Wallace
Bros
statesville; n. c.
WiiciessUE Dealers
fieri
eial Merchandise.
tot-
Largest Warehouse
and best facili
ties for han-
Dried Fruit.- Ber-
'1
; 4 '
ries, etc.. in
the State.
RESPECTFULLY
Wallace
August 27th, 18841
J. H. SPAIHHOUR,
Graduate Balthcra Dssttl Collsge, '
Dentist.
Vsaie Impure Material for
Filling I Teeth. !
Work as Low as Good j
Work canj be Done. .
Patients fron adiitance may
1 aroid delar by informing
Mm at what time they t , i;
propose tcoming.
F. LEE jCLINE,
.lIIMJUUlfT-UW
LEIl6lii, II. c;
CLIlITOn A. CILLEY,
Attornoy-At-LaT7,
dling
I '"
LtTTEn r83U TiiE SEASIDE.
Wilmington, N. C., Feb. 20.
My DiiAii Editor : I will bedin
this letter w.th the rich flavor of
stewed oysters still lingiring about
in v lips. How l wish you and ail
those whose mouths water for; bis
ters, while reading these words could
be with uie sometime when I ant
feasting on this, I the best of seaside
luxuries. I would be as clever as a
"boomer'' knows how to bar and
divide with ou until you pronounc
ed you rself nmplv full. Language,
when even 'dripping from the pen of
an expert; hits not "sufficient art to
trace' or poetic smack to express)
even the fai.itest shade of the bliss
ful idea of appreciation that floats
through the cells of imagination just
in the rapturous instant when a
fresh, full sized oyster "plays the
slip" on the grip; of tho throat and
passes to the "region bevond." iTou
fellows that eat ''mummy" oysters
from old tin cans could hardly be--lieve
your taste if you were to try a
few fresh from the shell. Instance
from the sea "lends no enchant
ment" to eating oysters. j
It's good to stew or fry, and serve
them on the table, but this boomer
prefers to take his old pocket knife
and a bottle ; of vinegar, or pepper
sauce, " a few. soda crackers and go
down on the beach at low-tide, when,
the oyster rocks are above water,
and, without salt or ceremony, break
them off ono by one, split open the
shell, pour on a little , vinegar or
sauce and bid the jelly-like creature
a "gentle good-bye" before you place
it on your anxiously drip
tongue ; for, notwithstanding
as large as your! thumb, he
ha is
ill
glide down your throat like a meteor
poulticed with " rye mush" and pol
ished with 'greased ' lightning."
Between times take a bite of cracker,
for sake of variety. When you;
have Bplit the shell you have then
what is termed in j the city market,!
'oyster; on the half-shell." This;
adds a sea-side naturalness to eating;
them. " . H I
lint let us attend a very usual,;
gathering by-the sea-side during the
late; fall, and early spring months. j
It is a party of young people whoj
are off for an "oyster roast" on the;.
same style of a mouutaih pic-nic
party. We get iq wagoiw, carts or)
buggies and drive several miles from .
town to some plaoe on the beach;
not usually visited. W: arrive at a;
broad area of naarsb-land through s
whieh flows a stream seeking J jthe
ocean ; some two or three young
men of the party , are detailed in a ;
boat to find an oyster rock where
the oysters are largeand abundant.;
A suitable place is soon found ano
the party conveyed in boats thither
the boats return to main-land for
a load of dry brush, wood, etc., with .
which to build a roasting fire the;
fire is made by the young men while'
the young ladies take baskets !i and j
carry the oysters that have been
broken loose with hammers, and
throw them on the fire. Soon a !
cracking and popping is heard like;
unto the sharp-shooting of rifle-men.
Then all bands'make haste, for the :
oysters are ready. Uncork the bot
tles of pickle vinegar, pepper sauce; i
get out your crackers, open your old .
