Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1885-03-12
INTERESTING VILLAGE.
A LETTER FROM ELKO, STOKES
COUNTY.

A LETTER FROM ELKO, STOKES
COUNTY.
Ghosts, Wild::seasts and Other Items
of Interest.
Special Correspondence of the Sentinel.
ELKo, n. c., March 6.-Elko is a
postofhce on the route between Madi-
son and Mt. Airy, which route, how
! ever, has now a track of ten miles in
it between Elko and Watkinsville.
Most of our people are subscribers
to that emphatically aoeakly paper, the
| National Democrat, of Washington,
! which sometimes GENES to hand with
in a week after publication, and some
times in month. The last news we
had from the capital was to the effect
that Mr.. Cleveland would certainly
have cabinet of some sort, but that
neither ODonovan Rosa nor Mr..
Blaine would be made Secretary of
State. The Democrat seemed to be so
positsve about this, that we all take it
to be reliable. We shall find out no
doubt before next Christmas.
Eiko is fast gaining notoriety as the
Gietna Green OF North Carolina. Here
lives the clerk of our court, who keeps
on hand an assortment of marriage
licenses, and not far off lives Squire
Merritt. Now, whenever obstinate
parents over in Virginia place obsti-
cles in the way to the marriage of
their daughters, the boys steal away
these same daughters and bring them
to the Squire, who, like the famous
Scotch blacksmith, ties the matrimo-
NAL knot in short order and sends the
twain back as one flesh. Such pro-
ceedings have occurred every cold
snap we have had this winter, so that
the good people of EIko have come to
regard runaway match about as
good a weather-inJcx as grounding
day.
Another claim to celebrity belongs
to Elko. Here the now famous wild
beast Of Stokes first made its appear
ance about five weeks ago. This mon-
ster "precipitated itself like an ava
lanche down from the mountains"
upon this peaceful neighborhood, and
commenced its wariike career by eat
ing up Uncle Davie Halls small dog
at one mouthful. 1t then attacked the
Elko debating society, and having
scattered the GterGti to the four winds,
visited IA private houses in succession,
tearing up and clearing out dogs,
geese, and all other noisy creatures
; just as it had done with the debating
society. These are facts, and some
people are ready to swear that the
mysterious visitor is none other than
the ghost of Jesse Holmes, the Fool
Killer. For be it known that there
are several believers in ghosts in this
neighborhood. Not long ago the fine
old mansion, formerly the residence of
the late DIR. Peatross, was declared to
be powerfully haunted" The family
that lived in it vowed that strange
noises were hard levcry night-lights
were blown out by ghostly figures
which were utterly intangible. The
: sounds of invisible feet dancing jigs
and horn pipes were audible. In fact
the terrified family, which had recent
ly moved up here from Greensboro,
burnt up nearly all the rails on the
premises in order to keep good light
during cold weather, SO that the COB
Inns might not catch them unaware
Who would sit without strong fire.
light in a haunted house of cold
: : night? 1 have seen one of these ghosts
with my own eyes. happened to be
in the old mansion one night, when
the rascal came on one of his rounds
It was the picture of Ichabod Crane
Z long, lank, ll;jointed, shambling and
idiotic in appearance. AS he came
out of the cellar where he had beer
amusing himself by groaning and i'm
itating the death-rattle for short
time, he became somewhat excited or
seeing the shadow of my form agains
the window of the chamber overhead
and in his dismay, ran over flock O.
geese and disappeared around the cor
ner of the house. So there is 10 doub
that Elko has had a ghost; but h,
} disappeared about the time the wile
beast made his debut in these parts.
will say by way Of explanation, that
= was invited to watch and be frighten
ed out of my wits the night I saw him
, Besides the National Democrat, run
away marriages, cold weather, wild
IT beasts and ghosts, Elko can boast of
4 generally excellent population, gooo
farms, and fair share of prosperity
The Railroad at Patrick Court House
Va, is only ten miles distant, ant
many of our people are beginning t.
look in that direction for market
Patrick C. III. is building up rapidly
and if Wiuston holds the trade of thi
n section she must have some bette
;. means of transportation to reach u
than any now existing. predict tina
= she will lose most of her wagon trade
this year or next, and must then thinl
of Railroads as means of DRAWN,
custom. LATAGER.
nn0HcNT Nall0 cTnHH