Shelby could neither be placated nor intimidated.  He regarded with equal alarm and anger the loosening of the bands of authority and order among the Franklin frontiersmen.  He bitterly disapproved of their lawless encroachments on the Indian lands, which he feared would cause a general war with the savages. [Footnote:  State Dept.  MSS., No. 71.  Evan Shelby to General Russell, April 27, 1787.  Beverly Randolph to Virginia Delegates, June 2, 1787.] At the very time that Sevier was writing to him, he was himself writing to the North Carolina Government, urging them to send forward troops who would put down the rebellion by force, and was requesting the Virginians to back up any such movement with their militia.  He urged that the insurrection threatened not only North Carolina, but Virginia and the Federal Government itself; and in phrases like those of the most advanced Federalist statesman, he urged the Federal Government to interfere.  The Governor of Virginia was inclined to share his views, and forwarded his complaints and requests to the Continental Congress.

    Collapse of Franklin.

However, no action was necessary.  The Franklin Government collapsed of itself.  In September, 1787, the Legislature met for the last time, at Greenville.  There was a contested election case for senator from the county of Hawkins, which shows the difficulties under which the members had labored in carrying their elections, and gives a hint of the anarchy produced by the two contending Governments.  In this case the sheriff of the county of Hawkins granted the certificate of election to one man, and the three inspectors of the poll granted it to another.  On investigation by a committee of the Senate, it appeared that the poll was opened by the sheriff “on the third Friday and Saturday in August,” as provided by law, but that in addition to the advertisement of the election which was published by the sheriff of Hawkins, who held under the Franklin Government, another proclamation, advertising the same election, was issued by the sheriff of the North Carolina county of Spencer, which had been recently created by North Carolina out of a portion of the territory of Hawkins County.  The North Carolina sheriff merely wished to embarrass his Franklin rival, and he succeeded admirably.  The Franklin man proclaimed that he would allow no one to vote who had not paid taxes to Franklin; but after three or four votes had been taken the approach of a body of armed adherents of the North Carolina interest caused the shutting of the polls.  The Franklin authorities then dispersed, the North Carolina sheriff having told them plainly that the matter would have to be settled by seeing which party was strongest.  One or two efforts were made to have an adjourned election elsewhere in the neighborhood, with the result that in the confusion certificates were given to two different men. [Footnote:  Tennessee Hist.  Soc.  MSS.  Report of “Committee of Privileges and Elections” of Senate of Franklin, Nov. 23, 1787.] Such disorders showed that the time had arrived when the authorities of Franklin either had to begin a bloody civil war or else abandon the attempt to create a new state; and in their feebleness and uncertainty they adopted the latter alternative.