The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1956-07-20

The friendly interest of Col
John D. Langston of Goldsboro to-
ward Dare and Hyde counties al
ways insures him a warm welcome
when he arrives, as he usually
does each season. With Mrs. Lang
ston, he is visiting at the home
their daughter, Mrs. Dennis Evans
Col. Langston spent several years
of his boyhood on Roanoke Island
when his father preached here in
the early 1905. A brother mar
ried at Swan Quarter, and diet
while a resident there few years
ago.
Col. Langston who served
through World War II as a top
figure in the office of General
Hershey, head of Selective Serv-
ice, recalls that one. of his first
jobs as boy was toting water for
Prof. Talcott Williams of Philadel-
phia, who several times came to
Roanoke Island to make excava-
tons in search of early American
relies.
When asked about promising
young lawyer from our district,
who has located in Goldsboro and
is a member of the old law firm
in which Col. Langston was once
active before retirement, he said
young Lindsay Warren, Jr. has
made a great start in the practice
of law, and everyone predicts for
him an exceptionally brilliant and
successful future.
Col. Langston's residence on
Roanoke Island was more than
60 years ago. Motor boats were
unknown. Travel by pony and OK
cart and by sailboat were the only
means of getting around. The trip
to Elizabeth City by sailboat was
often a long one and a hard one.
There was not telephone on the
island, and even candles had not
completely gone out of use.
But in the face of all today's
advances and comforts, Col. Lang
ston remembers so many delightful
things about the place and its peo-
pie that the drawbacks of other
days are never sufficiently remem
bered to overshadow the delights
of boyhood. He always recalls the
prevalent sturdy, self-reliant ma
ture, the ever-ready hospitality
and friendliness of most of the
people as something out of this
world.
One morning this week, for the
first time this year, / went fish.
ing. Now with a motor to push me
around, l was able to get to most
of all the nearby fishing place.
within a radius of five mics.
tried shallow water, and some
the holes more than 20 feet deep
I never got a bite, beyond several
crabs. / tried them with costly
shrimp bait, when in my boyhoot
1 never used anything but hard
crabs, picked up in a short walk
along the shore. Forty-five years
ago, in the same length of time
I could have, on any day, caught
enough fish to last a week, most
of them would range in size from
a half pound to two pounds.
A great part of my fishing was
done in the company of two Negro
boys, about my age, Roland Col
Inns and Richard Pigford. In the
many years of living near each
other, we never had a row or dis
agreement. They were good boys
and were of neighborly parents
We fished together, talked togeth-
er and played together and went
our separate ways when our trips
were over, neither having sneered
at nor disregarded the courtesies
uuS tlic OLtlcIs ~ Is uOuut1ul IOudy
the same relationship could exist
long with any similar group of
boys living in this locality. / have
watched their career more or less
since they went away to college
and took up their life work. One
of them is a successful teacher for
many years in North Carolina. The
other has done well with the Post
office department in New York.
There were some other negro boys
with whom I fished, but I recall
these two because they lived near
me, and we fished together more
often.
/ recall that either of them al
ways caught more fish than !
caught. They were more adept at
noticing the bob of the float on
their line. They caught the fish
before he could steal the bait. In
variably, they would spit on their
hook before making the cast, and
would offer some sort of plea OF
admonition in each case. One of the
favorite sayings they made to their
line was go out ranger, bring me
in stranger"