Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1869-08-06
From the Southern culiv9tor.
Loss Of Stock ]; =
ditors Southern Cult;vo tor !.

=
Editors Southern Cultiuotor
In your May No. Of tho Culfipntor,
there is 4 communication on the loss
Of stock, which all must agree is very
great in the South. / am one Of the
few who believe that something can
be dono by persistent concert OF nc
lion. We in extreme Eastern North
Carolina live in u low, lcvcl, extremely
rich country, with roods covering
nearly onc-half tho whole urea, which
IL an incxhaustiblo winter range for
cattle, and on tho marshes and snvan-
nahs, there is no better summer range.
Hogs in many places would make
good pork all the year round, without
feed. Our plan i'll raising cattle has
been merely to build cow pen, say
one-fourth acre, moro or less, where !,
smoke is built each night, after March.
This keeps them comparatively gen
tie. They are marked and turned out
in August. 1t was a great stock
country, with great deal Of stock in
it before tho war. But now don't
talk about it; Immediately after the
war, each negro was almost crazy for
long range rifle, and now they gen
orally have one or musket, and the
result has been bangl bangl all day
and all night; and especially on Sun
dayS-so. much so that our Legislature
has made most excellent law, max
ing it penal to hunt on Sundays; for
when honest blacks and whites were
at Church, or keeping tho day holy,
these maraudcrs were abroad. But
you will say, where it is bang! bang
all day and all night, it would be ali
easy matter to catch them. Try il
and you will then know bctter-he
shot at q squirrel, n hawk, a coon, OF
just shot his gun out to sec if sho'd
shoot, &c., &c. They arc bound TO-
gcthcr SO strongly that the honest
ones are afraid to be witnesses against
them, and I am convinced that tn.
honest people are generally located
before " larceny is committed, and tn,
most of the evidence is buried oflul
where it happens to be done carelessly
Talk to the ncighbors about it-yes
they are going to kill them all, and
you can't DO anything with them, fol
here arc carpct-baggcgs taking thei,
part. But have you tried concert O.
action. Not is no use, you can,
get folks to do anything, and 1 am go
ing to quit trying to raise stocll-but
something ought to bo done, &c
What is evcrybody's business is nc
body's business. We'll, at the election
last fall, where black and syhito wer,
present, I wrote:
"All persons arc hereby forewarncd
from hunting with dog or gun, on any
Of our land, or trespassing in any man
ner thereon, under penalty of the Law, ,
(which wo' all signed, and stuck up al
different places, and immcdiatcly
formed club to tako in members, by
a two-thirds majority, without regard
to color. Not ono negro could bo in
duccd to sign it. A reward of five
dollars or moro was offered to any per
son who should bring sufficient cvi
dcnce for The conviction of any thics
The shooting was stopped immediate
ly, and since then, (about seven
months) we have. lost littlo or nc
stock. If white man trcspass, take
him up Immediately All members o
the club can freely hunt, &c.
Millions of property are lost yearly
in. the South, that can and must b,
saved. Let the negro know that he
has all the legal rights of. tho Whit
man-,deal with him justly, honestly
frmly-but above all, convince him
that ho shall mot steal. Proprieto o,
will find out wien he tries it, that an
advertisement isHot legal evidence to
persons who cannot read, You must
tell them Of the posting, and you will
soon know that instead Of bright rifles
and muskets, they will be up in the
corner, rusty. and dirty.
Respectfully,
g. Your most obi scrv't,
: JNO. F. LATHAM, NJ. D.,
Chairman Leeehville Agricultural