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session of Florida, made frequent incursions into Georgia and South Carolina; and perchance the Lone Hunter may have been a Cavalier, who, wearied and sick, had fallen by the wayside, where he was left to die. Or, he may voluntarily have deserted his comrades for this lonely life in the swamp. Here, in this secluded spot, not far from the Indian village, where supplies could be obtained when needed, he had doubtless, with the implements usually carried by the Spanish soldier, fashioned the small timbers for his house and built his wigwam cabin. Here, too, with the pick, which he was in the habit of carrying on his back, when on the march, he patiently dug the well that he might be constantly supplied with water.

How long he lived here is only a matter of vague speculation, but there is every reason to believe that he perished with his home, which some enemy must have fired-perhaps some skulking Indian from the village who had looked with envious eyes upon the Lone Hunter's sword and rifle. We can almost see him stealthily approaching the little cabin, stopping ever and anon behind some large tree to reconnoiter—thus creeping slowly onward again. From the top of the Hunter's hut rises a thin line of smoke, for he is cooking some beaten corn, which he has purchased from the Indians and on the coals he is broiling a steak, cut from the deer which fell before his rifle on yester eve. Reaching the door, with the noiseless tread of a panther, the savage springs upon his unprepared victim-then a fierce struggle ensues. But the Hunter, taken unawares, at last succumbs. His body is dragged away, his home is pilfered, and then an ember from the fire is applied to the dry bark on the sides, and soon the cabin is a smoldering ruin.

It may have been thus. This much is true. The Lone Hunter was never found by the Salzburgers, though they made a search for him where the Indians said he lived; and there was a minor Indian chief who long boasted of a Spanish rifle and sword which he claimed to have received from one of the invaders. The site of the old Indian village was near the Black plantation, some three miles distant from the Lone Hunter's cabin.*

XV

QUEEN ELANCYDYNE

Sixteen years before the beginning of our narrative a war broke out between the Cherokee and the Upper Creek Indians. The former claimed the territory as far south as the Tishmaugu and the latter as far north and east as the Iacoda Trail, which was nearly identical with the present Athens and Clarkesville Road. Their first engagement was at Numerado, near the confluence of Hurricane Creek and Etoha River, above Hurricane Shoals. Amercides, apparently an Indian with a Greek name, was leader of the Cherokees, and as gallant a brave as ever drew

*We are indebted for the above story to an article which appeared in a Sylvania paper, signed "W. M. H."

the bow. He rode a white horse and dashed from place to place as if trained on the battlefield of Europe.

Talitch-lechee, commander of the Creeks, anxious for a personal encounter, placed himself at a favorable point and awaited the expected opportunity. It soon came and the Creek buried his tomahawk in the gallant leader's side. When the white horse was seen running riderless through the forest of Numerado, the Cherokees began to retreat. But soon the scene changed. Elancydyne, the wife, or as she was generally called, the queen of Amercides, committing a small child which she was holding in her arms to the care of an attendant, mounted the riderless horse and at once took command. She was greeted by a yell from the Cherokees that echoed and re-echoed up and down the river and forward and backward across the valley. Soon the air was thick with flying arrows and whizzing tomahawks.

The conflict deepened and the battle waged on. The commander was more cautious than her fallen lord, but rode unflinchingly in the face of every danger. At last, the Creeks, finding their ranks so fatally thinned, retreated hastily. Another yell-this time the yell of victory, reverberated over the hills and the heroine of the day, forgetting all things else, hastened to see if her child was safe. She found it sleeping soundly in the arms of an attendant who, to shield the babe from harm, had received an arrow deeply in her own shoulder. Her name was Yetha; and though the wound was thought to be fatal, she lived to be very old.

Soon a band of young warriors gathered around the queen and, carrying her over the battlefield, in grim mockery introduced her to the fallen Creeks as their conqueror. Elated by their decisive victory, the Cherokees considered the country conquered territory as far as they claimed and began a march across it to take formal possession. In the meantime, however, the Creeks had received substantial recruits, and since Talitchlechee was a wily old chief of long experience the enterprise was doubtful. His enemy, still lead by what her followers considered their invincible new queen, moved slowly and cautiously forward until they reached the verge of the plateau which dips toward Cold Spring, where they met Talitch-lechee in command of a larger force than at Numerado.

The Creeks gave the gage of battle and soon the engagement became general. Though Queen Elaneydyne showed that she was a skilful and fearless leader, she was finally overcome by numbers, but by a masterpiece of strategy, she made a flank movement, and, going still forward, camped that night at Arharra on the plain where Prospect Church now stands and within hearing of the waters of Tishmaugu, the object of her expedition. This singular movement on the part of an enemy who had shown such consummate skill so puzzled Talitch-lechee that he hesitated to offer battle. The next morning, however, an accident brought on a general engagement, with varying success. This continued at intervals until noon when the Creek chief sent Umausauga, one of his trusted braves, to conceal a number of expert bowmen in the branches of some spreading trees that grew in an adjacent forest. Late in the afternoon the conflict again became general.

