The Daily Advertiser

Extract of a letter from Gen. Cocke, at Mulberry Grove, state of Franklin, to Major Elholm, at Augusta, dated August 28, 1787.

Col. Sypton the other day, appeared with a party of about 50 men, of such as he could raise, under pretence of redressing a quarrel that had arisen between our Sheriff and the Sheriff of North Carolina, though their principal view was to put themselves in possession of our records. This conduct produced a most rapid report, that they had made a prisoner of his Excellency to carry him to North Carolina, which caused 200 volunteers to repair immediately to the house of Col. Sypton, before they became apprised of mistake; and it was only through the influence of his Excellency that the opposite party did not fall a sacrifice to our Franklins. During this time a body of about 1500 veterans embodied themselves in order to rescue their Governor (as they thought) out of the hands of the North Carolinians, and bring him back to the mountains;—an instance that proves our citizens to have too noble a spirit to yield to slavery, or to relish a national insult.