davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-07-22
APost Office Inspector $ Experiences Inthe North
Carolina Mountains Where He Was Confronted
ByTrain Robbers sMoonshiner WhoShot
His Hat From His Head, and Later Bya
Thieving Star Route Carrier With
Whom He Battled for His Life.
le InternationaI Syndicate.

giving the passengers the worst scare
of their lives. The messengers In
these cars were better prepared for the
attack than the yeggs had supposed.
and terrific battle followed.
Mail Train Held Up.
The train was stopped In q deep
cut that ran through dense forest
The spot chosen was an ideal one for
hold up. As the train came to q
cars and ordered the messenger and
mail clerks to leave the cars and line
up on the side of the road. Instead
the clerks opened the doors OF their
cars sufficiently wide to stick the muz-
zIes of their rifles through and then
followed fusiliade which caught the
yeGgs completely unawares. By this
time the train crew, realizing that an
old-fashioned hold-up was In progress.
express clerks and for a time a
pitched battle ensued in which bullets
few as thick as hail.
BY rare good luck the shots OF the
yeggs few wide of their mark and
aside from a few minor injuries the
train crew escaped. The yeggmen,
surprised by the train crew, put up q
running fight and managed to escape
in the thicket and, although they were
them was lost. Later learned It was
an entirely different gang from the
one operating in the mountain towns.
So returned to Asheville and set out
on horseback for my original t:estina-
ton.
AFTER leaving Asheville and setting
out on my solitary trail I was soon
lost in the dense forest that I was
compelled to wind my way through.
From the first I realized what an al
most foolhardy undertaking It was,
but in the Post Office Service we learn
early to obey orders and ask no ques-
lions.
I recall riding through this forest
and arriving at a point where the COW
path I was following led up steep
incline. In the distance I could hear
bell solemnly toll. I supposed I
was approaching some little mountain
hamlet where either a school, or
there was a farm near and as 1t was
approaching the noon hour the bell
might be ringing to summon the
hands from the fields to dinner.
Hat Shot From My Head.
the dolorous toll OF the bell that
the crack OF pistol or rife and be-
fore I knew what had happened my
hat dew OF and dropped to the road.
As glanced UP I saw pun of smoke
emerging from behind a fallen log
and slowly the form Of a man arose
from its crouching position and stand
ing erect levelled the rifle at my head.
.'who be you and what yer want
around here?" the wild, unkempt
The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-07-22

from two to I'VE feet In diameter. the
carving Is the front. and the rear por-
ton is hollow to make them Light
enough to erect. In some of the
totem poles placed among the Haida
villages. where the oldest and best
specimens are to be found, . door
way Is cut through the trunk OF the
totem. for ekress and ingress. Some
odd poles are surmounted by tail hats
Of the Boston" men. In early days
the white traders were called Dos
ton, men and the owners OF the poles
take this method Of showing the.
family's association with them. Many
of the most interesting OF Alnskass'
Az these chiefs or medicine men aro;
always buried above ground the Large
wooden animals on top OF the boxes.
are carved carefully and painted.won-
derfully.
siRnincance OF mo Totem.
The white man has never heen very,
successful in getting the. Alaskan In
dian to tell the true signincance OF his
totems. However, Father Duncan.
whose work in governing the Alaskan
Indians Is widely known and who -
called "The Apostle OF Alaska, says
that after q residence OF almost nfty.
wears he has become convinced that:
the popular theory that the totem Is;
the mark OF the tribe Is falacious.s 6e.
points out that each band OF Indians
Is divided into classes or clans and
the totems have to do with classes or
clans, which Is q much closer rala-
tionship than tribal. As q result these
totems are erected before the door
ways of Indians residences and serve
as q doorplate or better still convey .
meaning similar to the Scotch plaid
Father Duncan IL emphatic In ASSERT
ing that these totems are in NO sense
idols and that the carvings represent
or a legend of the earth. or sky or
air. They are NO more objects of
worship than the symbols of Masonry.
He adds, ga stranger, with or with.
out his family In visiting an AlashAn
village never need be at q loss Tor
shelter. All he has to do Ia to take
the house belonging to his crest, and
which he can easily distinE.ish by the
totem pole in front of IT. There he
Is sure OF welcome and OF the beNe
the host can AFFORD. There he -
accounted q brother and. Is treated
and trusted as such. Another prom.
nent use made by. the natives - SnAe
they take from these signs OF heraidFy
names for their children. For In.
stance, wee-nay-aci1. big I'm (WhaIe1s
observation-disclosures. sitttng on the loo
(eagle) Itah-co-am-alyah, the hree
speaker craven In the morningls Afht-
kaf-kout, the howler travelling (wolfl.
And last but not least the kiuahtp,
claimed in each tribe BY the crest has
much to do with preventing blood
shed and In restoring peAce WheA
quarrels. and nghtings have eusued.
-
The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-07-22
CopyriRht, 1915, by T

