davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-01-21
LOANED RIVAL
MARRIAGE CASH
AND T.SAIL
Capt. Abe" Cahoon Our Old
est Skipper, Has 55-Year"
Career
BY D. v. MEEkINS

Back in 1870 a Tyrrcll coun-
ty farm boy tired of the soil,
and got a job with a gang OF
carpenters at the princcly wage
of $40 a month. He might
have continued on land the
rest of his life. but one of the
gang began courting his best
girl.
T didn't have enough money
ahead to start married life on he
said. And when my rival pro-
posed. l let the girl know the only
thing TO do was to marry him, and
I told her not to wait for me. She
didn't. Ny rival came and asked
me for loan of $50 to get married
on. I let him have the money and
got me a job OH boat"
Thus began the career of Capt.
Abram l.. Cahoon of Elizabeth City,
who today is the dean of steamboat
men in eastern North Carolina.
Cant. Abe" as he is known to his
friends. is owner and master of the
steamer Guide" plying out of
Edenton to points on the Roanoke
River. as far up as Hamilton, Mar
tin County. He will be a years old
January 80. and is rounding out
lJ years as n steamboat man.
81 have never had but two fights
during all my years of steamboat
ing. and one Of them was with that
fellow" declares Capt. CahOon. |
tried for two years to get my money
out of him. and 1 caught him get
ting paid off one day and asked
him TO pay me something Oh the
loan. He got mad with me, and
bullied me so ] had to thrash him.
He wouldn't speak TO me for several
years, but he finally came to me
and made up, and asked me for a
job on my boat, promising to pay
me out of his wages. He stayed
until I got $17 from his pay, and
then he got mad and quit the job"
Before The Days of Railroads
In his more than half-century
OH the sounds and rivers Of Eastern
North Carolina, Capt. CahoOn has
sailed nearly two million miles and
has held q masters ticket for near
ly 80 years. His long career beGa
CONTINUED on Page Severn
The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-01-21

They say this is II great life if
YOU don't weaken. but | have all
idea that the fellow who docs weak
on can get Il hclluva kick out Of it
for season ut least" said the Bank
Clerk.
"What'< on your mind now ask
cd the Soda .Icrkcr.
II have just come in out of the
raw cold. II mufflcr around my neck,
ArcticS Oh my feet. wool mittcns on
my hands and all buttoncd up in Il
heavy 0vcrcoat. The thermometer
is down to 10 above zero. And /
walk into this female social club
and see these women folk sitting
/ around in thin silks just as il they
were taking tea under the palms at
Palm Beach. Ill bet you that that
little evolutionary flappcr who
Just went out of here didn't have
Oh Il darn thing under her coat eX-
cept pair of chiffon hose, thin
rayun boomers, brassierrc and a
one piece gcorgctte silk frock that
wouldn't weigh three ounces
what kind of flappcr did you
call her." asked the Soda Jcrker
"An evolutionary flappcr," said
the Bank Clerk.
what is an evolutionary flap
per- quircd the Soda Jerker.
zone who has been mOnkcyed
with," replied the Bank Clerk.
There was Il pause in the con-
verSatiOn and then the Soda Jerker
said: You seem to be always
worrying about the way women
dress"
Not at all" said the Bank Clerk.
II have figured out that the trend
of feminine styles these past few
years is a fair indication that 'the
he-male is coming back into his
own.
"In the great economy of Nature
the male was originally intended to
be more beautiful than the female.
1t is so thruout all animal creation;
the male of every bird and beast is
gaudicr than the female and the
male makes it il business to ramp
The female,
The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-01-21
HUMAN HEARTS
FULL O. MUSH:
FOR SWINDELL.
After Two Years Thousands
Petition For Pardon Of an
Unconscionable Rapist

