Gunmen, Lawmen and Wild Men of Early Georgia
In the pioneer days of what today is the state of Georgia, intrepid explorers, desperadoes, and opportunists of all types and description emigrated to the state, many of them ultimately continuing westward in search of a new life. It was a great movement documented in the concept of “Manifest Destiny” which helped to shape the modern nation known today as the United States.
These travelers invariably were characterized by three main types of individuals: gunmen who were either intent upon self-defense or upon the taking of whatever they wanted from whomever they wished whenever they wished; lawmen who were either simply honest men intent upon obeying the laws of that day or men serving as genuine law enforcement officers; and then there was the third type who were just plain “wild men” by nature. They weren’t necessarily criminal in nature, but many times were individuals who were just as unpredictable and loathe to tolerate any nonsense from anyone attempting to take advantage of or harm them.
It is difficult for many in today’s “civilized” society to imagine the harsh realities of those days in the wilderness of early America, where confrontations with Native Americans could quickly become inflamed to violence, and daily hazards of travel across an uncharted wilderness were a constant threat to life. And if that wasn’t bad enough, there were thieves and highwaymen aplenty who were fully prepared to rape, rob, and pillage whomever and whatever might be alone and vulnerable in this wilderness.
To be certain, the exploration and settlement of early Georgia – just like the nation as a whole – was an endeavor in which usually only the strong survived. There were no corner drug stores from which an influenza vaccine or an antibiotic might be purchased; nor reliable automobiles in which safe, comfortable and quick travel might be obtained; nor AAA “Horse” Service which might provide emergency assistance if one’s mount pulled up lame. There also were no emergency hospitals for serious injuries, nor convenient Howard Johnson Motor Inns in which one might sleep the night away, comfortable and safe. If the traveler encountered an emergency and was unable to manage it him or herself, that injured or ill individual many times simply died. It was just as simple as that. There was no “9-1-1” emergency rescue option.
The only mode of transportation for most of these pioneers was that provided by one’s own feet and the occasional horse or mule if one was lucky enough to have such. One traveled in the freezing cold and numbing rains of winter and in a blazing hot tick, chigger, scorpion, poison ivy and venomous snake-infested wilderness in summer, not to mention the fact that at every turn, one had to guard against the numerous grizzly bear, mountain lions, immense wolves and other dangerous wildlife which were numerous and confronted with regularity.
At night, if one even hoped to “awaken” in the morning, one or more individuals not only “volunteered,” but were required to stand guard around the clock while the others struggled for sleep, shivering on the cold hard earth around a bleak campfire. It was an ultra-miserable existence at best, and at worst, even the natural elements were life-threatening.
Worse yet, this uncharted region had no roads to suggest the proper route for one to take in these dangerous travels, and certainly no signage to suggest the proper route. To the contrary, there was a vast ocean of virgin almost-impenetrable forests and thick undergrowth through which one many times was forced to hack and cut his way; the soaring Blue Ridge Mountains which one had to scale; unpredictable wildlife at every turn; and rushing un-bridged and dangerous rivers and streams which one had to somehow ford to continue westward – always westward.
This type of existence required extremely-determined and unbelievably-hardened individuals – both male and female – to successfully complete such a trek and ultimately establish a new home in this wild land. Those who were weak-willed, poorly constituted and not of sufficient physical strength and skills, died out quickly. Many of their graves still litter the remaining forests and exist anonymously beneath the present-day asphalt jungles and homes of modern man, totally unbeknownst to modern citizens.
Within this mass of travelers could be found those accustomed to obeying the laws of man and honoring the precepts of Biblical training. They usually made excellent dependable citizens, friends and neighbors. Also included, however, were those of evil and greedy intent who cared little about their fellow man and had no compunction whatsoever about the commission of the worst crimes ever known in the pursuit of their ill-gotten gains. They observed few if any laws of society, making up their rules as they went along, instilling terror and despair into those they encountered along the way.
And then there were those possessed of that nature implicit in honest and dependable individuals who simply sought an existence where no civilized man or woman had previously trod. They desired only free land – which was abundant in America in those days – and a peaceful co-existence with nature, free from the constraints or abuse of their fellow man. Sometimes wild in nature, these individuals also were many times possessed of unusual physical strength and determination, both of which allowed them to persevere where others feared to tread.
Most all of the individuals described on the pages within this book fall into one or more of these categories. Many of them were courageous, strong and independent almost to the extreme, and are often remembered for their admirable qualities in the folklore of Americana. Their stories have been passed down by word-of-mouth and in written accounts and histories simply because they warranted remembrance.
Those in the other extremes are recalled for the abuses – and sometimes the horrible crimes – they perpetrated upon their fellow man, leaving damaged and destroyed humanity in their wake. This, then, is the story of some of these individuals.