~oR many years Post once In
spectors principal work con-
sisted of stalking that peculiarly
desperate and conscfenceless
criminal. the yeggman. whose graz
rwaa blowing and rifing post once
80. a.. remote sections of the rural
districts. yet the trail often leads TO
oueer places where a mans lie ID
worth about as much as that OF
snuirrel. OF all the experiences look
back upon none clings more tenacious, :,
~ 10 INV memory than those that mao
TO do with the months spent In the
mountains of North Carohnas "neEe
the majority Of the mountatneers exc
ont miserable existences by tntcitly
diat,Iiinp that brand of whiskey known
as '.moonshine" and on whicn an IN
ternal revenue stamp never appears.
These stirring events occurred at
time when was attached TO tne
North Carolina Division, with head
quarters at Greensboro. There had
been number Of robbertes OF post
onices in the rural districts ana we
were fully alive to the fact that an
especially brazen band OF yeggmen
were at work. Not only were post
onices being rifed OF their contents.
but even the banks OF several small
towns had been attacked. their safes
dynamited and strong boxes looted OF
all they contained.
These yeggmen were confning their
operations to the western part OF the
state and It was imperative for me to
get to the scene of their operations
with all haste. This meant trip by
train to Ashevtlle. from which point
was to make the rest of the journey
on horseback and through a noun
famous and densely wooded country
with which was totally unfamiliar.
Before reaching Asheville. however.
/ learned that band OF yeggs had
emerged from their mountain retreats
ana struck out for the open, evidently
intending to tap the railroad at some
point and thus insure a quicker get
away. Emboldened by the success
they had met with in ripping rural
post ofice safes and those OF a few
banks In the small towns they passed
through, the yeggs decided that the
crowning achievement OF this raid
would be to hold up a mail train and
make a clean up that would really be
worth while. They evidently were
heading towards Charleston. 8. C..
where they could take refuge in a crib
run by a man named Ravens who.
though leading an ostensibly respect
able life, yet, in reality. was one OF
the most notorious fences for bur-
glars of tie yegg type in the country.
My fears as to their attempt to hold
up a train were not long unfounded.
I had no sooner. reached Ashevi1le
than I learned that a train on the
main line had been held up and while
the yeggs did not succeed in getting
at the safes In the mail and express
cars. nevertheless they did succeed in
The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-07-22