Elancydyne, on her white horse, led the van, and her example so inspired her followers that they gave another deafening yell and rushed

forward to engage at close quarters; but the Creeks retreated in the direction of the concealed bowmen. Again the Cherokee queen was in the thickest of the fray, and soon fell from her horse, pierced by many bristling arrows. The wail of lament "Oncowah, Oncowah!" rising from the field of carnage, disheartened the Cherokees and they in turn sullenly retreated to the north, tenderly carrying their fallen queen with them. If she had survived the battle it is difficult to say what would have been the result.*

*Extracts from The Early History of Jackson County, Georgia," etc., by J. G. N. Wilson. Edited and published by W. E. White, 1914.

CHAPTER XXIV

FOUR GREAT INSTITUTIONS OF LEARNING ESTABLISHED DURING THE MIDTHIRTIES JOSIAH PENFIELD, IN 1829, BEQUEATHES AN EDUCATIONAL FUND TO THE GEORGIA BAPTIST CONVENTION-STARTS MERCER UNIVERSITY-FIRST LOCATED AT PENFIELD, THEN REMOVED TO MACONJESSE MERCER'S BENEFACTIONS—OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY IS FOUNDED BY THE PRESBYTERIANS IN 1835 AT MIDWAY, NEAR MILLEDGEVILLE— SIDNEY LANIER'S ALMA MATER-DR. SAMUEL K. TALMAGE ITS FIRST PRESIDENT-ENFEEBLED BY THE WAR, OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY SUSPENDS IN 1872, BUT THE INSTITUTION IS REVIVED IN ATLANTA IN 1912 -THE SPLENDID WORK OF DR. THORNWELL JACOBS-EMORY COLLEGE IS FOUNDED BY THE METHODISTS IN 1836 AT OXFORD-DR. IGNATIUS A. FEW ITS FIRST PRESIDENT THE FRUITFUL CAREER OF THIS InstiTUTION, WHICH IN 1914 BECOMES EMORY UNIVERSITY-Mr. Asa G. CANDLER'S MAGNIFICENT GIFT-WESLEYAN FEMALE COLLEGE IS CHARTERED IN 1836-THE FIRST INSTITUTION TO CONFER A DIPLOMA UPON A WOMAN-HISTORY OF THIS MOTHER SCHOOL OF HIGHER EDUCATION.

During the mid-thirties four great institutions of learning were established in Georgia. The first of these was Mercer University. Originally located at Penfield, a small village seven miles to the north of Greensboro, it was founded by the great Jesse Mercer, one of the pioneers of the Baptist Church in Georgia, and was chartered as Mercer *Institute, a name by which it was known until 1837. But the genesis of this institution is of sufficient interest to admit of fuller particulars.

In 1829, when the Georgia Baptist Convention met at Milledgeville, it was announced to the body that Josiah Penfield, of Savannah, a deacon in the church, had bequeathed to the convention the sum of $2,500 as a fund for education, provided an equal amount should be raised. The following committee was named to suggest a plan of action in regard to the matter: Thomas Stocks, Thomas Cooper, H. O. Wyer and J. H. T. Kilpatrick. They made a report at once, suggesting that the requisite sum be subscribed; and accordingly, within fifteen minutes, the amount of money necessary to secure the gift was pledged in bona fide notes, given to Dr. Adiel Sherwood, clerk and treasurer of the Georgia Baptist Convention. The loyal pioneer Baptists, whose generosity helped to lay the foundations of Mercer, are numerated below, together with the amounts subscribed:

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Due authority having been given, a committee purchased from James Rudd, a tract of land, seven miles to the north of Greensboro containing 450 acres. Dr. Billington M. Sanders, then a young man just entering upon the work of the ministry, but well educated and well equipped, was engaged to act as principal. Under him the wilderness was cleared, temporary quarters were provided, and, on the second Monday in January, 1833, a manual school at Penfield was formally opened. Associated with Dr. Sanders, the first corps of instructors. were: Iro O. McDaniel, J. F. Hillyer, J. W. Attaway, W. D. Cowdry, A. Williams and S. P. Sanford. John Lumpkin, the father of Governor Wilson Lumpkin, was a member of the executive committee under whose oversight the school was established.

Penfield was the name given to the locality in honor of Josiah Penfield, from whose estate came the original bequest; but the school itself was named for Jesse Mercer, then the most influential Baptist divine in Georgia. Mr. Mercer, throughout his long life, constantly befriended the institution and at his death it became the principal beneficiary under his will. At the start, it was quite an unpretentious affair. In the course of time there developed around it an important town; but with the building of the Georgia Railroad Penfield began to yield prestige to Greensboro, a town on the main line, settled by an enterprising community of well-to-do planters.

However, the institute prospered. The students were required to perform a definite amount of work each day, for which they were paid at the rate of six cents per hour. They were also put through a course of study which was somewhat exacting. Doctor Sanders remained at the head of the school for six years. He was most successful in organizing the work upon solid foundations, partly because of his experimental acquaintance with agriculture and partly because of his exceptional qualifications as a disciplinarian. But he was none too sanguine at first in regard to the educational outlook in Georgia. He was somewhat apprehensive of failure, due to certain adverse conditions which he feared could not be successfully overcome. To illustrate his attitude, it was found that before the school could be organized an additional sum of $1,500 was needed. Doctor Sanders was asked, among others, to be one of thirty to raise this amount. He replied to the effect that he was willing to be the thirtieth man to contribute, a statement which either implied some doubt in regard to the ultimate outcome, or else an anxiety on the part of Doctor Sanders to make the Baptists of Georgia exert themselves.

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