Nearly 1000 names Of lead
ing citizens Of Elizabeth City
and Pasquotank County ap-
pear upon petition for the
obsolute pardon OF Joe Swim
dell. a young white man
serving a term OF 80 years in
the State Prison for one Of the
most objectionable crimes ever
committed in Pasquotank
County. Such is human ma
ture.
joe Swindell' was Sc1-crazy
youth who led life Of sexual de-
bauchcry for years. He ruined the
lives Of more than one young
woman. His career as heart
breaker eliminated in what was
hardly less than the rape of a
Simple-minded girl Of twelve years.
Elizabeth City was shocked and
mortified.
Swindcll was convicted at the
November 1924 term of the Superior
Court Of PasQuotanI County and
given sentence Of 50 years. There
is no provision in the laws of North
Carolina for the sterilization of
men of Swindelrs type and putting
him away for the better part OF his
life was about the only thing society
could do with him.
But 1000 representative citizcuS
of the city and county are now
aSSurin. the Governor of North
Carolina that they would rather
have Joe Swindcll back in EliZ-
abeth City whore their wives and
daughters would be exposed to him,
than to have him in the pcnitcn-
tiary where he can do no more
harm.
The explanation of this unusual
petition is found in the psychology
of the human heart. Joe Swindell
is a son Of G. X. Swindell. His
father is a citizen Of unuSal charm
and goodness. II would be hard 10
find a kindlier. Sentler. friendlier
or more wholesome character any
where than this father Of Joe Swim
dell. And when the old man went
about the streets with his petition
for the pardon of his son few in-
deed had the heart TO refuse him.
Rather than wound the feelings of
the father many a man put his
maine on the petition and turned
away to curse himself for his wfgk-
mess, r.. ~ u:
But two very important names
do not appear ON the petition: the
names Of Solicitor Walter L. Small
who prosecuted the case and Judge
y. \. Sinclair who pronounced
judgement. 1t is not believed that
the petition lacking these names
will have much weight in Raleigh.
in view Of Swindell's record.
The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-01-21
MAN is COMING BACK INTO HIS OWN

Several thousand years ago n
lot of bewhiskered old men on the
plains of Palestine got afraid of
God and began to dress in severely
plain and uncomfortable clothing.
Men ceased to care for their person
al appearance. They became de-
creasingly active in hunting mates.
The women were not to be sighted
in any such way and they took UP
the burden of chasing their mates
which men in their weakness had
rclinqulshed. And so it has been
for centuries.
But scientists and students of
human nature are noting an inter
esting change. Women are wear
ing fewer and fewer clothes and
men are wearing more. Women
have b0bbcd their hair and are try
ing to look more and more like men.
Man is wearing fancier hose, fanci-
or shirts, fancier neck ties and gay
or clothes generally. He displays
a fancy colored silk handkerchief
in his outside breast pocket, wears
a gay silk muffler around his neck
and wears pajamas or brilliant
uridntal cOlors. Fashion experts
tell us that mems clothing will run
to a riot of colors this spring. Man
is coming back into his own.
"Man may yet be the gorgeously
arrayed and strutting rooster that
he used to be and women the plain,
unadorned, drab little hens that
GOD intended them to be when he
took a short rib from the side Of
Adam and gave it to a hank Of
hair for Adam to play with. Every
thing moves in cycles; in a thou
sand year or so life, with all of its
changes, is.>after all but one damn
thing over and over again. Women
have had their day for thousand
years. Maybe we are on the thres-
hold of millennium for man. Who
knows? Who knows:
The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-01-21
SUMMERTIME WEATHER
NOW IN ELIZABETH CITY

Elizabeth City basks this week
in summer weather, with the ther.
mOmeter at 20 degrees I'm the shade.
all day Thursday. Folks stopped
building fires, winter underclOth.
Ing went in the cedar chests, and
activities were increased. The con-
trast with last week is somewhat
strong when an unusual appear.
ance of sncw covered the s-cyDas :
The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-01-21
RICH men GET
LITTLEF FAVOR
INHISCOURT
Judge Meekins Puts Maximum
Penalty on New York Mil
lionaire Rum Ring Head