reached to the tops. The members of
this tribe buried their dead in small
houses and the totem poles are erected
directly in front of the graves in or
der to indicate to which clan the de-
ceased belonged. But as the chief
always receives special dignity his
wooden box is surmounted with a
large carved animal worth going many
miles to see.
The wrangel Poles.
Other totem poles can be seen In
the streets of wrangeI. Killisnoo and
Tonga The Indians in the Silk
raucherie, as the Indian part of the
town is called, use q totem on the
front OF the house and for some rea-
son prefer this to the pole. The house
with totem over the door which shows
in the picture belongs to chief of the
Sitka tribe. Fort wrangel Is an old
Russian settlement that stands at the
head OF wrangel Island ana It Is In
teresting as containing large num-
Der of totems, some OF which belong
to the Thnnket race. The totens at
wrangeI are not of the highest order
OF carving but the carving Is In most
instances continuous to the top and
the one commonly known as the
beaver totem. because surmounted by
q carving of that animal, is peculiarly
distinctive. In addition to its quaint
totem poles Wrangel has some Curl
ously marked graves, one being sur
mounted with the huge carving of a
wolf. Some OF the dwellings of
wrangel have two totem poles, one
representing the male side and the
other the female side of the house.
In one instance the pole Is surmount-
All Inv the image of a bear while no
other carvings are shown upon the
column except the footprints of the
animal. made apparently. while he
climbed to his lofty location. The
whale totem OF Wrangel is noted all
along the Pacific Coast. It is eighty
feet high. covered with moss and
llchen, and "a great black whale is
perched on top. Chief Katishau has
two deliberately carved totems painted
In dull reds, blues and black before
his somewhat modern wooden resi-
dence which boasts of two bay win
dows" Chief Shake takes pride in q
tall pole with q frog on top and the
sides OF the pole are carved with the
Imprint of human feet ascending and
descending.
Elaborate Carving A Feature.
Most of the totem poles OF Alaska
are carved on the sides and hold on
the top the figure OF an animal,-the
frog, toad, bear or whale being favor
ties because these with tho raven and
eagle are the chief representatives.
ana, as tradition relates the progeni-
tors. These animals are sort OF In
sigma and In commingling as In the
case eof marriages they become the
family crest. Most of the poles are
from twenty to sixty feet high. and
The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-07-22

~oR many years a Post once In
- spector's principal work con-
sisted of stalking that peculiarly
desperate and conscfenceless
The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-07-22

fup.- as did %. He. was 100 ven
yersed In the rules OF that country
to hesitate for 4 second. Up went bis
hands. the TIM box rafting to the
ground. He knew &C was All mp With
him SO he showed no signs OF ofterln1s
resistance. After removing his pistol
from. his pocket I was adtusting the
handouts to his wrists when he caught
me momentaFily OF my guard and
landed q blow ON my jaw that SAINT
me staggering to the ground IA I
fell my pistol and the ones had
taken from him. dropped out OF my
at his mercy should he reach those
guns before i could recove= Sne1ni
It was race for the gums and. ~ We
were an equal distance from the
weapons neither had the advantage.
Both saw the futiIity OF reaching for
them for. had either stopped to pick
them up, the other would have
bounced upon his back and all would
have been up with the under man.
minutes one OF the most desperate
life and death battles ever en996ed
in followed. Fortunately ] am 8 big
man and my early athletic training
stood me In good stead. Tho; man I;
was battling with was possessed @of
almost superhuman strength, but for
tunately he was not as nimhle aasI
was and had this advantage to ofaet.
his superior weight and strength.
CIasped In each others arms we
rocked to and fro and each stsp
brought US perilously nearer TO. the
brink OF the precipices which gilbert.
had just emerged from. Suddenly Il,
dawned upon me that he was playing
waiting game Instead OF trying to
trip. or throw me. he was slowly
working me towards the clfms edge
from which he intended to huri me.
Then realized that it was . door
die effort that must Immediately DO.
Forthcoming IL ever. expected to.
emerge alive from his bear-lilse.h hug.
Blow To Jaw Saved Ne.
After working one arm free I swung
a heavy blow to the side Of Gilbert'a
head- IT staggered him for q second
and before he could again imprtson
NV free arm swung another punch
70 the side OF his head and this sent
him reeHnR from me. Before he could
recover his balance I had planted@@
sleep producing punch on his Jaw ana
he went down and. out for the count.
In a jiffy I was astride his inanimAte
form and after adjusting. and locking
the handouts set TO work to revive
him. soon had him conscious. but
decidedly rocky on his feet. He was
so dazed by the blow that he didn't
recall, at nrst the stirring encounter
he had just gone through. and hts
first word was to inquire e his horse
had thrown him.
conducted my prisoner back 70
Asheville. together with the tin box
containing the stolen securities and
the greater part OF the cash. He waS
tried, convicted and sent away TO. the
Federal Prison at Atlanta for long
term.
Thatwas but one of manyhair-raiaine
encounters I had In the North Caro-
lima mountains. but after that expert
ence we always Travelled In pairs. that
encounter proving conclusively that .
lone post ONCE inspector IL no match
for a band of desperadoes lurking In
the hills, defying arrest for any one
OF the many acts of outiawry there
committed.
The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-07-22

