The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1962-03-23
Fridays
Child
By LAWRENCE MADDRY

AuCnOf1ty Is q pretty Iuzzy Cnlng.
If you don't think so ask Sheriff
Frank Cahoon. He knows from ex-
perience. Early last week, before
the beach restrictions were lifted.
the Sheriff was awakened from his
early morning slumber by an ur-
gent call from Mrs. Maud Daniels
who was in the family way and had
10 get to Elizabeth City pronto. The
Sheriff jumped into his car and fol-
lowed Mr.. Daniels with flashing
hight through the various check
points which had been established
on the beach. Highway patrolmen
along the way recognized the Civil
Defense chief and Mrs. Daniels was
escorted to the Wright Memorial
Bridge without a hitch.
The Sheriff was driving back
kind of feeling proud of a job well
done when he reached check point
just above the Kitty Hawk Elemen-
tary School where a patrolman,
blocked with an outstretched arm.
Mr.. Cahoon says the trooper
couldn't have been nicer. All he
wanted to do was to see pass.
And that's just exactly what Mr..
Cahoon didn't have. He looked at
the patrolman with kind Of "let's
get serious" look and said with the
tone of voice that comes from max
ing thousands of arrests: "I'm the
Sheriff. The deadpan reply was:
SHERIFF Of what?" Well he sort of
had Mr.. Cahoon there. It was the
Sheriff's car alright, but his
doesn't have an insignia. Mr.. Ca
hoon indicated that every pass is
sued during the emergency was
under his authority, explained that
he just happened to be in charge of
the whole Civil Defense program
here, told how the patrolmen were
in the county at his request and
tried in other subtle ways to con-
vince the officer, that he was in all
modesty, the Grand Panjandrum
The officer wasn't buying.
Rather than describe the mole on
the far side of Corporal Fields, the
patrolman's superior, armpit and
relate other intimacies which might
mark him as an insider, the Sheriff
blushed his way into the elementary
school, finally found someone who
could issue a pass, and gave the
trooper friendly smile as he show
ed his indentification on the re-
turn trip to Manteo. The whole
thing hasn't bothered the Sheriff
a bit, but guess what he carried in
his pocket during the rest Of the
week. Sheriff Schmeriff +.
nobody's safe anymore.
Mrs. James Bardin has been
scrambling through some of her
"junk" and come up with derivation
! Of the name "Kill Devil Hills"
(which is corker. According to an
old ballad. "THe Ballad of Kill Devil
Hills" a fisherman, who had grown
weary of the hand to mouth exis-
tence which the sea afforded, made
a bargain with the Princess Of Evil
whereby the old salt would sell
his soul for the price Of bag OF
gold. The agreement provided for a
midnight rendezvous at the top OF
a tall dune on the coast.
No man of his word, the fisher
man is said to have dug a hole in
the giant dune and disguishes the
opening with leaves etc.
On the night of the meeting, as
Old Nick approached the fellow,
the salt is reported to have cried
"Just throw me the bag of gold be-
fore you put your mark on me-"
The Devil tossed and Immediately
fell into the pit and was covered
by the old timer, or so the legend
goes.
The Devil had been dine-in and
the old man is said to have re-
joiced at his feat. The dunes re-
ceived the name Kill Devil Hills as
a result. It beats the hill out OF any
Kill Devil story / ever heard.