Federal Judge Isaac Nj.
Mcekins who likes good likker
himself may have the utmost
sympathy for poverty strick-
ell North Carolina peasant who
is caught in a violation Of the
national prohibition laws, and
if he can find a way to let the
poor wretch off with a nominal
fine they say he'll do it. But
he has no such compassion for
a man of wealth and influence.
That fact was dramatically
demonstrated the other day
when Judge MeekinS sentenc-
ed a millionaire bootlcgcr to
two years in Federal prison.
Judge Meekins is holding Federal
Court i'm New York City this month.
Among the eases before him was
one of a notorious liquor ring that
had smuggled millions of dollars
worth of liquors into the United
States from Canada. The leader
of this prctehtious ring is a mil
lionaire who stands high in blSi-
ness and social circles in and
around New York City. He owns
and lives in mansion on River
side Drive. He is famed as phil
anthropiSt md all that. But when
convicted in Judge MeekinS' court
the Judge gave him the limit. I'M
poSin. Il fine of S1O.OW and SEN
tence of two years in prison. In
passing sentence Judge Mecklns
said. according 10 The New York
Times:
IF the courts. in the adminiStra-
ton of the criminal law. premit
men Of prominence and OF position,
of wealth. to escape reasonable pun
iShment. what can we expect the
courts to do with people in humber
and lower anu the lowest walks OF
lifc?"
There are only two classes Of pco-
pie. he went on. good people and
bad people. However. If he follow
cd his own inclination. he would al
low W0rmSer to 20 free. but If
courts do not perform their duty
the judiciary lis gone" referring
to WormScr he said:
MIR. WOrmSrr | have heard Il
great deal about: a. man Of wonder
full impulses and h man. of great
charity of purpose and heart and
who has dcnictl himself. the gteit
comfort and Solace. especially in his
old age. of Il family. in order to
maintain and protect and rear anu
provide for his sisters children
that he never turns IN empty hand
to man i'm distress: that he al
ways responds to every charitable
request
However. he went in. he did not
20 into this trouble by impOulsc; 1t
was spread over period OF four
years.
1T was not only deliberate Gu
tcring into violation Of the laws,
but it was an absolute and COM
plete and inexcuSable defiance of
the Constitution of the United
States and the laws based there
upon"
The Judge recalled that there had
been u warming; case Of one
cargo of liquor seized and the same
man tried i'm the local courts and
acquitted. The Judge went on:
''But this is Il perilOus undertak-
ing and for four years before and
including that warning he. with his
eyes open. bravcd the rockpilc and
walked within the shadow of the
penitentiary.
The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-01-21
IA MAN AND HIS COW

Customer (to druggist I--"N0w
he sure and mark plain on them
bottles which is for my wife and
which is for the COW. | don't want
nvtlin 10 happen to that Jersey
Cow .'-Tit-B Bits, London.
The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-01-21

Wasted nerve energy from eye
strain makes nervous, irritable
school children. Have their eyes
examined before sending them to
cchcc, -. =. y. ycthaw--v. CT
The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-01-21

CAPT "ABE" CAH0ON
AMONG the most popular and best
known steamboat mon i'm North
eastern North Carolina and Nir-
ginia, is Capt. Abram l.. CahOon of
Elizabeth City. the oldest skipper in
two states, who will celebrate his
74th birthday, Sunday, January
30, after a steamboat career of 30
years. He was born OH a farm near
Columbia i'm Tyrrcll County. He is
owner and master of the steamer
Guide. operating between Edcnton
and points on the Roanoke River.
Photo by ZOeller's Studio this
week. Doesn't he look young for
his age?
The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-01-21

Backwardness in children is often
caused by defective vision due to
neglect in consulting an eye special
ict. See T.. =. n. EcthcTa.. aGZ.
The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-01-21