looking creature inquired as he kept
his gun trained on me. I told him I
was complete stranger In these parts
and that I was trying to make my
way to a little hamlet about twenty
miles distant which hoped to reach
before nightfall. He wasn't altogeth-
err satisfied and set TO work to turn
my pockets inside out, as we'll as ex-
anime the contents OF my saddle bags.
He finally turned to me and in that
queer drawl peculiar to the residents
of the Carolina mountains. remarked:
..I thought you might be one of them
ID Revenues and we don't want
them kind OF critters prowling about
these here mountains"
I continued on my way and after
reaching my destination and looking
over the post Offices that had been
robbed discovered that the Jobs car
The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-07-22

railroad and took the first train could
get for Charleston. s. c. Sure enough
at the cribs run by this man Ravens
I picked up clews as to the where
abouts of my three yeggmen and aft
er a furious fight arrested them and
waited until all three were convicted
and sent away for long terms.
New Mall. Robbery Reported.
No sooner had I finished up my
work in Charleston than learned that
a big mail robbery had been perpe-
trated somewhere between Asheville
and huntsville, N. 6. The r2ad WINDS
thronph some of the widest country
In that remote section. It was in the
dead of winter and the trip was a
hard one A star route carrier,
CHARLES Gilbert by name. had been
held up and robbed. Burnsvi1le has
several thriving manufacturing In
The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-07-22

dustrtes and waa surprised to learn
that. among the loot SIS. 900 In ne9oti-
able securities and $1,000 In cash had
been stolen. When Gilbert reported
the robbery he produced the mail
pouch which had been alt with
knife and the registered packages thus
extracted. GILBERT was 80 graphic In
his description of the hold-up and OF
the men who had participated in II.
that from the first my suspicious were
aroused. I made him go over the
story time and again and each time he
repeated Il / noticed he added some
Dramatic little feature that he had
omitted in his previous recitals.
or course. never permitted him
to suspect for a second that doubted
his word. and he. was permitted TO
return to his route. taking the mail
to Burnsville one day and returning
the next to Asheville. But he was
rarely out OF my sight. camped on
his trial day and night and all alons
the route, especially in the more
densely wooded spots I would secret
rnyself and watch him pass along. ]
might add that nearly froze to death
while maintaining these lonely vigiis
above. the bleak mountain roads
{ one day my long system of espton-
age bore fruit. saw Gilbert ap-
proaching along the lonely mountain
tran. He was riding the same horse
he had started out from Asheville on
the day before. and both horse and
rider looked pretty well tagged.
noticed that every few PAGES he would
glance back furtively as though he
feared he was being followed Sud-
denly he veered from the beaten trail
ana made a detour into the dense
woods. Arriving at an especially
thtclsiy wooded clump he dismounted
ana tyfng his horse to a tree. set
ar ON foot down the mountain side.
7 was close behind him all the time.
After scrambling through the under
growth for a considerable distance ne
emerged into an open space and ap-
preached the brink of precipice. the
sides of which were almost perpen-
S,c,Iar 1t was necessary for him to
iower himself down into this gulch by
means of the scrub oaks that lined
ita stdes and none but dexterous
climber could have made the descent.
for one false step would have meant
instant death.
was at the edge of the precipice,
stretched full length, and from my
vantage point peering over Into It's
depths and watching his every move.
FINALLY u saw MIN GGtISh - SROS WAASAS
he commenced to scratch Ground IN
the leaves. He then took a sharp
stick and began to dig. In few
moments he brought to the surface
n tin box which he closely examined.
This he unlocked and peering into its
interior he Withdrew a carefully
wrapped package which he also close
" scrutinized. Evidently finding the
contents intact he relocked the box
sucked It under his arm and then be-
gan his ascent, which was little less
than hand over hand climb from
the bottom to the top. wriggled my
way back from the edge OF the cii,i
RI a big tree, behind which took
IN my stand with my pistol trained
on the spot I knew Gilbert would
climb to as he dragged himself to
the top OF the cliff.
Made Him Prisoner.
AS Gilbert again reached terra
nrma, and stood erect, I sprang from
my hiding place. ordering Hands
The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-07-22

