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Show WHEN COON SKINS WERE MONEY ONCE upon a time there was an American state named Franklin and although it had a governor, a legislature, leg-islature, courts of justice and even a militia of its own, it never was admitted admit-ted to the Union. Instead it was branded as an "outlow state" and Its citizens posted as "rebels and traitors." In 177G the settlers in what is now eastern Tennessee asked North Carolina Caro-lina to annex their lands and their request was granted. But at the close of the Revolution the legislature of North Carolina ceded this territory be-.yond be-.yond the mountains to the federal gov-' gov-' eminent and did It without consulting 'the settlers' wishes in the matter. The pioneers were very angry at this action and, calling a convention In 1784, they organized a stnte of their own and called It Franklin in honor of the great Phlladelphlan. They chose -for governor John Sevier, a leader at the brilliant victory of King's Mountain Moun-tain during the Revolution, a successful success-ful Indian fighter and a man who, linger lin-ger the nickname of "Nolicbucky Jack," was one of the greatest heroes of the old Southwest. Although" the new state had a complete com-plete machinery of government, It lacked one vital thing currency, the lifeblood of a commonwealth. Lacking Lack-ing both the material and means for producing metal coinage, Sevier and his advisers decided to make use of the commonest medium of exchange at hand, the skins of wild animals. The scale of values which they established es-tablished was coon skins and fox skins, one shilling and threepence, and lieaver skins and otter skins, six shillings. shill-ings. Other articles, such as bacon, tallow, beeswax, whisky and brandy, were also recognized as legal tender, but coonskins were the commonest and virtually the basic medium of the system. Sevier's salary as governor was set at 1,000 deer skins a year. After a brief but stormy existence, North Carolina finally regained control con-trol over Franklin by armed force and held it until 1700, when the territory was again returned to the federal government. gov-ernment. In 1700 the state of Tennessee Tennes-see came Into the Union and the commonwealth com-monwealth of Franklin soon beeania only a memory. |