The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-03-09

The old office has quite lately been
smarterred by the liberal application OF
paint II is now occupied by a building
contractor. His predecessor was q
is only about twelve feet square and
at the very corner of the street, has
had its vicissitudes- 1t is quite hu-
man in this respect
Beau Hickman, that prince of
Washington, has followers there from
this state. The other night a North
Carolinian who travels much was lis
tening 70 The Texas Steer" so bright
~ played by Hoyt's company, and at
ter watching "Brassy Gale remarked:
Il know two of him in Washington
and both OF them are North CAROLYN
ians." No doubt visiting statesmen
from the Old North State know these
worthless all too well.
The newest of all the state depart
ments or bIreaux, is the insurance de-
partment and il has certainly done
well. Commissioner Young has been
conservative and careful. Considered
from the point of view Of an invest
ment, the state did we'll in establish
ing this department, as it seems it
will yield some $1,000 more revenue
than ever before.
Some old residents were chatting
about oddities, and one told Of a very
queer happening. Thirty years ago or
t~hereabOutS there was a farmer who
lived near here who was a confirmed
drunkard. He bought a piano on one
occasion and Sent it out to his home,
addressed to himself. He had been
here some days on a spree and his
sons felt sure il was his body in the
box. (He was big enough to fill it,
They had a consultation and dug a
grave in which they buried pa with
very little ceremony, remarking that
they had always expected he would
die on one of them sprees." Two days
after the burial pa" appeared in the
flesh and asked after the piano. He
was furious when told that it was out
in the buryingground and when the
dutiful sons informed him I'VE thought
it was you, sire" The accuracy of
this story was vouched for.
Will the game of golf take" in
North Carolina? 1t is now a fad of a
few. The odds are it will never be
more. The natives who play it are per-
haps under 100 in number. For out
door sports men take to hunting in the
cold weather n in warm weather
they 'rest'-make just as little effort
as possible. Yet there are some North
Carolina devoteeS of the ancient and
royal game of golf" One Of these is
George Rountree, Esq, the well known
Wilmington lawyer and legislator. But
most natives who play do so, SO to
speak, rather "apologetically." To
watch pleasure-makerS from a colder
climate on the links one would almost
fancy golfing was their life-work.
There is always some negro emf
grafton, but it is small, and nearly all
directly northward. 1t is not probable
| tho fhnrn will nxynr hn o~xy h;r r,,1h n O.
there was in 1889, when Peg Leg
Williams was in his glory. Very many
of he negroes were put in the notion
of leaving by agents" of their own
race, whose services Peg Leg Sc
cured for a consideration. One of these,
a negro lawyer named Hayes, went
with a party of 100 negro men to de-
liver them to a couple of Arkansas
men. When neal Memphis one of the
negroes jumped from the train and, to
use the slang of the day, hit the
grit" On arrival at their destination
line and stood a little aside. The broth
ers counted the outfit and said: al
right, there's just a hundred" Hayes
spoke up and said: There's one short
Ne got away" WHO are you?' ask.
ed the brothers. I'm the man who
brought Them" responded Hayes
Stand in line, you ID black mig.
ger" sait the brothers. Hayes stood
He was LAT at work with the rest. A
darkey preacher here said today: He
was still there, a working, the last we
heard of him"
The bird shooting season is nearly
ended March 18th is the date wher
the season ends in nearly all the coun
ties. Never has the shooting been bet
ter h in this season of 1899 900. TIL,
elusive snipe will now be hunted by
a few who are in reach of marsh lands