The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-28
LEOPOLD ADLER,
SAVANNAH, GA.

was not until the autumn of 1890 that three
vessels, laden with supplies and having
White on board reached the Carolina
coast. Not one of the colonists who had
been left on Roanoke Island three years
before was discoverable anywhere. The
site of the settlement was still enclosed
by a strong paHsade but a number of
articles, broken and scattered, suggested
the idea of violence and plumber. From
the fact that the word "Croatan" was
found carved on a tree, it was inferred
that the colonists, or some Of them. might
have gone to an island of that name in
the neighborhood. But before search
could be made storm arose and
the masters of the vessels, afraid to re-
main longer on so dangerous a coast, set
sail for England. Nothing afterward was
ever heard of the unfortunate colony. Raj
eigh himself long cherished the hope of
discovering some traces OF their existence,
and no fewer than five times, it is said,
sent at his own charge 10 search for his
liegemen of the Roanoke colony.
Long ago the conjecture was ventured
that the English settlers on the Isle of Ro-
smoke, finding themselves deserted by
their countrymen, accepted hospitable
adoption into tribe of Hatteras Indians,
perhaps the kinsmen of Manteo, the in
terpreter, who inhabited Croatan Island
According to Mr.. Bellamy the conjecture
q.
the adoption in the fact that the Croatau
Indians, who may be met with in three or
four of the eastern counties of North Car
Dina, have blue eyes, although their o .-er
physical characteristics are. those of the
aborisines. Many of them it seems, bear
English names, such as Sampson, Berry
and Wilkinson, which names are said TO
have been in the tribe for generations
We are also told that their ancestors could
read from books and Mr.. Beramy as
sures us that they evince capacity and
an eagerness for education that suggests
the infusion of white blood The inter
mixture of white blood however could be
accounted for without the assumption that
1t was derived from survivors of the Raj
eigh colony. From the foundation of
jamestown in 1907 up to the crea ton OF
the colony of Carolina in 1886, there is
known to have been certain overflow
from Virginia across what afterward be-
came the North Carolina border This
overflow was made up largely, If not Who'll
ly, of outlaws and fugitive indenture SER
wants; and that emigrants of this kind
would, for their own safety, seek adop-
ton into Indian tribes and intermarry
with the native women is a reasonable
| hypothesis.
Upon this theory all the facts adduced
| by Mr.. Bellamy are explicable and 1t is
| hard to believe that survivors of the Raj
| eigh colony, If there were any, could not
| have made known their existence to their
| fellow countrymen who were not very dis
tant after the settlement of jamestown
We are not aware that any reference tc
| the existence of such survivors of Raj
egh's colony has ever been found in the
| records of the Virginia settlements dur.
| ing the first half century following their
establishment. 1t is possible, however
| that no exhaustive search of the early
| Virginia or North Carolina records has
| been made with this particular inquiry ir
view, and the curious data brought to oul
notice by Mr.. Bellamy would justify
| careful examination of the subject BY
| trained scientific investigators.