The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1897-11-09
AMONG THE MILLS.
a Southern Mill Man in the Yankee
Land.
"Old Coins" in Piedmont Sun.

A Southern Mill Man in the Yankee
Land.
"Old Coins" in Piedmont Sun.
The city of Salem is one of the old.
est towns In New England. 1t has some
thirty thousand inhabitants, but has an
air Of quietness and peacefulness
about it except in the vicinity OF
the railroad depot, that one hardly
realize the business that is real
ly carried on within its limits. Be-
sides the cotton mill mentioned in
our last article, there is close to it's
borders, over in the town Of Peabody,
another cotton mill. Salem and Pea
body are so closely associated that un-
less the visitor was pointed out the
particular line OF separation, lie would
never know when he had passed from
one place to smother. These mills do
not cut any great figure in the popula.
tion OF either city. Other classes OF
trade in dimensions tower above them
especially the leather business. Great
tanning establis shments covering acres
and acres OF land are numerous. Their
extent would open the eyes of the aver.
age Southern man, and would help him
form some idea OF where the material
comes from TO make up the vast guam
tlty OF shoes that are made in Now
Engla and sent all over the world
1T would pay Southern man well in
coming to this place after he had gone
through the mills, to spe nd two or three
days here, in looking over historic To-
calities and places of interest Oae Of
the darkest scenes that blackens the
annals Of the New World was enacted
here. And what makes IL seem more
hldeous to our modern sense of right
and justice is, the leaders o. the damn
ing deeds were the most eminent mil
listers of the Gospel, OF that day, who
wrought the crime in the name OF re-
ligion. We refer to the witchcraft days.
1t seems that the masses taught by the
ministers had come to believe that men
could be enchanted and bewitched by
other persons who were in league with
the devil. They thought that the air
was full OF evil spirits which could be
summoned at the will Of all women. 1t
seems, too, one of the surest signs that
one was a witch was the posse ssion Of q
black cat. Any malicious person no
cnanced to fall out with some poor de-
crcpid old woman had only to trump
up some lie about her and say they
were bewitchcd, in order to have her
thrown into jail then when the trial
! came 1T seems it was an easy matter to
tious old PuritanS swallow the false
hood whole, and make him eager to
help burn her at the stake or to hang
her on the gallOws tree. Tie hot bed
OF ali this hellish delusion was right
here in Salem. You can see, to-day,
some of the old witch houses that date
back prior to the year 1900, or you may
go out on Gallow's hill where the
witches were hung. No Southern ne
gro to-day fears being hoodooed or con-
jured worse than the common people
of Massachusetts, feared being bewitch-
ed in those days.
The old gable rooted houses with
small window frames and heavy brass
knockers, the narrow, crooked streets
and lanes, constantly remind one OF the
past. One would hardly be surprised
to see some OF the worthless, with hair
tied up in queue, with silver buckle on
shoe and knee, and three Cornered hats,
coming out of the ancient dwellings,
One should read Haw thorn's Scarlet
Letter before visiting Salem. He
would then feel, as the writer often
has, that the modern inhabitants are
interlopecs and do not belong to these
houses or these streets. The prim
Puritan maid with the bib and stom.
acher, and the Puritan yeoman with
his knee breeches and expansive, wide
white collar, should be here. In going
through one of the streets we came
upon an old town pump which we fell
sure must have been the original one
which caused Hawthorn to write his
famous "Rill from o Town Pump
Not far from this spot we find statue
that impels us to stop and uncover oul
head In respect to the man whom i
represents. 1t is statue erected IL
honor Of Rev. Father Theabald Mat
thew, the great Catholic apostle of to
tai abstinence from all intOxicants.
The amount OF good this great maj
has done for the cause of total abstin
ence among the adherents OF the Rom
an Catholic faith can never be full,
estimated. He made crusade 70
} temperance half century ago. Me
who simply signed the pledge unde
/ his impassioned preaching have bee
true to 1T until this day. We attribut
much OF the great financial streng T.
: OF the Catholic church In America t(
: day to that movement. Money tina
formerly went into drunken spree
I has been diverted from that sourc
: into the enterprises OF the church. Th
l policy of the Catholic church we hav
: never believed In, but Father Matthe
!. was practical reformer; he stemmc
j the tide of human woe and sufferin
e that comes from intemperance, an
kept 1t from engulfng thousands OF b
y faith; consequently we say all hone
Q to his name, and may his glory nev,
j grow dim.
d An old relic on Essex street Is hot
Il called the Lafayette House,. /
this place Washington stopped wht
1. he took his journey through New En
ls land lie 1888, 2C .he same time when
70 visited the old cotton mill at Roverl
ls Here too, Lafayette stayed on his la
3, visit to this'country seventy odd yea
ID ago.
le One cold winter night, nearly thir
"a years ago with q party who had be
a out on sleigh ride over the snow,
10 went into one OF the spacious parlc
bt OF this ancient hostlery TO see o ce
Id turY plaat In bloom. The mammo