There has come into the hands of The Star a copy of the Mountain Eagle, published by Thomas Eccles and Sam S. Moss in Shelby in 1861 when the war was brewing. Cleveland county was spelled Cleaveland at that time, and Major H. DeK. Cabaniss and Dr. J.W. Tracy were in controversy as delegates to the state convention to determine whether North Carolina would join the other states in secession or not. Major Cabaniss wrote “One of my opponents (Dr. Tracy) has said over and over again, that if North Carolina did not secede that he would leave her borders. I said to him in debate at Major Holland’s, that I thought he had better be out of North Carolina than to be here, disorganizing the very party which he professed to e in favor of and I as one, would bid him a hearty goodbye when he left.” Dr. Tracy in reply declared he would vote for secession and hold himself in readiness to defend North Carolina with all his power and energy and “I am ready to spill the last drop of my blood in her defense, or any other seceding state.”
Roster of Pacolet Guards
This issue of the Mountain Eagle also carried a role of the Pacolet guards, one of the first companies in the Confederate army to be formed in the south. It was made up of 80 men in Spartanburg and Union counites with Capt. J.Q. Carpender in charge. Speaking of Captain carpenter the paper says: “He is a native of Lincoln and a braver and more noble-hearted gentleman could not swell the ranks of the guards. He served in the Mexican campaign under Captain Clark as orderly sergeant. ‘Jake’ will not be found to be a pasteboard soldier.” In the roster of the company are names of families living in Cleveland today, such as Alexander, Allison, Blanton, Bridges, Byers, Cline, Collins, Gaffney, Goforth, Jones, Logan, etc., R.M. Gaffney, member of the company was a brother of our townsman J. Frank Gaffney.
Business Houses Then
The paper carries under the heading “Three Lives Lost” the following: “A sad and painful occurrence took place on Monday night the 4th of February 1861 in Broad river at the Cherokee Iron works. Mr. William W. Gaffney informs us that four valuable negroes, Albert and Tom, the property of Governor Gist. Same belonging to Dr. J.G. Gaffney and Dennis owned by Major Montgomery, attempted (without permission) after their day’s work to cross the river in a batteau. The river at the time being very full and rapid. Unfortunately, they were borne down the stream and swept over the falls.” Dr. Gaffney was the father of Mr. J. Frank Gaffney of Shelby.
One of the largest advertisements in the paper was for Dr. J.F. Miller’s drug store. In addition to selling drugs, medicine, varnishes, oils, brushes, perfumes and confections, etc., he offered brandies and wines for medicinal purposes.
A.H. Gaither was an attorney-at-law at the time; D.A. Putnam was an artist in house, sign and ornamental painting; M.L. Putnam was a watchmaker and repairer; A.M. printers.
Shields ran a carriage factory and did blacksmithing, taking country produce in exchange for his work; A.W. Quinn, the father of the late Beck Quinn, was a merchant tailor who had just removed to Fronebarger’s brick range; W.P. Love esquire had performed a ceremony united J. Runnions and Miss E.R. Quinn in the holy bonds of matrimony; and the Kings Mountain Railroad company offered a financial statement and paid a dividend of 2 ½ per cent to the stockholders. The inaugural address of Jefferson Davis was published, he being the first and only president of the Confederacy. His inauguration took place at Montgomery, Ala., and the paper says of it that “the procession was the grandest pageant ever witnessed in the South.”
Mr. Gidney Called
A meeting was held at St. Pauls church at which A.P. HOlafield announced himself a candidate for the secession convention and opposed to secession. “J.W. Gidney, esquire, being loudly called for, responded to the true spirit of the young and gallant Southerner—he was a native of the state and county of Cleaveland, and he felt proud to ‘flash his maiden sword’ in so good and holy a cause as that of the rights of the states and their duty to sustain them. Mr. Gidney is a young man of promise. He has made a good start—may those promises be fulfilled.”
Speaking of the convention and secession, the Mountain Eagle said editorially “Citizens of Cleaveland, Rutherford and Polk. Bly all the memories that cluster around the bleaching bones of your fathers on Kings Mountain—we exhort you to do your duty to your county and leave the consequences to God.”
The Mountain Eagle was published in a room at what is now the College Inn, and O.C. Sarratt was one of the From the front page of the Cleveland Star, Shelby, N.C., Tuesday, September 16, 1924. Last sentence in the paper was omitted.
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn97064509/1924-09-16/ed-1/seq-1/#words=SEPT.+16%2C+1924
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