The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-11-14

from MaroD To Atlanta my friends.
"'tI&r llali. introduced me To DR.. Peter
Son. vi ~. Louis. II very learned ami
cultured gentleman VINO was connected
MLh tie chronological department of the
t"NeInuIchi ah: WAS cu1aoe,: III cXauliR-
LIZ IhuIan mounds and IL writing up
lac history OF the Indian tribes. especial
H. al the i've Tribes known as civilized,
N. Tie Cherokee. Greeks. Ch.ckasaw>.
ChOctaws and Senlinoles. AS these
were. Uui Indians. | became much inter-
eSted i'll his discourse, for he had been
careful and diIigrnt in his research. aud
what he knew. he knew well. We talk
ed about Be-SOto and how. with hand
fui of brave soldiers. he .overran this
country and took captive us many In-
ian girls IT'S his men wanted.
why did not these Indians over
whelm DeSoto and his handful of fol-
lowers and eXtinguish them?" I asked.
"RecauSe." said the doctor. they were
paralyZed with fear of this new and az
gressiye race Of people-just as the Peru
vians were paralyzed by Pzarro. who
overran and conquered Peru with less
than hundred men,"
The doctor he's been to eastern North
Carolina investiga ting the tribe Of 4Ns,
CrOatOans over there. They were ORR
ginally called Hatteras Indians, but a.
bout three hundred years ago Sir Walter
Raleigh planted a colony of English and
Portuguese on Roanoke island and put
them in charge Of Governor John White,
very practical and accompl shed gem
tleman. A few days after landing, Gov
ernor Whites daughter Eleanor. who
had married Mr.. Dare. gave birth to
child and she was named Virginia. and
so Virginia Dare was Tire first English
child born on American soil Let The
boys and girls remember that. But no
man knows ANYTHING more about her.
Governor Whire and Sir Walter went
back to England for supplies and farm
ing tools for the colony and on their re-
turn trip got into a fight with Soma
Spanish cruisers and lost their cargo and
many of their men and had TO go bacI;
to England, and it was several years be-
fore they made another venture. ana
when they arrived at the island the colo
ny was nowhere to Re found and little
Virginia has never been heard Of. The
colony left some marks on tree pointing
to an Indian town called Croatoan. but
the town was deserted. The doctors
investigations have satisfied him that
the colony did not perish nor were they
killed. but that the men wanted wives
and went into the interior and co-hab-
tied with the Conformation it was
found hundred years after that these
Indians were OF mixed coors and many
of them spoke broken or mixed English
and Portuguese, although they had no
intercourse with white people until th,
colony came nor for hundred years af-
ter. He believes that Virginia Dare
probably grew mp with those Indians
and her descendants are now of mixed
blood.
1t seems that these Croatans were
never Americanized until the last civil
war, when many of them came to the
front with their guns and said they
wanted to fight some. They were ac-
cepted and enrolled and did fight for
the COnfederacy. During the war there
was an election held in n county where
some of them lived. and they were per-
suaded by IN ambitious candidate To 60
to the polls and vote for him. Their
votes were challenged by the other fell
low upon the ground that they had some
negro blood in their veins. They were
very indignant and said. "When yOu
want us to fight for you, we are same
as white folks: when we want to vote,
you say we are nagurs." And so 4
committee of four doctors was appoint
ed to examine them and say what they
were. The committee took them out 10
a sandy place in the road and had them
take off their shoes and make tracks
re-footed. Five of them made very fair
I AngloSaXon tracks and were accepted,
hut of the other two the report was that
the hollow of their feet made holes IN
! the ground, and they were rejected.
There are some OF these Croatoans on
Newman's ridge. in Tennessee. | re-
member that. some years ago. a party
of us were riding in the negro car on
the State road. and when we reached
Kingston. colored convention OF
preachers got aboard and claimed the
car. Sanford Bell ordered MS ont. AMI
we retired OF course, but one man did
not move. He was a dark. cadavProuS
individual with black eyes and black
/ hair. what are you?" said Sanford:
'are you white man or n negro:" He
smiled and said: mine fader Portu-
gee. mine mudder nagur." Sanford
| looked perplexed and turning TO one Of
the colored preachers. said: "What must
] do with him? And he said: LET him
alone. reckon" | learned afterwards
that he was n Croatoan.
And now to keep up the Indian sensa-
tion. am receiving papers from the
territory that acquaint,me with the pec'i-
liar situation of the tribes over there.
What shall be done with their lands is
the great question. The Dawes COM
mission appointed by congress wants 70
divide the lands per capita and let the
Indians sell them or part of them to the
white men. il they choose. The Chloe
taws will get 700 acres each. and n
family Of ten will therefore have 1000
acres and will he temple s~o sell most IT
II. The full hoods do not want tho
lands divided. hut the mixed bIoods 10
nnd they are in n large majority. AMI
go in few years the Indians autonomy
will he gone forever and he will he ex-
tin.uished as ward Of the nation. In
n few Years the five civilized tribes will
lose their i,lentity and their lands will he
ah<crlcd in the mottled mass of Amer;-