Today in Johnson City History, Friday, January 10, 2025
Bear Wallow Mountain, child drowns, Judge Ben Allen, Mike Kuziola and more
Wednesday, January 10, 1900: One hundred and twenty-five years ago today, the Herald and Tribune reported interesting news. Readers learned that “Jeptha Jones has finally got the animals stirred up and all are on the roof except Tom G. Jeptha got ‘skeered’ (scared) and is now camping on the Bear Wallow Mountain depending on his gun for his meat and Shelton Laurel for his ‘corn’. He used his prod too freely; we gave him rope and knew he would soon come to grief. He has written us a very affectionate letter, showing many signs of sadness and penitenee (sic for pertinence), and begging us to intercede with the aggrieved so that he can come in and see his girl. Of the whole layout Tom Gillespie is very much ‘unenraged’ and says Jeptha has only spoken the truth of him, Baxter Taylor, Red Jim Cloyd and Gen. Marion Hoss are particularly vicious and Gus Broderick, D. H. Shields, Roscoe Carson, Jim Williams and H. Glass refuse to be amiable on any terms. So Jeptha will not strike camp for awhile yet. The winter of his discontent and regret will not be turned into glorious summer until Rev. P. P. Tinker gets the aggrieved together on Roaring Creek and preaches them a sermon on forgiveness. In the meantime, it will do Jeptha good to shake in the boreal blast and view the mountain landscapes o’ver. If ever permitted to return to his old haunts he will not be so prone to poke his huge preboards into other people’s business.”