The Detroit times., 1911-03-24
.HATTERAS Is ISLE
OF CONFINEMENT
No Laws, No Policemen, No Jails on
Stretch of Land Which Is
American Soil.

BUXTON, Hatteras Island, n. c.,
March 24.-Two ribbons Of sand
stretch out into the Atlantic from the
Henry, Va, and running southeast,
the other running northeast from Cape
Lookout, n. c. The ribbons meet at
a blunt angle. and the point is called
Cape Hatteras.
At the blunt cape there is widen
ing Of the strip, as though the hands
on the arms were folded together. To
the north and south the sea has cut
inlets through the beach, so the wider
part of the cape Is an island-Hatter.
as island.
Two days you travel in a sputter
ing launch down the windy sounds
beside the beach, with never even .
weed growing on 1t to break it's vel
low monotony. Late in the Afternoon
! OF the second day the cap'n OF thu
launch puts you off onto fish shant,
standing on shaky legs mile ou
| from shore, and there you are ma
rooned.
Your exile is not for long. Pres
emily boatman poles out, bids yot
shore. You climb over a sand hill anC
find yourself in Paradise.
There Is almost tropical luxuri
ance of verdue. The palmettos bank
along the winding road. There are
thickets of Spanish bayonets. Grace
full pines and cedars, live oaks, holly
trees big as northern oaks and Grim
son with berries, wild peach and plum
trees In full bloom-and mocking birds
are singing fulthroated in the boughs
You wonder at this tropical scene un
til the guide tells you that the gull
stream flows just Is miles of the til
OF the cape.
Presently you catch glimpses OF
whit cottages through the greenery
And this is Buxton, the home OF the
! fishermen OF the sound.
There are 500 people on the island
| 100 miles from the nearest civiliza
ton. and living without form OF gov
ernment OF any kind There Is nc
MAGISTRATE, no policeman, no Jail, M
law court, no litigation, no laws. Two
men volunteer as a school commit
tee; they are the only officials on the
island. There Is no road committee
No newspaper. The people are poor
but there are no paupers, hence M
poorhouse.
Yet II would be hard to find more
orderly community. No ordinances
there Is no law.breaking. There IL
no stealing, no quarreling. There
lust isn't any need for government
that's all. It's the island OF content
ment.
How do the people do It? Becaus,
they are good That's the answer
| These fishermen have to live there
and they prefer to live in a decen
place. Their principal interest, out
side the business OF fishing. is re
ligion. They have two churches. An,
these islanders, strange to say. TAX,
the injunctions of Christianity seri
ously. Their only rule Of conduct II
the golden one.
over on the mainland q propagan
da magazine Is published. II thunderi
against race suicide. They don't neeC
Il on Hatteras island. For the S0'
population, $50, or over one-quarter
are children. And such children
The boys are brave fellows with fistl
and swift feet and tanned faces. Th'
girls have the best compilations on tn,
Atlantic coast, red as apples and white
as milk.
The principal business of the mer
is fishing and saving lives. Both pro
fessions are calculated to impress
with the precariousness OF life. The
Diamond shoals, of the point OF thu
cape, melt ships and dwrown men
Every once in while the surf wash
es up hum n bones from the quick
sands. A single shad season maI
bring fortune OF death to the fisher
man. Eiehtre is accepted with hu
mility. Misfortune Is certainly shared
with the neighbors, fortune is likely
TO be.
The finest thing about the people
OF the Isle OF Contentment is theil
hospitality and charity. The hospital
ity Is open-handed and splendid. There
Is no such thing as a hotel, but th'
wayfarer never wants for food an'
shelter. The best the people have
he gets, and the islanders are prou'
10 serve him.