The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-02-12
FISHING AND
GAMEP PRESERVES ! J. /; \ 8.
Tile Cape Fear Spo -,i't-sIh1 1l1r
GlubSIiavca Hunters
Paradise l,s9 M
HISTORIC sUL I. I \ POND I )I''|l

n t.l Ms y h \

.tsSi 7Aff Special OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
2s FAYt1T,rcv1 L14tJs M CT Fob n It'll
Cape Fear sportmnn's Club. 81 which tho
officers aiid stockhodcrg reside IN ! Fay
X sttevillc, N. q, possessos ~ piece Of.
& property, among It's fishing and game me
II preserves which has an Interesting his
tory. ,riic club rooms, about twenty
miles from tho above; city, IN q Rotcson5
h county, "sulliynn's Pond celebrated Tor
"a more thnri $hnlf d century for It's iin--5
sfn,ensc size and for tho fish which teen.
N In its waters. X In rxtcnt 1t comprlses
5000 $ncrcs, or about eight square niles
b and iii shupc Is mn oblat c spherold. : S5 TO
4 the younger people Sof tho surrounding
country It fis now known s N1ckny's
Y Pond E but the old fishermen Away give
ut q the name OF It's maker ind owner
& who built Its dam. and carried on an
s. extensive milling business there 3 more
~ than seventy years q 80. "A l} 81
II 81 Between twenty ssi and i8 twenty-five
y ycnrA back, whilo1 was slt ling 4 on the
Il banks 4 ~ 81 Lumber River, catching lHf"'red
y robins,s u magnificent species Sof fresh
4 water perch, ans old citizen OF Robson
X county who was my companion, gave mo
& an entertaining sketch OF Sullivan. with
Z whom lie was we'll acquainted. SKI sulli-
van WINS a. big,$ brusqu 81 olent tempered!
n fighting $Irishman, but At bot tom. 81 warm
II and generous hearted, n man great
y force or character, who. I'll though he got;
on rip ronrious', sprees periodi cally,
pnssessed tine business qualities, was an
excellent manager 81 and q money-g ter,
BIZ His manner OF building his mil dam
was characteristic $of SuliyAn's shrewd q
ness, thu period, along In 1sal and i 1.
1852. about the A lime of " Nat 81. urner'si
5fnis va, ~
g4S county, Va. the sWamps In Robson and
q ,alolig the soutl, Carolina line, y and the,
4, bays sand slaAl.es III he Cape Fear river
a In Elauen CoGr t., were the refuge or
Ii runaway VI slaves. Hundreds Of them lived
d IN these almost <impenet fnstnesse5
for families. wit b children.
Is born Tile re, n who were slaves the
58 law, bit Ind never seen their masters.
This remarkable n y state Is Of affairs
existed for generations In Dismal Swamp
4. also, which Is partly In mort eastern
a North Carolina and southeastern Viz
ginia. 3s 3
" RUNAWAY SLAVE LABOR.
S B Sullivan formulated a plan for getting
IN his dam ,s ork done thout tn King MS -
q farm -lnborcrey from the cotton and corn
~ fields, ana ut ess cnst than NJ he. II could
accompltsh$it otherwise It should pc
promised that, although generally nobody
u considered n It Ills business III TO beat the
& swamps for the r,naways. and tina I they
4 enjoyed comparative lmpunity, now and
IA then owner s of the negroes, or people
wording forsg d reward Il. did axe raids
" Into these 1ungles, which rendered tho
0 fugt tycs always shy OF an open sinYa sion
n of cir trea Sli
1T was said that Sullivan, - houghs him-sl
self d slave, own was b eart an
z abolitionlst. and had moro ympnt ny tor.
tho neg roeY than for their ma &c
ever that may he, I Is certain that he
g had dealings with their lenders, ~ suppl d
in.; n them with meal !. f con, obac eco.
& coffee, etc., In exchange for fish, Wild
Il turkeys Il and venison. for several had
managed to possess themselves OF guns
powder. and shot. Using us envoy N i TO
Very intelligent but tricky frican.i Sui IL
4 Ivan made a contract withEthe r1lnaWayss
To construct his dam, working at night
by tho light of fires, with scouts posted
fS to 4 guard against a dash on them, E and
their pay being in ratlons. little
whiskey, ana a small sum OF money
n There for many years u ho h owner ,ti
carried On a large and lucrative busine S.
4 saving timber. making cypress and tn uni
Der shingles. and running a grist mn..s
4 from which no furnished corn meal and
homny to all tho surro,t2Iing country
II His water power was excellent md IN 4
failing, and the forests, Of which he
owned immense q rncts, suppl.tu S ~ =,
H pine, cypress aud Juniper for lumber.
NJ FISHING PARTY. VI al s3
Forty-elght years ago. In a s5b y when; q
IA was ~ lad twelve years old !, I mad 9 g.
8 fishing excursion TO Sullivan s Pond with
my father and two or more OF his friends
d It was an outing which q boy remember
all his life, We carried q large wall
tent camp utensils, and n negro boy;
to to~the cooking. Can the youthful
5amind Imagine anything more delightful
q than that combinatlon?5 It was early
u In May. and we rodo pretty mucll. all
tho distance of twenty miles from Fay.
q ettayille inan slow, warm, drIzzling rain,
making ideal conditions mt tho pond,
which we reached " about half an hour
u before sunset, sf H u asS5
wa got to work immediately, while
\ tho negro was raising the tent. nnd
! getting ready for supper and tho bait
was tho flat-head. This IS a small!
creamy white worm, with a brown flat