Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-04

demonstrating their strength to
bottom land farmers of the wide
alluvial plains of Arkansas, Tennessee,
Mississippi and Louisiana, and, with
Spring freshets approaching. the season
Only recently levee guard along the
lower reaches Of the Mississippi took a
couple of shots at an airplane overhead,
because he was quite sure that the pilot
was planning to drop bomb on a
threatened levee to relieve the pressure
on the other side.
The levee feud differs from the noun
tain feud In that it has no basis in his
tory, no background Of generations OF
warfare between families and no myth
Of bad blood"
Ordinarily the inhabitants Of the low
lands are peaceful lot, rather shift
less, to be sure, but amicable, easy going
and fun-loving. They are rarely hate
Sul, seldom venomous and never muir
derous, except when intoxicated.
"Smoldering Hate In Absent.
There Is little smoldering hate be-
tween clans likely to be famed into
open insults and curses, with gunfire,
on the public square. Levee feudS are
Of the moment and they are caused by
raging rivers, threatened leveeS and
farm lands and the excitement result
ing from these.
Flood warnings serve as red flags to
merchants, farmers, workers and the
owners Of large plantations. Swirling
muddy waters Of the river rising from
between the red clay banks spread ex-
element along the entire water front.
And presently, as the sluggish waters
lap against the very top of the bikes
the excitement turns to frenzy and
every able bodied man Of the communi-
ties along the river gathers TO wrest
nightly with what has proved time and
At this point such things - law and
oedef cease to exist along the river.
Fear selves those who are working TO
3iK the low spots in the levee and there
must be something to fight against be-
gides the water. Consequently, the
''other side" Of the river Is regarded as
IN evil place.
Men arm themselves 70 repei those
from this "furrin" country who might
slip stealthily across the broad expanse
OF water in the dead Of night to plant
o charge of dynamite in the trembling
bikes and loose the waters, thereby re-
Neving the pressure on their own side.
Tales Of attempts circulate through
the crowds of workers and presently
every man on the Job Is instructed to
take the law into his own hands as
he patrols the levee and shoot to kill
II he finds any of the crowd across
the river" monkeying with the levees.
Every obsolete pistol and rife in the
communities protected by the levees Is
brought out and hung on the belts and
carried on the shoulders Of these ordi-
narily peace-loving citizens.
Camps Become Arsenals.
Levee camps become arsenals and all
through the day and night unshaven,
muddy, bedraggled humans in oYeralls
parade the tops OF the levees. while
owners Of plantations superintend
gangs Of Negroes laboring with unwieldy
eandbags to bolster up weak spots In
the levee.
Men whose nerves are stretched to
the breaking point by sleepless nights
spent walking the leveeS are all eyes
and ears. The slight chugging Of mo-
tor boat In the middle Of the river or
the plop-plop Of oars In the water
heard above the whispering Of the
water 90 1t flows swiftly through the
partially submerged underbrush OUT
side the levee win cause q general
sla---, to be sent out to the watchers.
ALI ears are trained on the sound.
II 1t comes nearer, hundred eyes. red
dened by lack Of sleep, peer into the
inky blackness that shrouds the river,
expecting, almost hoping, to see . foe.
Presently there Is no sound, Is the
threatening enemy passes on up the
river, and watchers relax somewhat, al
most disappointed that there was no
cause for action. sos
The survival Of the levee feud In
the face Of the facts Is remarkable.
Unless levees are broken by levee engi-
neers Is q means Of saving more valu-
able land up the river, they collapse
only under the natural strain Of the
1mpounded waters.
Hard to Dynamite Levea.
Occasionally, however, levee-breaking
parties are organized and those whose
fear Of the law has been dwarfed by
Tear OF the river set out to destroy the
levees on the other side. These expe-
ditions are nearly always unsuccessful,
because 1t Ia difdcult to break O levee.
What the force Of the water, with
the help Of tiny hole made by . mole,