Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-28
EXPOSITION TRAIN
IN TAR HEEL STATE
Greater Washington Boomers
Tarried at Hamlet.
INTERVIEW WITH CITIZEN
Star Man Finds Rich Material in
Unique Denizen.
GUN PREFERRED TO KERCHIEF
Some Striking Characteristics Reveal
ed-How the Conductor Collected
Fare Promptly.



HAMLET, n. c.. September Give
reached this railroad town at 10 o'clock this
| evening and tomorrow morning, as soon
as it gets light enough for a large, clumsy
person to navigate-without extraordinary
danger to life and limb-the freight yards
where the Greater Washington exposition
special is taking rest. I'm going out and
take a look around.
If it weren't for the things told me at
Rockingham, a few miles up the line, by
a southerner with a pale eye and a long
jaw about the pastimes of the merry vii
layers of Hamlet. I'd be trotting all over
town by this time, learning to walk all
over again. on something that didn't jig
gle. AS it is, 1 prefer to sit in my state
room Mrs. Pullman's private car Rain
bow, with my legs tied in true lovers
knot under the opposite seat, and large
pale globules of perspiration trickling chin
ward and bouncing off the space bar of
my typewriter Hear, if you will, the rea
sons why.
Until we reached Rockingham I looked
forward with considerable pleasure to this
stop at Hamlet. 1t has been raining pitch
forks and other agricultural implements
most of the day and the interior of the
campus at dear Old Yale. Il passed
through New Haven once on IA freight.
The conductor-bless his heart-was near
sighted. But at Rockingham, the pale
eyed, lantern jawed person I've mentioned
who. by the way. runs one of the archi
tecturally deficient but commercially prof
liable cotton mills there-invaded my pres
ence with a flask of corn whisky and
bundle of demonstrating cheroots, and
proceeded to make himself at home. Final
ly. after / had heard more about the cot
ton-mil business than / expect to remem-
Der overnight. the conversation turmoil
don't mind saying that 1 threw the switch
on the towns in North Carolina visited
and to be visited by the special.
Pale-eyes was well informed. I found
that out in less than a minute. He had
cousins of the first, second and third de-
gree in every city, town, village and ham
let in the state. with lots of th-dimen-
sion relatives scattered in between. He
liked to talk and I cared to listen for his
alphabet didn't own to an ''r,'' and he cou-
pied up the cars in his train of thought
with we ais and you ais and other
kindred tar-heel oolloqualisms At last l
mentioned the town of Hamlet.
His Face Lighted Up.
III declare, it was wonderful to see the
way Pale-eye's face lighted up. For a mo-
ment thought he was going to look almost
interested.
My dear sub he remarked, with wave
of his Observation-Disclosures left, Hamlet
is real bright town. All used to think
that Rockin ham some shucks of a
place. but we all amt as progressive as
Hamlet. You all will like that town
suahly.''
Amy amusements there?" I inquired.
fearing that Pale-eyes was thinking up
some more relatives or cotton mill statis-
tics:
'Suahly. sub, suahly," replied my distin-
guished visitor. with another near-inter-
ested fash. Hamlet is a most enta htaining
place. They had a lynchng over thah last
Friday, and most every now and then some
body shoots a cullahd puhson. l do not use
the word niger sub, out OF Difference to
youh possible no'then prejudices.'
DO they Kill EN- often?" l inquired
gazing in fascinated way at Pale-eyes
Not 50 vey often" he replied after some
silent consideration But when they do
thah's o'dina'ily some little bothah Last
Friday. sub, one of the railroad men at
Hamlet became somewhat exhilahated-but
not by any means drunk suh-and killed a
cullahd man on Main street. The culahd
puhson was ado ned at the time If re-
mcnbah rightly, with necktie offensive to
the railroad mans taste. Friends of the
deceased made some annoyance for the
railroad pahty-who, | have said sub
was slightly under the influence of con
liquor at the time and thahfoah as innocent
as a babe-and the town sent up heah to
Rockin ham foam assistance. Only a few of
Us could leave at that time-much to ouah