Newspapers / The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.) / April 30, 1959, edition 1 / Page 2
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. i v.- I . LY VEALE FLETCHER SII ELTON LAUREL, The only moral to this story is that ' violence begets violence and that .if you lived in Shelton. Laurel; North Madison County, daring the Civil War. you couldn't win for losing! . 1 - ' v 1 t During the winter of 1862, a band of Union sympathizers from s Shelton Laurel made frequent raids on nearby towns in Tenmes- .; ee, looting and plundering every- i thing of value they could lay their ; , hands on: ' Then, right before ' Christmas, this band captured the town of Marshall and made off with a huge supply of salt and , other provisions. Brigadier General Davis of the Confederate Army, stationed in Knoxville, sent a detail of Confed erate soldiers into Shelton Laurel with orders to bring in every male that could be rounded up any type of resistance should be met with gunfire. The Confederate soldiers found a gang of some SO men and wo men right above Hickey Creek in IShelton Laruel enjoying a feast on a freakishly warm sunny day in January. One of the gang, upon seeing the Confederate soldiers, jumped on a stump, pumped his elbows, known as Nancy Norton. She vowed revenge and eventually got it, but it cost the lives of her three UIIM . ' ' Some four years later, in 18o7, she told Judge James L. Henry in" Burnsville: "I taught my boys to be Christiana but if they had io die -f to die like a fighting dog with their teeth in, the ' throat!" .Nancy instilled in her boys ''a burning hatred for the 'Confede rate Army and a desire for re venge.. ' ' ' In the following year, 1864, the boys got their chance to put into practice their mother s teachings It was at a time when food was short for the Confederacy. Gover nor Vance had written a letter a few months earlier to J. A. Sed den, secretary of the Confederate Army, asking removal of a lot of broken-down cavalry horses from the north-western counties of the state, under the command of Gene. ral Jenkins, which were (in Vance's own words) "devouring the substance of a people threaten ed with famine." like a rooster, then crowed : "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" "'Kill that rooster!" bellowed the man in charge of the troops A gun fire. The rooster-imitator dropped dead. The rest of the gang, stunned and confused, were quickly rounded up. The captured women were tied with ropes, beaten, then let loose. Some of them followed along at a safe distance to see what would happen to the men. Before their . horror-stricken eyes, 13 men were lined up in a little ravine and told to kneel and say their prayers before dying. An old man, named David Shel ton, refused to kneel. "I'll not kneel before no devil," he said. So he was shot standing up, but was buried in the same grave with the other 12. 'A woman who witnessed this slaughter was a widow named St r g. i. Nancy , Franklin, better As food became more scarce, conditions in Shelton Laurel be came worse. Confederate Army offices, seeing their soldiers die in battle because they were out numbered resented "them slackers up in Shelton Laurel." Resentment blazed into hatred a hatred that burned with fierce intensity. And their hatred was matched by the Union sympath izers. Thus, in 1864, Shelton Laurel was virtually a No Man's Land. Confederate soldiers dared not enter the valley except in large bands, as bushwhackers would pick them off, firing their long rifles from behind huge popular trees. During this period Nancy Nor ton acted as chief spy for every Union sympathizer who took de light in shooting Confederate sol diers. She would stand on a knoll near her home where she could see both up and down the valley. From this vantage point, she- directed the fire of her bushwhackers, , as they carried on their private,- in dependent war &gainet the -Confederacy. . . During all this fighting she con- 1 , 1 tinued io instruct her sons a.-i '. what they must do if they foui: themselves surrounded by Cjii federatesoldiera, f . One day. It happened.. . v Things had been quite for seve ral i days when one afternoon in the early spring of 1864, Nancy Nqrton saw a detachment of some 80 greycoats" riding toward her house. ; ' "Chase' them rebels off! -'She commanded her boys'. V '', Quickly the boys grabbed their rifles and opened fire. Robert and James who were ages 19 and 17 respectively; shot at the rebels from the windows.- .The Rebels returned their fire, but continued to advance toward the widow's home. James ran out on the porch, took careful aim, and shot the of ficer in charge, who fell from his horse. The second officer took command, ordering the siege to e t from under. A soldier, v' i r him, clubbed Josiah to , h the butt of a rifle. ; ( 1 1. federate soldiers then left 1 y Norton with her three deud Kilns and the ashes, of her burnt J 1. .me, t ', i iNancy went to live with her brother, James Norton. ; The war ended the following year. Con. Btruction on a new building, at Mara Hill College was started, Masons drifted in . from far and wide.. . One of the masons was bragging one. day about what a fme shot he was. ' . . "The ' only time I ever missed was when I shot at a'n old woman during the war I aimed at her temple and 'shot a lock of' hair out of her head." ' 1 .,'A college student overheard this- conservation. He r high-tail ed it to James Norton's home. KIILVIN II. CHANDLER Correspondent continue. In the melee. Robert was killed found .the raider, who triedJ on thp-h: Jame. ran for cover -WU jwuriter, Nancy," the and was shot down near a wooden tudfin. excitedly