The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-11-11
AMONG THE MILLS.
A Southern Mill Man in the Yankee
=! 'Iiand.
"Old Coins"'in Piedmont Sun.

"Old Coins"'in Piedmont Sun.
The City Of Sale IN is one Of the old
est towns in New England. 1t has some
thirty thousand inhabitants, but has an
air Of quietness and peace efulness
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, tScc2 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
particularline of separation, re would
never know when he had passed from
one place to smother. These mills d0
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 establishments covering acres
and acres Of land are numerous. Their
extent would open the eyes OF the aver
age Southern man, and would help him
comes from to make up the vast guam
tity of shoes that are made in New
Engla and sent all over the world.
1t would pay Southern man we'll in
coming to this place after he had gone
through the mills, to spend two or three
days here, III looking over historic To-
calities and places OF interest. One OF
the darkest SCENES that blackens the
annals Of the New World was enacted
here. And what makes it seem more
hideOus to our modern sense OF right
and Justice is, the leaders OF the damn
ing deeds were the most eminent min
.isters 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 bewitchcd by
9th er persons: who were in league with
the dcvil. 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 q witch was the posse sson OF q
black cat; Any malicious person who
chanced to fall out with some poor de-
crepid old woman had only TO trump
up some lie about her and say they
were bewitcbed, in order to have her
thrown into Jail then when the trial
came 1t seems it was an easy matter to
make the austere, stern, but supersti.
tious old Puritans' swallow the false
hood whole, and make him eager tU
help burn her at the stake or to hang
her on the gallOws tree. Tue hot bed
OF all 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 whore the
witches we're hung. No Southern ne
gro to-day fears being hoodoocd 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
Ejto.see some Ofthe .worthies, with hair
tied up in queue, with silver buckle on
shoe and knee, and three cornered hats
One should read Hawthorn's "Scarlet
Letter. before visiting Salem. He
would then feel, as the writer otter
has, that the modern Inhabitants arc
interlopers and do not belong to these
houses or these streets. The prin
Puritan maid with the bib and stom
acher, and tho Puritan yeoman with
his knee breeches and expansive, vide
white collar, should be here. In goipt
through one OF the street, we cam,
upon an old town pump which we fel
sure must have been the original on,
Which caused Hawthorn to write hi
famous "Rill from Town Pump.
Not far from this spot we find statu
that impels us to stop and uncover GU
head In respect to the man whom
represents. 1t Is O. statue erected 4
honor OF Rev. Father Theabald Mat