Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-02-17

and did other odd Jobs about his farm. |
After a succession of seasons OF bad luck
the fishermen became desperate and re-
solved to take some measures to coax an
unsuspecting vessel ashore The building
OF bontires on the tops of high hills, to
deceive mariners who were out of their
reckoning, was not unknown to them
Indeed. it was one of the first letters in
their alphabet. But the trick was old and
not likely to deceive any wide-awake
skipper.
Hunger sharper led the brains Of the sleepy
fishermen and they devised a new piece
of villainy. If light could be taken
along the shore, on dark nights; at about
the speed of sailing vessel, they thought
other vessels within sight would believe
| it to be the masthead Light of some dis
tant coasting schooner and reckon them
selves miles from shore. when, in fact.
they were almost on the beach. But the
| light must have the up-and- down motion
Of ship riding on the waves. This diff
fculty was soon overcome. Old Thomas
Rider had horse, and small bride of
gold, or promise Of unnatural privileges
for sacking the first wreck, would soon
make him party to any bargain desired.
Rider was induced to take his old gray
nag, whose motion was slow and steady at
the best, and ride him up and down the
beach every night with lantern hung about
his neck. To give the light the greater
appearance Of "a ships lantern, one of the
orse's fore feet was fastened with
/ hort rope to one OF his hind ones, so that
whenever he stepped the sudden stoppage
Of one Of his feet brought his head and
neck down, and gave the lantern the ex-
act "bobbing" motion Of a ship on the
waves.
For a whole winter, it is said, this
/ North Carolina vampire walked his horse
up and down the beach, in the hope of
enticing some vessel ashore, to be plum
1 dered. And the capacity Of the men was
not satisfied by merely sacking the yes
sci. That dead men tell no tales" was
one OF their favorite sayings, and who
could tell whether the bruise On some
ship. wrecked sailors temple was the
effect of blow from club or OF being
. thrown violently against some floating
spar? When no soul came ashore alive
from the wreck the vampires were thank
full, for they were saved the pain OF MUIR
dering item on the beach.
Thomas Riders lantern was always
darkened on the land side, SO that the
few honest people on the shore would
not know what was being done. But the
trick was at length discovered, and from
this circumstance came the peculiar
name by which the place is known. Tn
fortunately, the North Carolina coast had
no law in those early days to bring
Thomas Rider to Justice
But tradition has it that he met the fat.
at last that he seems richly to have de
served years before. On one of the
nights that he was making his patrol of
death up and down the beach, some of his
thieving neighbors broke into bis cabin,
carried away what they could, and then
set fire to the shanty to conceal their
crime. Rider saw the blaze, and being
on horseback reached the place before the
thieves could escape. He attacked them,
and in the fight that ensued Rider was
killed
This tradition has come down through
several generations of fishermen. many of
whom are as great villains as Rider HIM
self. Itmay have been elaborated in its
long journey, or it may, on the other
hand, have lost some of its terror; but
J, the character OF the murderous men along
the North Carolina coast at this time
bears out the story, and gives color to the
history Of Thomas Rider and his gray
nag.-Nag's Head az. Co. Cor N. Y
Times.