The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1951-02-02
THERE USED TO BE
REAL HARD TIMES

1 had the pleasure the other
night of stopping at the new Ho-
tel Engelhard, where after an
early supper of fried oysters,
chicken, hot biscuits, cornbread,
and about dozen other things,
l sat in the comfortable lobby and
chotted with the proprietor, Is
rael B. Watson. The conversation
was so enjoyable that 1 forgot to
go elsewhere until time to go to
bed.
The talk drifted to the early be-
ginnings of the now thriving vii
lage of Engelhard, to old families
and old days of Hyde County. And
l couldn't help but think how chill
dish seems today's complaining
when business is a little slack, if
one views conditions gone through,
eighty and ninety years ago, right
after the Civil War.
Mr.. Watson's father, grandfath-
er, great-grandfather were all
named Israel. He is a veritable
fund of information about old
things in Hyde, and anyone stop
ping at the new hotel should get
acquainted with him. l asked him
about his father, who served as
Deputy Sheriff, Sheriff of Hyde,
was several terms in the Legisla-
ture, and whose grandfather be-
fore him back in 1889 was a men,
Der of the legislature and helped
set up the boundaries between
Beaufort, Hyde and Tyrrell. But
it is of Israel Burrus Watson we
are speaking, and he, as a young
man on returning from Randolph
Macon Academy went to Wash
ington, N. c., along about 1859,
to work for the father of Cecil
B. DeMille, the movie producer.
Working in Mr.. DeMille's store,
he got to making trips to New
York to buy goods, and became
acquainted with the big whole
salers.
Shortly before the Civil War, he
went to Florida to seek his for
tune, but upon the entry of the
South in the war, he returned
home and joined the Company
then forming in New Bern. He
went to war, and served with the
rank of Lieutenant in the Confed-
crate Army, and carried with him
a small 1eatherbound Episcopal
prayer book, stamped with his
name in gold and which had been
presented to him by Miss Hoyt
Of Washington.
He lost the prayer book on a
battlefield in Pennsylvania, was
captured and sent to prison in
New York, and he was still in
prison at the time of the assassi-
nation of Lincoln.
Upon being discharged from
prison, he was hungry, ragged,
lousy and penniless. On going to
war, he had sold his property in
Hyde County, turning it into Con-
federate money which was now
worthless. He made his way to
New York City, and visited some
of the people from whom he had
bought goods for Mr.. DeMille.
They let him have money to get
back to Hyde County.
There were friends in Hyde
County who gave Lieutenant Wat
son the trifing job of Deputy
Sheriff. And then later he was
made High Sheriff. He went into
farming, married and reared a |
family of four daughters and five
sons, and became a man of prop
erty beside his long service in
public affairs.
Shortly before he died, someone
in Carteret County sent him the
prtyer-book lost on a Pennsylvan-
ia battlefield. 1t had been found i
and preserved and fell into the
hands of someone who knew him. |
His son, Israel Braxton Watson
now has the book, printed in 1856. |
They were tight old times ir
those days. We have little right to
complain about poor business and
hard times now. We may have to |
buckle down to harder work like
Mr.. Watson and his neighbors did. |
We are afraid it's going to be
tough, but it was probably tough |
on Mr.. Watson too.
movie shown at the Skeet Thea