The museum closed at his death in 1977.

• July 19 - A Piedmont 727 airplane flying over Hendersonville collided with a small aircraft. All aboard the two planes (82) died in the crash.

• The General Assembly made "brown-bagging" legal in North Carolina.

• The National Academy of Television and Radio, female jazz singer of the year name Nina Simone, born Eunice K. Waynon in Tryon, North Carolina.

• The General Assembly created the office of "Chief Medical Examiner."

• "The Carol Burnett Show" and "The Flying Nun" air on American television.

• Walt Disney Studios produce Doctor Doolittle.

• Thurgood Marshall, first black American to sit on the U. S. Supreme Court.

• May 1 - Elvis Presley marries Priscilla Beaulieu.

• Dr.Michael DeBakey performs the first human heart transplant.

• Quartz watches came on the market for the first time.

• June - American television and radio stations that carry cigarette ads must also include information about related health risks.

Thought for the Day: "True love is like a ghost: everybody talks about it but few have seen it." - LaRochefoucauld, French writer

J.C. Knowles is a traveling speaker, historian and antique expert. For more interesting North Carolina stories, visit www.heathero.com/ssg.