as he re- w kt t v. tated the conservation he had PRESENTING THE NATIONAL OPEN CHAMPIONS FOR 1959 managed to kill one more Rebel. Meanwhile, the youngest son. Josiah, had gone out the back door and crawled under the house from where he picked the Rebels off without being detected. ' When the Rebels finally located where the fire was coming from, they sent a man under the porch to get young Josiah. Josiah shot him. Another soldier, thinking the first man was only wounded, crawled under the house and started pulling him out by the heels. Young Josiah killed him too. I "Set the' house on fire!" one of the Confedeate soldiers yelled, Soon the men were advancing toward the house with burning tor ches. .Smoke rose toward the sky, flames leaped upward and licked at the windows that crackled under the heat Nancy Norton opened the door of her house, carrying her bonnet in her hand. She ran toward the Confederates, cursing. One sol dier shot at her and the bullet snipped a lock ' from her flying hair. Young Josiah, fearing the burn ing 'house would crumble on him, overheard. James Norton offered the boy $5 to take him, next day to the mason at Mars Hill who had made this boast. ' James took , with him his long revolver. "I hear you're quite a shot," James Norton said to the mason. Yup never missed but once, and that was the time I shot at an old woman in Shelton Laurel and missed her." . . "About how far were you from her?" Jim asked. "Oh about 15 feet!" James : Norton . stepped back a- bout 15 feet, then said. "There ain't no excuse fer a body miss ing that close. I know I ain't go ing to miss " , ' With that he pulled his long revolver from his coat and shot the former raider in the abdomen. He died the next day. James Norton went into hiding after that, but he was finally ar rested and brought to trial for murder. ' ' The prosecutor, knowing it would be hard to find a jury in Madison" County that would not already be prejudiced, . had i ' the case tried in Burnsyille, ' Yancey Mr. Homer Griffee is making progress on his barn reconstruc tion. ' ; . " Mr H. C. Bice s again able to be out again after , an attack c flu...;.;.-. . - -, ; ; Mrs. Jim Cbandley has been on the sick list but is improved. Jeter Buckner, who has been compelled - to use crubches lately, is now able to walk without them. John, Irene and Olan Rice, of Cleveland, Ohio,- were recent ' vis itor here. . ' Mr. Austin Sice and family vis ited Mrs. H. C. Rice last, Saturday night ;V:'rtK:?lv;V; ?&:- , Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Chandler were dinner guests of Mr. Collis Chandler last Sunday. Sunday School was resumed at Midway Church last Sunday. The attendance was good and officers and teachers were elected. The Rev, Ray Roberts will preach , next Sunday night Everyone around here is glad that a new milk route is being established in this section. Revival To Begin Sunday At Price Chapel Church V LAUREL HIGH. SCHOOL'S honor students who will participate in the Commencement May 22, are June Marie Franklin (left) who will be valedictorian, 'and: Betty Jo Cook, salutatorian. ; Miss Franklin has years of high' school. Miss Cook's average is 95.53. maintained a scholastic average of 95.94 for the four The school is on Marshall RFD 8. - 1 ' , Out OovrUty CiUMmTtmf Roarinp Fork News MRS. HUBERT P ANGLE. Correspondent ' A revival meeting will begin Sunday, May 3 at the Price Cha pel Baptist Church on Big Pine, The Rev. N. H. Griffin, pastor, and the Rev. Jess Slagle will be doing the preaching. Services will begin each evening at 7:30 o'clock. All singera and the public are cordially invited to attend these services. You The United Way Help More County seat. The trial took place in 1867. " Nancy Norton rode some 40 miles ' from her home in Shelton Laurel to iBurnsville. She ;, took j the : witness stand and her story brought tears fro mthe 'jury.- Per haps, they thought she 'had suf fered enough. . The jury delibe rated a little -more than en, .hour then declared James Norton: "Not Guilty!" , We are glad to know that Dr. Kimberly of Bluff is back at home. We hope he soon will be well again. He was visited Sun day afternoon by Mr. Paul Da vis and Mr. Jack Parker. Mr. Paul Davis held his regu lar services at Bethel church Sun- day. A large crowd attend ed. Mr. and Mrs. Jack Parker vis ited Mrs. Hubert Pangle Monday night, Laveonia Pangle visited -Lucille Caldwell Monday night. We are glad to hear that Mr. and Mrs. Niels Parker are feel ing better after being ill for quite a while. We, hope both are soon well again. Mr. and Mrs. Hubert Pangle were visited Sunday by Mr. and Mrs. Melvin "Wyatt, Mr. and Mrs. Nick Parker, Mr. and Mrs. Dan Gardin, Wilson Payne, Berry Brown Arthur Fowler, Wade and Wayne Gardin, Dock "Wills, Roy Parker, Leon Rainey and Mr. Paul Davis. Mrs. David Priabee and son, Gary visited Mrs. Cora Gardin Sunday. "Mrs. Porrig Holt and daughter, Edna Ruth, took dinner Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Fowl er. ' Mr. and Mrsi Charlie Owensby of Wolf Creek called on Mrs. Hu bert Pangle Saturday morning.' ,Mrs. Clyde Caldwell and sonr Alan, visited Mrs. Wilson Payne Monday. Mr. Paul Davis took Sunday dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Jack Parker. Lucille Caldwell is on the sick list at this time. We hope for her a speedy recovery. I : ATTTJ1CT3 wkJf. 1 - ' ' I n ...... - . - I . . i ' ' ' ' k Th OoIoxm SkyliiMr . . . the luxury convartibl , , v f . 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The News-Record (Marshall, N.C.)
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April 30, 1959, edition 1
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