Nate
Dempsey and To]
Wilson
Although hotli have* boon dciid a niiinhor of
yoars. lalos of thoir prowess uro still in
circulation in Yancey County and otlior
sections of the mountain country.
TUP’, early history of Yancey
County has long intrigued the
historian as being representa¬
tive of pioneer days in the un¬
broken wilderness of the Southern
Appalachians.
P’ormed in 1833. the first court
was held in Caney River Church.
Daniel Angel was npi>ointed first
sheriff, and Amos I.. Ray. clerk.
The first act of the court was to
grant license to William Carson
and David Baker to sell whiskey.
The first two men fined were Reu¬
ben Keith and S. Boyd, the fine
being a gallon of cider each.
Only a few years ago this beau¬
tiful section of the Carolina moun¬
tains was practically inaccessible
because of the lack of good roads.
The revenue men always found it
a distasteful task to enter the pri¬
vate domain of Nate Dempsey and
Tom Wilson, two of the most fa¬
mous characters of that region,
who were always too proud of
their wonderful strength to en¬
danger it by drinking liquor them¬
selves.
Nate Dempsey and Tom Wilson
had to work hard, and they lived
hard. Yancey County is in the
heart of the mica mining section,
but even today some of the mines
are practicaly inaccessible, except
by the natives who climb the steep
hills without too much difficulty.
Consequently, the mines arc
worked almost exclusively by resi¬
dents of the immediate section.
A Rugged Life
The very manner of living was a
fight in itself; a stern fight against
a rugged, rocky country and still
more rugged winters. In many of
. the hidden coves, the springs and
i summers were so cold and short
Tthat the crops did not reach suffi¬
cient maturity for reproduction,
and seeds had* to be secured from
the outlands to plant the next crop
in the valleys and garden crofts.
The living conditions of these peo¬
ple were enough to daunt all but
the stout of heart, but they man¬
aged to live and perpetuate a race
of fine self-respecting people who
are a credit to any section of the
state.
By <a iii. goi;kcii
The men of that country of high
peaks and tremendous ranges had
the experience of Indians, and old
talcs accord this ability to Nate
Dempsey and Tom Wilson, who
were contemporaries. Kept alive by
legend, there are many tales told
of these mighty mountain men who
lived as neighbors, fought as
friend or foe. Descendants not only
love the hills and glory in the hid¬
den fastnesses of the mountains,
they also cherish to a great degree
the tales of fistic and hunting abili¬
ties of ancestors. Deeds of strength
and courage are more fascinating
than the narratives of the lives of
some of our most famous men.
Plenty of Fights
On occasions when the "extract
of corn” was used too freely,
friendly bouts sometimes devel¬
oped into free-for-all fights. It was
usual a case of devil take the hind¬
most. It was then that Nate Demp¬
sey shone in all his glory. The slap
of his horny hand could be heard all
over the grounds until he was the
only man left standing.
Raised in a section of the Blue
Ridge Mountains where strength
and courage was taken for grant¬
ed. and where men fought for self-
preservation as naturally as the
wild animals. Nate Dempsey be¬
came so feared and renowned for
his strength, indomitable courage
and fighting ability, that today his
fame is kept alive and respected as
much, or more, than that of his fa¬
mous great-grandson. Jack Demp¬
sey. who gained his laurels chiefly
because of the inherited strength
and courage handed down to him
from his North Carolina ancestor.
Nate Dempsey's hands became
so strong and dangerous that it
was necessary for a judge in regu¬
lar sessions to declare an order for¬
ever restraining him from hitting
any man with his bare fists. His
power as a fighter is not a mountain
legend kept alive from an oft-told
tale, but a fact that is proved by the
filed records of a court. In the office
of the Clerk of Court of Yancey
County there is a transcript of the
restraining order that declares:
"The fists of one Nate Dempsey as
being deadly and lethal weapons."
Prior to the passage of the order.
Nate's frequent scraps were only
misdemeanors; but afterwards,
under the laws of North Carolina,
they would have been felonies sub¬
ject to drastic punishment, though
he never once violated the restric¬
tions placed upon him, as far as is
known. The people of Yancey
County universally believe that the
wielder of such great power passed
the great gift along the family line
to his descendant. Jack Dempsey,
the Manassa Mauler.
Killed a Bear Bare-liandcd
One time, upon learning that a
bear was killing a woman's calves.
Nate Dempsey leaped literally
onto the back of the bear, and after
a terrific struggle succeeded in ac¬
tually choking the bear to death
with his naked hands. No other ac¬
count of a man conquering a bear
in a fight without weapons is found
among the annals of western North
Carolina.
The grown bears of the Appa¬
lachian Mountains average at least
450 |x>unds in weight. They are
usually harmless, but when they
are hungry enough to invade a set¬
tlement in search of food, it is ex¬
tremely dangerous to approach one
unless well prepared for the fight
that is certain to ensue. And to
tackle such an animal with the
bare hands requires the highest
type of valor. To kill a bear with
the hands alone is a feat ne¬
cessitating almost superhuman
strength.
The mountain men of that day
did not hunt bears for sport. They
hunted for meat, and used the
skins for coverings and floor rugs.
The meat was used both fresh and
salted and formed an important
art of the winter supplies for a
nily living in such an isolated
district. The grease was rendered
into lard, the tallow used for can¬
dles and also rubbed on the rough
21
THE STATE. AU0U»T 2. 1047