many tall totem poles carved In gro
tesoue figures and painted in dull reds,
yellows and blues. This is sugges-
ton of the totcm pole village. but
suggestion merely. The ISOLATION,
solitude, weird appearance of the
strange poles. background of high
mountains. foreground OF sea are all
parts OF a picture that appeals strong
ly to the aesthetic instinct. The huts
show signs of habitation. Here is a
bit of broken pottery. there chest
decorated with totens. fish board
carved with the head and tail OF a
salmon. You will not stop at these.
You Will move quickly to the depres-
sion in the center OF the building
which Is used as a fireplace and VIII
The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-07-22

ried all the earmarks of those perpe-
trated by q little band in which Port
land Ned. Ohio Hump and connecd-
cut Shorty. three of the most motor
ious and desperate yeggs then operat-
ing. I further knew that as soon as
they had gathered all the loot obtain
able they would speed away from the
rural and mountainous sections for
the nearest big town where their
stolen postage stamps could be con-
verified into cash. Acting upon this
supposition I retraced my steps and,
by q curious chance. while putting up
at the cabin of the mountaineer who
had shot my hat on 1 learned that
this trio had passed along that same
trail a day OF two previous and from
the description he gave me 1 knew
the three men had suspected were
tho real culprits. I soon reached the
The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-07-22
fathers tribe and to cast lots with the
relatives of their mother.
Old Kasaan.

rhe most remarkable totem village
I'm Alaska Is old Kasaan, settlement
which was deserted by the Indian in or
der that they might live nearer salmon
canneries and obtain employment In
this little village which fronts on a
bay OF the same name there are eighty
to a hundred totem poles which stand
before their owners huts and tell a
story of family pride to the initiated.
Strange. little known village. Pic
ture an aggregation of small primitive
board huts with apertures for doors
and windows and in front of each
The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-07-22
Weird and Grotesque,
They're Of EspecialIn-
terest To the Tourist
Representing Woman's
Precedence Over Man
Among the Indians.
.one the Indians.
az KATHARINE L. SMITH.

~ NE of the most interesting Sec
tons of the Pacific Coast Is that
stretch along the southeastern
shores Of Alaska. The water
route is called The Inside Passage"
because it is bordered on both sides
by tall mountains It has been chris
tened The Yosemite Flooded" It Is
here that one sees the most marvellous
glaciers yet discovered in America and
1t is along these shores and short
way inland that the interesting totem
pole villages OF North America are To-
Gated. This is totem pole country.
This Is the land where these strange
crests,-mute monuments of family
pride,-rear their picturesque heads
among the trees, or serve as supports
60 the Indians huts. or figure as mon
uments over shamen's graves. These
tote1ns are Of such great interest and
chronological value that Congress has
been petitioned several times to pre-
serve them and 1t Is hoped that vigor-
Gus measures will be taken to save
them from destruction.
While 1t Is true that totemism Is
found among other North American
Indians, among the aborigines OF Aus
traiia, the Hottentots of Africa, the
hill tribes of India and that the Objib-
way Indians alone have no fewer than
twenty-three different totems which
mark out the wolf. bear, beaver, bird,
nsh and snake. the totems of the Alas
ka Indians far exceed those of other
tribes IN tribal bondship and history.
They should be OF peculiar interest
to- women for they illustrate woman's
precedence over man among these
tribes. The Indian children take the
mothers crest and are incorporated
as members OF the mothers family.
More than this they barely consider
their fathers family as relatives, and
when it comes to Inheritance an Alas
kan Indian does not leave his prop
erty to his son but to his maternal
nephew or sisters SON. This makes
the geneaiogy of the Alaskan Indian
an interesting affair, especially as the
children often elect to leave their
The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-07-22

pause at the huge carved totem poles
serve as a support for the roof. These
inside totems are seen In the houses
of the chief men OF the tribe. Like
the towering totem poles without.
they show many grotesQue conceits
for bears. fish. frogs. snakes, dozens of
quaint figures carved one above the
other rise to the top of the poles.
Tho Strange Graveyard
II the totem poles are queer and
the totems themselves are uncanny
they are as nothing compared with
The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-07-22

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