The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-05-23
Notes + rom Salter Path.
Correspondence OF The M~essenger.)
Salter Path, ". c., May Is.

Salter Path, N. c., May l6.
Mr.. Micajah idams has Just launched
a fine new sharpe. These people are
great ones on <narpies and boat OF all
kinds; they have some OF the finest
plank skifs 4 ever saw. There has
been only one death here in five years.
The population Is 100 now.
Nearly all TIE people have hne gar
dens; most OF them have corn ari
potato patches. worked altogether by
hand-no horses to pillow. The husband
is the horse, and the wife holds the
p!ow handles. The ground is rich in
places, and If they would work their
patches well tney would make enough
to serve them in corr and potatoes, but
they don't love to do anything but
hunt and fish. Right now they are
catching soft crabs for market. Some
days they catcn LOCO crabs and get
from 21R to &c each for them. The mar
ket Is Morehead City. All go grabbing
men, women, children and all. II Is
right funny and novel to See the little
children out Grabbing with their bas-
ketS and rakes, but more so TO see the
grown young ladies' and old women In
the water knee deep and deeper, with
their clothes tucked to the knees OF
~drabbling in the water, all bare footed
and bareheaded, except now and then.
perhaps, a kind Of "turban" or small
handkerchief over their heads; and
then if you notice we'll you will see a
chew of tobacco or a short stem pipe
In their mouths, and this doesn't apply
to the man and boys only, but to the
girls n women too, for they all use
snuff, tobacco and pipes from the larg-
est to the smallest, and 60
ing barefooted by the first OF March
and sooner If warm days-strange
people, and stl LANCE manners and GUS
toms. The young ladies all go bare
footed, and il a stranger comes along.
they hide or keep out of the way, and
If you happen TO meet them on the path
accidentally, they will squat down until
you pass if they can't do otherwise,
but a better set of ignorant folks you
never saw, they will treat you well
when you go among them.
All seem TO be religious; don't drink
liquor Of any kind; don't curse nor
swear, and don't work on Sunday.
Lately we nave had lots of fun
shooting sea looms as they fly over the
banks from the sea; they shoot them
mostly for their feathers, but many eat
them. One pound Of good feathers IS
generally secured from one loon, but
they don't Kill many. / should guess
they have shot away two kegs OF
powder and snot to match. at these
birds in the space of three weeks, and
the number killed that 1 saw or heard
OF. was less than twenty looms.
These people are very illiterate, /
have been here nearly sewn months
trying to teach them, and although I
have had a hard time at il, / believed
I have done some good among the
children, but the old ones can't learn:
they are too Old. l talk to them. abuse
them, humor them, agree with them,
and disagree to such an extent they
become fighting mad. only they don't
fight, just talk fight. I tell them how
to do n they agree with me. but
when l ask them about it they get
mad and want 10 fight, so they say; but
as yet I am all whole and we'll.
1 shall be through here in June and
I trust h state will devise some plan
to educate these children, some OF them
are very bright for their chances, but
their parents won't try to do any
thing for them in the way Of an ecu
cation, won't make them go to school.
only wher tEev want to go. Out III
torty-eiSht gown people at Salter
Path, not one can read a sentence cor
rectly, and only about half a dozen
pretend to read at all-some Of them
have never been off the bank. some
old ones, so years old, never have seen
a train of railroad cars, never have
'"L. to Morer-ad City, only ten miles
quail or anything that thew non't -.
on these banks
Some of the women are good cIammars