barlow knives ready to eat and be j
-merry, wnoever ue
frvint? to "chaw" an oyster nniess
'twas a mountain boomer ? Swallow,
it whole. A vice hasn't grip enough
n it to hold one, much less a loose
jawed , mortal. Yes, let me go to
the oyster party. 0, how happy a
fellow feels sitting by his sweet
heart, eating stewed oysters. It's
love "biled" down, sure enough, j
The taste for them must be culti
vated. When first this boomer
came east he could not bear an in
troduction to the snail-like creature,
but how different now I . I can eat a
half gallon per day and then sigh
for - more-r-no. jesting. , And for
Colds there is no better cure; so full
of heat are they.: f ; i; M x &
'. But a few words on their natural
history.TbelbelongJ to that part
iol animal -lrinsrdom known ; as
raollusks ; as also do the cuttle-ish,;
n -a? Jj;ij .nu . Allalomr
Clam, sqmuj Biwvw v
our cbS oyW beds are found m
large numbers. One . found a few
days: since in PamHcolseund was
&uVileslo
der water.- During ihe mpnths of
June, ' July and August the oyster is
flf for food, or as ine bhui
H iXl u v - '
"any;month that has not; the letter
1 ny. li- v,k This would
t
include May, trhich nczth ouhtto
be included in that time. " During
these ! months they deposit their
young, which at once adhere to
whatever substance they happen to
fall among and at once begin their
growth. You often notice their
shells growing on the timbers of a
wharf, among old snags, etci But
they never grow to perfection only
in their regular beds, from whence
they are taken during their
proper
:- V
seasons by a "jtlredge," an iron frame
work
about whleh is fastened u net
ich tho oysters are. caught as
"nail-grjib , madmU' 'J) rea I; s
loose from the 1ch1j. ."-The iip-
ih wh
the
theui
pearahce of the-jster rock
if they ought to belong to
looks as
eral kingdom.; their maimer of
growth one toanother like the leave.-:
of the flat-leaf cactus seems to link
them to the vegetable kingdom. As
animals theyj inhabit the border
lines that mysteriously divide the
ahiuial, mineral and vegetable king-,
doms one from the other, i
Onj Father in ; Heaven a - wise
creator, a kind benefactor, has plac
ed them just where humanity moit
needsj them as an article of food.
Manyj. 'a hungry fish rmun, and
wrecked seaman lias found in this
''ready made" food of nature the
means of savinghis life when threat
ened with starvation, the most hor
rible of deaths, j
, Bu j i suppose we change our diet
Irom oysters to crabs, which are the
next best food on the sea-side table.
Now ihere is no sport more enjoya
ble than catching crabs. We get a
cord 8 or 10 feet long and to the end
we tie a rock or some heavy sub
stance as a sink. Just above this
we fasten a piece of raw meat (fresh
beef is best) as a bait, and take a
seat pn the wharf or gang-way.
Very Boon creatures which look as
if they were all legs will "begin to
gather around your bait. Just as
they begin to take hold, pull your
line gently to the surface, stopping
the bait just under the watery then,
whilej the greedy crabs are. giving
all their attention to the bait, take
up your little dipnet, place it quiet
ly under the crabs, quickly bri;ig it
up and "you've got 'em' Shake
them lout of the net into your box,
Don't, fool with them ; be careful ;
how you finger about them, for if
they get your finger between their
jaw-teeth grab claws they i will call
to your mind the terrible days of
the "Spanish inquisition," or com
pletely unfit you for repeating the
''golden text" of the last Sunday
schooj lesson. I will venture that
the crab can entertain aiore medn
ngss in less space than any; other
creature in the universe. No won
der they call him the "deviled crab"
when served on the supper table.
But on the table he is docile in
Jeathj minus his legs be becomes the
victim of your appetite. What an
exquisite flavor seems to hover
round about a "deviled" dish of crabs
-poetry of the dining. room.
; The next most popular dish on
the sea-side dining table: is the
shrimp, which, like the crab, belongs
to the! Crustacea division of the an
imal kingdom. To the non-reader
in natural history I would say that
the shrimp is "next of kin" to the
craw-fish, with the advantage decid
edly in favor of the shrimp.
They are caught in nets 2 by 3
feet, fastened to a handle 8 or 10
feet in length. , When the tide is
high you will see an old fisherman
wading along in the surf, sliding his
net slowly on the sandy bottom, now
and then you will see him lift it
from the water take out the little
brown creatures, L om two to four
inches in length, and drop them in
to a pouch fastened about his waist;
this he continues till low-tide, after
which; he goes about town selling his
shrimp at.20 cents per quart.
j The cook then . places them in a
vessel and pours boiling water over
them,; them takes off the outer skin,
leaving the shrimp a delicate pink
ish hue ; after this they are dished
and yinegar pbured V over . them..
