pistol across his body, holding it in his hand, cocked ready for use (should occasion require) and waited developments. In a few minutes the wagon sheet was raised and a big Indian poked his head in and looked him in his eves not more than a foot away, or at least it looked so to him. He had decided to lay still as long as the Indians made no movement to assault him. The Indian, after taking in the situation, stepped back, dropped the sheet, and they all retired a short distance from the wagon and held a council for a few minutes. They then went and got his horses and came back to the wagon. The Indian again raised the sheet and took another look at him for quite a while, then retired as before, and another council was held and they finally all left, taking the horses with them, It is supposed that as lie seemed prepared for the worst that it would be advisable to let him alone. The main object with the Indians was to steal horses. They seldom ever tried to kill any one unless they were discovered or was ready to go out. If space would allow I could tell of many cases where they had killed and scalped at various times and carried off both women and children. A very close friend of mine named Borea went out one morning to hunt his horses and when he failed to come in after being out a day and night I got up a party of men and scoured the country for two days, finally finding him with every stitch of clothes stripped from his body, which had twenty-two bullets and arrows in it, and his head scalped to his ears. This is only one of many others I could tell of."

Stephen Hearne, son of Thomas and Nancy (Wilson) Hearne. was born in Montgomery county, North Carolina, 1748. Died 1844. He married first wife, Mary Hurley, and they had three children: Joshua, William and Sally. Joshua born in Montgomerv Co., N. C.. Jan. 6, 1775 married Catherine Redwine 1795. In 1798 moved to Elbert Co., Ga., then to Franklin Co. and then to Coweta Co., in the same state. He was a successful farmer, and he and his sons built a Methodist church called Ansbury Chapel, or better known as the Hearne meeting house. lie died Jan. 6, 1853. Children: Jacob, born March 23, 1796; died Oct. 16, 1843; Sarah Lee, born Mar. 3, 1798, died Stephen, born Jan. 17, 1800, died 1851; Nancy, born Feby. 19, 1805, married James Wade, moved to Missouri

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