The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-02-03
River Dagger
Preys On People
Ridden By Flood
Buy Property, Live Stock
and All, These Scavengers
of the Flood
BY HENRY MeLEMORE
United Press Staff Correspondent

SHitCo 1893 Stoh' >''SSsS~hNS">
TOMATO POINT, Ark, Feb. 3.
CUP)--Oncc again the nefarious
practices of the carpet-bagger are
being inflicted on the deep south.
This time it's the river-bagger, a
second descendant of the Civil
war scavengers.
The river-bagGers. working just
a hip-boot ahead of the rising wa
ter. prey on the desperately
frightened, desperately poor
share-croppcrs in the bottom
lands. They bring to the miserable
shacks of the farmers wild tales
of destruction up the river and
then offer miserly pittance for
all the farmers worldly posses
sions.
Glib-tongued. their approach is
this:
~ don't know what III do with
this stuff, but if a little money
will help you folks. III take a
chance on getting those pigs and
cows of yours out alive
While he talks. the river-baggcr
fingers roll of bills-folded mon
ey. A share-cropper doesn't see
that sort of money but once a
wear. That's when the crops come
in. He doesn't get to see it long,
then. because he has to run with
it to the landowners big house
and settle for the credit advanced
him while the crops were grow
ing.
So he sells. His cows go first.
They got at four and five cents a
pound on the hoof. Eight to ten
cents a pound is fair price. His
pigs-the pigs he gets his SOW
belly and bacon from are sacri-
feed next. He almost gives his
chickens away. Big Rhode Island
red hens-good layers and better
stewers-go for a nickle apiece.
Tender fryers sometimes bring six
cents, but not often.
Last to go is his four-footed
livelihood-his mule, down here
in the river bottoms the mule
they call 'em Gar heads"-is the
farmers tractor, touring car, and
dam near everything. Right now
lives are being lost in this food
by farmers-who haven't yet met
MISUNDERSTANDING to save their
mules from the backwaters.
River-baggers are buying mules
big, strong mules capable of
pulling that pillow from sunup to
shutdown, and then hauling the
entire family seven miles up and
back to PRAYER meeting-for $25,
$50 and S35. When the river goes
back to sleep those same big "jar
heads" will be worth $500.
But the share-croppers, now
huddled in refugee camps up and
down the river, won't have the
$500 to buy them back. Four hun
dred dollars? They won't have a
nickle.
Slowly the realization of what
the river-baggers have done TO
them is coming to the refugee
share-croppers. That is why, in
credible as it seems, many of
them now are beginning to hope
that this food will last long
time. They're eating now. They're
sleeping warm. They're getting
doctored.
Nothing like that awaits them
when the waters go down and
they trek back to the bottom
lands. Perhaps that's why the
"widow woman" a-rockin' in her
chair at neighbours home today.
almost registered relief when l
told her that the river still looked
bad. a
She and her boys sold every
thing-a COW, two mules, and a
ward full of chickens for $50.
When the waters go down they
won't be able to get a scrawny
mule for that.
The "widow woman is just one
of fifty refugees who have told
the same story to me.
/ did not hear of the river-bag-
gers solely from the refugees. l
have heard it from national guard
commanders, Red Cross officials,
sheriffs, and local merchants. And
thew shook their heads when they
thought of what the aftermath
will be.