Because you can sec well, it's no
reason your headaches are not caus-
ell by your eyes. Sec p-a. Hath
s;:::EE E..LSa DlSE. CD.
The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-01-21

publication Of bans. Make mar
riage more difficult and we shall
have fewer divorces to worry about.
The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-01-21

bnt 70 ~ hack Ia tn" propose ]
la'ion 10 require the publica-
p OF bans for 'un weeks i.efprc
'rIsS': JUS jdink Of the haSty
il'adyi>el matrices that would
| pFerrn,ei..
\ 'oun: woman GOES nnt on 4
NaFty. Thcr" i much drink
Next morning q foolish and ir-
ponSihIc Young ,uau wakes Up TO
himself married and in toe
u ot the foolish and irrcSpOn-
!opns female with whom he
"ea drinking the Eight before.
" i an Immediate separation.
"ns drawn out legal battle for
aanulmcnt Of the marria... ard
[ ."y ; father is out several thou
ff dollars.
\ 'ond mother comes downstairs
a''ni t" $50 what kept her
'hr' up 80 late. She comes
q 'nS daughter in u compromi<.
Position on the lap Of a 10y
"" Mother raises 4 howl. q
''@'e license i hastily gotrrr.
'a'' tied and mother satisfied.
| 'aoF will have name. But
parents arr not satisfied.
ooF Is no, satisfied. In a few
rs 'ne BOY disappears and the
!. 'as a Sld rnn" grass widow
"ahl~ I have mentioned
!, Nv" r''>r> l Shalt mention a
u'll Nor" than 20 years
bs,, " ''rnsc 10 harry Il widow
rrro,. ra'. o'' Years. They have been
nt ,I =, ever >incr. The pubIica-
II. Ia "'.' bans would have given
r,r,:. ''''e> and friends am OBJ
i, ',E I" hu$h Them ont Of
~, a"nNnn">S h.,forc it was too
%; %"n Spared ,hrm the panrs
rr'rTapPoint>mcnts rT and hattIcS
|, ""ed. ,ra,,, The publication Of
rri,., Du'4 ha'" prevented the
tsSoS Sv Of 4 drunken :irI TO =
u M,D.n. 10y aud have prevented
>'N''n"r in The ease Of thr
'No ,"upir.
The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-01-21
~
YESTERDAY
TO-DAY
AND
TOMORROW
.tfg ~
Marriage More
Difficult
Ry w. o.

