The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1897-12-03

NINlhtNthi huH N4NHMlIs - " llhl I
can an old man do but dieg" / /
murmured Wish now I had my pho /
tograrh rs / was foxtrutting through /
that sand, and then another as ] saw /
that train steaming away without me. /
/ But alls we'll that ends welL / found |
= freight train that was going 10 leave
| for Llmbcrion az n o'clock. but the
conductor couldeut say when Il would
/ get there / wired my friend that j
was left, but 10 hold the fort. for was
coming and he did. II was only
iorty-four miles, but 10 took as over
eight long hours 10 got there had
only time 10 wash up aud brush mp and
eat supper, but ! found good house
full awaiting me. My subject was
"The Cracker aud the Cavalier and
my friend introduced me by saying:
Ladies aud gentlemen, 1 have the
pleasure Of introducing 10 you the dis
tinguished Georgia cavalier, who will
now proceed 10 address the North
Carolina crackers. Well, this brought
down the house 10 start on, and put
everybody in a good humor, especially
when / apologized for my delay and
portrayed my trials and tribulations.
Lumberton is n good old town, and
has the best waterworks that 1 have
seen anywhere. They have four blow
ing artesian wells for public use, and
many more private ones. These pub
lie ones, including pipes and every
thing, cost less than 81 900, and /
know Of many a town that would give
$4,000 for similar privileges Lum-
berton does not realize what a treasure
that water is, for it is cold and pure.
The next stop was at Weldon, in
Halifax county. / don't know what
those people have done 10 Mckinley,
but he has already appointed eight
negro postmasters in the county and
, SIX OF them have accepted and are in
/ office. The people are hot, tell you,
for the negroes outnumber the whites
, and brag that "their time has come at
. last, thank the Lord
1t used to be that when q man
wasent irreverent enough TO tell man
TO Ego to hell' he would tell him to go
to Halifax" understand now what
I he meant. It has been nearly fifty
q years since 1 stopped at Weldon and
, the town hasent changed much. The
. people are heightened and have good
Z manners, for they live close to the
: Virginia line and come from aristo-
cratic stock. From Weldon 1 jour
neyed to Washington, on Pamlico
L sound, lively city of 5000 people.
was escorted to the Kicks House,
where all the drummers congregate, foi
"a Mrs. Rick is a mother to them all, and
y they love her. / found her house full
+ of them. They come and they go on
every train. / like the drummers anC
4, sympathize with them, for they are
i far from home and many of them hay,
7 families and have to leave them, as
10 do, to make a living. | am drum
20 mel myself, but / don't like the name
- 1t is slang and does not fit such a re
IN spectacle class of gentlemen. 1t orig
10 ated from the old militia musters whel
n drum and fife were used to call up tn
DC boys and get them in line The sergean
AZ would cry out: ooh, yes; oh, yes; al
" who belong to Captain Jones compan,
- parade here" Then the drum woulC
a rattle and the fife would whistle an,
40 the boys would gather and fall into line
ra Drumming now means come right her
3 and buy my goods, and the drumme
10 rattles his tongue with earnest alacrity
1o l feel sorry for them now, for 5-cen
cotton has nearly ruined their busi
o. ness. But they keep going. The
ks are everywhere. They get on and o
wv at every station by night and by day
They keep up the hotels aud largel
help out the railroads. They are smal
10 and good-loolling and we'll behave
and know more about everything tina
any other class. They are constant
rubbing against the world and Absorb
ing knowledge.
> Well. this is the historic region wher
ter Sir Walter Raleigh's lost colony wa
planted and where Virginia Dare wa
ak born. I saw Virginia. Her name wa
he on a beautiful steamer that was loaC
Iss ing at the wharf. A sweet little Gil
nd laughed at me for not knowing a
Ct about Virginia Dare a long time agt
TX Her father says that Mr.. Mcmillan,
ay Red Springs, has written book abot
lts the lost colony and that the Croatar
tie now have free schools that are separat
all from both white and black races. I'll
is lost colony amalgamated and misc
he generated with these Croatans and /
an doubt but that Virginia Dare's bloc
flows in oOp,a of 4boir 1ynipu
n From here l am homeward bouu
tor and am happy on the way.-BILL Al
no. in Atlanta Constitution.
yn.