ch these
liberty-lovers had to deal, but that of Governor Tryon, the king's
representative in this colony, and one of the worst of all the royal
governors. Bancroft has well described his character. "The Cherokee
chiefs, who knew well the cruelty and craft of the most pernicious beast
of prey in the mountains, ceremoniously distinguished the governor by
the name of the Great Wolf." It was this Great Wolf who was placed in
command over the settlers of North Carolina, and whose lawless acts
drove them to rebellion.

Under Governor Tryon the condition of the colony of North Carolina was
worse than that of a great city under the rule of a political "Boss."
The people were frightfully overtaxed, illegal fees were charged for
every service, juries were packed, and costs of suits at law made
exorbitant. The officers of the law were insolent and arbitrary, and by
trickery and extortion managed to rob many settlers of their property.
And this was the more hateful to the people from the fact that much of
the money raised was known to go into the pockets of officials and much
of it was used by Governor Tryon in building himself a costly and showy
"palace." Such was the state of affairs which led to the "rebellion" in
North Carolina.

Many of the people of the mountain districts organized under the name of
"Regulators," binding themselves to fight against illegal taxes and
fees, and not to pay them unless forced to do so. The first outbreak
took place in 1768 when a Regulator rode into Hillsborough, and Colonel
Fanning wantonly seized his horse for his tax. It was quickly rescued by
a mob armed with clubs and muskets, some of which were fired at
Fanning's house.

This brought matters to a head. Supported by the governor, Fanning
denounced the Regulators as rebels, threatened to call out the militia,
and sent out a secret party who arrested two of the settlers. One of
these, Herman Husbands, had never joined the Regulators or been
concerned in any tumult, and was seized while quietly at home on his
own land. But he was bound, insulted, hurried to prison, and threatened
with the gallows. He escaped only by the payment of money and the threat
of the Regulators to take him by force from the jail.

The next step was taken after Governor Tryon had promised to hear the
complaints of the people and punish the men guilty of extortion. Under
this promise Husbands brought suit against Fanning for unjust
imprisonment. At once the governor