,,,,, Carolina club won women N srs sDs
Nor'a .,s General Assembly TO i, en-,
Lin: 'DS law requiring Oe'ro'nss rot. ed
t,,.s . 10 81 give Two weeks :, notice hsfors %.
sapts ~. tns,%,,inonial n intentions ta,"s pf,o,,
aHi NAM, :" marry may be granted
,,r Why not: ,,,,... raise
ioe .S,, MI hullahaloo at any Sus-
,.'s1 tSs5'at Of q loSscnins Of our divorce &C.
oOu these Samc forces VI
iu.r,ss rs lrr have made marriage
:1tsSnsI,ss IT. ,Ss Icsse%t and most frivolous
sI i y. .",rsI and civil contracts
~ D irresponsible. immature
a.. M .,rpIe eau upon a moments : ;
81, u, 81 before 4 Register Oh
ptuT ir snv County in North Caro-
~. .nJ u secure 4 license to marry
y ,r,. ~ and repent at leisure
Ia is tue thn, We have I'VE. d" ..fmrD,s farSIs.
\ :, yor.h Carolina that compcls
',rol, to obtain a health 'ert'-
t.,t letorr a marriage !',n~s .lesnSS
.-n,sl. II is a notorious
,,,, in many counties The
I.s+,r Of Deeds has an agree
.i,b , doctor and Il preacher
which certificates may loo, M %,
,..I almost instantly. license
r,,,,, and the knot tied. all be,
trains. It is charged but
= no, ts pOyen that the handy
|.licas and the handy preachers
Iii their fres with the c"'',, rp ~
IA, in consideration Of his throw
!: business their way
This neIical examination of per
:. .h,r 10 be married in North
,,lipa is an immoral joke
fundamentally aud Theoretically
law is sound. In practice II Is
rine against Innocence anu de-
tS,.
Az that is necessary 10 obtain
phyS;cRn'< certificate in North
.nlins il for the rouple TO pre-
., themselves to a liccu>cd prac-
thrrr who examines thcm per
k,tOrilr and issues a certificate
,hirh h. declares the male 10
irp Of rencreal disease or tubcr-
,oiS in the infectious stage anu
female 20 he free of infectious
lsrnlO<iS only. The law assumes
n The female has II" vcnereal
Sass.
The fact i, no doctor eau casual
r1aminr a person and determine
ih absolute certainty that he or
, has neither 4 vrncrral disease
y tuberculosis. The presence of
philis eau bc determined in mua'
SS only hy expensive and pains
Sn, laboratory tests. GOn0rrhea
The malc may he cflectually
enentarilr concealed fur the pur-
Ses Of Z cur<orr medical cXami.
ltlon. And I know 0f one ease
here citizen contracted 4 vene-
al disease and was treated hy four
itrent physicians for almost
erythins under the sun except
pat artuallr ailcl bin. until he
faIlr went IN 4 specialist in q
ftroDlitan tit AMI learned the
tth.
Blt 70 ~ lack Ia tn" l:rnpOsrl
Natl"n 10 require the publica-
. OF banS for 'wn weeks i.efpre
ffnaSN: JUS jaink Of the haSty
lI'adyi>ed matrices that would
prerrn,e,i..
young womln GOES ont on 4
y Narty, Thcr" i much drink
Next morning a foolish and ir-
ponSihIc Young ,uau wakes up to
n himself nyrri.,I ,,,,I In +nn
The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1927-01-21

80 u.io. RI.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-05
Three Touring Tips

When packing equipment for the
camping trip or tour, it is not wise 10
hide the cars tool kit under the camp
stove, the tent or the suit cases.
Nothing is more annoying than to
have to take everything out of the
car to get at the tools necessary to
change a tire. The farsighted tourist
gets ready for such emergencies be-
fore the trip actually is under way.
In driving through strange terri
tory, one may find no gasoline that
has familiar name. The service
station in the town that handles the
make of car one drives will be able
to tell which of the locally-sold gaso.
lines is the best. Many tourists have
learned that it pays to make this in.
quiry.
If the tourist feels compelled to ask
a traffic officer for information. he
should make his inquiry terse and
to the point. One action that brings
criticism upon the tourist is that he
takes up too. much of the traffic
officers time and delays the local
driver.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-05
AUTO PRODUCTION
SHOWS GAIN IN 1927
Feature of Years Figures Is Num-
Der of Families Having
Two Cars.

That production of motor cars dur
ing 1927 will considerably exceed that
of 1926 If kept up at the present rate
is the conclusion that may be drawn
from reports made by members of
the National Automobile Chamber
of Commerce, covering production
through May 81. During May to-
tai of 342,0S2 units were produced by
members of this body, bringing the
total so far this year to l ,454.673 cars
and trucks.
The figure for the five months is
considerably in excess of that of the
first five months of 1926 when 1885,
765 units were produced.
One of the outstanding features of
the present automobile trade, accord
ing to Alfred Reeves, general mana
ger of the association, is the number
of families owning more than one car.
Real estate developers, he asserts. are
finding that a home equipped with a
tWo-car garage sells more easily than
home with a single-car garage.
Most of the motor companies, Mr..
Reeves says, will show exceptionally
good records of sales during the pres
ent year, although some companies
which are bringing out new types of
cars may not have a large production
totals in 1927 because of the problem
of factory rebuilding and the placing
on the market of a new product.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-05
MARYLAND BUSHES
ROADS SURFAClNG
0iling Program Makes Rapid
Progress-Many Important
Links Completed.

