274 The Winning of the West 



self. 24 This assembly once more offered full par 

 don and oblivion of past offences to all who would 

 again become citizens ; and the last adherents of the 

 insurrectionary Government reluctantly accepted the 

 terms. Franklin had been in existence for three 

 years, during which time she had exercised all the 

 powers and functions of independent Statehood. 

 During the first year her sway in the district was 

 complete; during the next she was forced to hold 

 possession in common with North Carolina; and 

 then, by degrees her authority lapsed altogether. 



Sevier was left in dire straits by the falling of 

 the State he had founded; for not only were the 

 North Carolina authorities naturally bitter against 

 him, but he had to count on the personal hostility of 

 Tipton. In his distress he wrote to one of the op 

 posing party, not personally unfriendly to him, that 

 he had been dragged into the Franklin movement 

 by the people of the county; that he wished to sus 

 pend hostilities, and was ready to abide by the de 

 cision of the North Carolina Legislature, but that 

 he was determined to share the fate of those who 

 had stood by him, whatever it might be. 25 About 

 the time that his term as Governor expired, a writ, 

 issued by the North Carolina courts, was executed 

 against his estate. The sheriff seized all his negro 

 slaves, as they worked on his Nolichucky farm, and 

 bore them for safe-keeping to Tipton's house, a 



M Hay wood, 174. 



** Va. State Papers, IV, 416, 421. Sevier to Martin, April 3 

 and May 27, 1788. 