True to it's promise to motorists
that it would do as much of it's road
oiling work as possible during the
Spring, so as not to cause incOn-
venience and delay in the heavy tour.
ing, season. the oiling program of the
State Of Maryland now is we'll under
way. with a large amount Of it already
completed.
Important. especially to Washing.
ton motorists, is the fact that the
National pike from Ridgeville to
Frederick has been finished and that
the Buckeystown pike from Adams.
town Crossroads to Buckeystown now
is being treated. After completing
this unit of the State Roads Com
mission will oil in order the following:
Buckeystown pike. from Buckeys-
town toward Frederick, from Wor-
man Mill to Searsville, from Frederick
to Hansonville and from Lewisville
10 Catoctin.
Work from Colesville to Ashton,
from the Baltimore Washington Bou-
levard to JessVp. the macadam section
of the Guilford-Athalt road and the
Laurel Race Track road, has been
completed, and a unit now is treating
the Livingston road from the District
Line about one mile south. Follow
ing completion of this work it will
oil the Marlboro pike from Meadows
to Marlboro.
The Solomons Island road in Anne
Arundel County from South River to
HARDWOOD at present is being oiled,
The stretch between Frederick and
Knoxville has been completed. along
with the following roads: Petersville
to Brunswick, the National pike from
Braddock Heights to South Mountain,
Mill Point to Lappans Crossroads,
Boonsboroe to Beeler Summit, Hagers.
town to Williamsport, road at Middle.
burg. Chewsville to Old Forge road
and the National pike from Wilson to
St. Pauls Church
1t is planned to oil the National
pike from Gainesville TO Ellicott City
around June 8.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-05
The Old Mechanic Saws:

they're not lubricant and they
shouldn't be used.
Good shots of grease will stop
shackles from rattlin'. 1t also will
protect them from additional exces.
sive wear and that is the same as
sayin' that it will prevent founder
noise.
Use oil on valve tappets when they
get noisy. That's what helps to make
the modern engines SO quiet-just the
constant oilin' of tappets and valves
and the cams of the jackshaft. There
have been but very few improvements
In tappet design, and practically none
in tappet adjustments. so any advan-
tages have to be credited to the oil
cushionin'
When the hood creaks. smear some
pump grease on the hood lacin' and
the noise will vanish. If the tenders
squeak, let oil soak in between the
frame and the part of the fender
where it is bolted on. Oil stops noise
as well as wear. And when you
stop wear you stop noise, too.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-05
King George Orders
ROYAL Chauffeurs
ToObey New Rule

Those motorists who think the
law was made for others to obey
should take a leaf from the book
of King George of England. The
monarch of the British Empire
does not regard himself as above
the traffic regulations. The London
police recently created a one-way
street in the neighborhood of
Buckingham Palace. Although it
made matters less convenient for
members of the royal family, King
George gave orders, that his chauf-
feurs should obey the rule to the
letter.
The King declared he could see
no reason why his cars should
hold up traffic near the palace.
Such a spirit on the part of all
pedestrians and motorists would
reduce highway mishaps more
than any system of traffic control,
American observers say.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-05

All this talk about silencin' auto
noises with rubber is interestin' and
I've got a lot of faith in the posi-
bilities of rubber. But just the same,
I think it's a pretty good hint to re-
member that oils and greases make
mighty good silencers too.
It's one of those things you can
have with any car no matter how old
it may be. You may have to wait for
the engineers and manufacturers to
include rubber in certain parts OF
their products. Not SO with lubricant
silencers.
I'm silencin' noisy universal joints
constantly with my lubricant remedy.
Just use heavier lubricant, some
thing that will stick to the joints
ribs, so to speak. Any kind of lubri.
cant will silence the joints, but to keep
them silenced you must use something
fairly heavy.
/ don't recommend usin' small
pieces of cork. They will make a
noiseless Joint or even a noiseless
transmission, for the time bein'. But