Then the olosing act in the shrimp
: drama, f delightf ul, ;'just splen
did." j: . , .:. ;'.'
r; Thd clam, a species of sea-muscle,
is blso a highly valued article of
food. .They are picked up in great
quantities along the shore at low
tide, and, when , poured : put ou a
floor, they resemble those round
rocks on Mulberry and j ohn's river
more than any thing I can just now
compare them with, founded on one
side, tapering to an . edge ;; on the
other. ' Take your knife and split
C39 open, scoop out the "goody,"
-7T.
first but persevereuce will bring your
taste all right.
The ea-siders walk
along the
fihorepick them up and eat them
jusr as you ooomers eat apples. -rui
I
Ai
must say that I like them best
innde into soup and eaten with
crackers." . '..'; : !' ;'
The conch-shell iis well known
even fin the mountains. In the
spring of the yeiir the'cclnehis taken
from his shell and, with him. as a
kind of a nucleus, a jmOst excellent
soup is niudo, a mostj popular 'dish
among; sen-Men with which to begin
a dinner. ' ;
Then they also catch sda-terf apins,
the mbat of whieh, when nicely pre
pared, is very tender anid pnljitable,
a luxury indeed for a
crat or day laborer.
Then to change our
mngry an.sto-
Ispiortand diet
we will take our doul
ble-barrIed
shot guns and, getting into our boat
with a stout son of Africa to row us
about in the marsh, we twill try 'our
baud at bagging ii fewj qf the much
prized marsh-hens. These are about
the size of a half growji chicken and
are found in great numbers in the
marshes along the coasjt. We can
easily get in gun-shot! of them and
that explains why a b.iti marksman
killed forty-seven of them in about
three bourse When frightened three
or four of them will run together.
Shoot just as they get together and
bag four at one shot. For tender
ness, sweetness, and (jlelicacy of
flavor the .flesh of this bird cannot
be excelled. ,
Gunning for the common duck is
also most excellent sport; among the
marshes and along the
stjreams near
found in a-
the ocean. They are
bundance.
Thus we have hastilv followed the
sea-sider in procuring j much of his
food. While much of it i good, I am
not ready! to say that I like it .as well
as I do the food upon which I fed
while a boy on the farm in good "old!
Caldwell." This is a jfine country
for the sale of "Simmon's Liver
Rogulatoi"," owing to the fact that
the liver needs a stimulant to aid it
in digisting the?e li-avy
articles of-
diet. Perhaps in this
we may find
the reason why eastern
r .
men, as a
rule, have les3 brain power than
western men ; dowu esist
it requires
al 1 the the energies . of tho
bodv to
keep digestion
none to develop
in orcler, sparing
the menial powers.
while in the west, with a
better di
mate and more easily digested food,
the brain power gets its needed rafeio
of the vital enorgies, lAmong the
masses of the western porjion of the
State there is a vine of energy, a go
aheaditiveness of determination, a
""sprightliness of thought',, that would
actually astonish the average down
easter, i
Perhaps some might
say that 'tis
not prudent for me to sjpeak thus
wnue my wors is uown east, dui
with me truth and prtriotism are
stronger by far than preseiit motives
for silence. I love my 'native hills
and for them my voice shall ever
speak. Tho ardent longing of my
heart keeps time with the steady
murmiirings of those mountain
streams. ; ' '
I'll come again. f j
Heknpon Tuttle.
C0SGERK1JJS CENSURE OF JURIES.
To the Editor of TheI Topic :
Surprised at the article of "one of
the jury" in your paper ofFebiuary
11th, under the above heading, and
being a member of the last of the
two classes at whom he aims his
barbed arrow" of "solemn oath,"
namely : '"Editors and outsiders,"
I ask space in your columns to give
ah "outsider's" opinion of the "law
and the evidence"' in the now fa
mous trial and Verdict of Edward
:WBa ; ;
T : I agree with "one of the jury" that
he was one of twelve mea f 'sworn to
give a verdict in accord with the law
and the evidence," and being thus
solemnly sworn, ; those twelve men
; Jiad no moral 4 right to allow their
sentimental instincts of mercy to
obscure their clear view of justice,
net alone" to outraged humanity hut
to the prisoner as well j Nor had
'they anj right or excuse te take
such action as should require later
explanation, ' but, without brie mo
ment's consideration of , the conse
quences to the prisoner should have
returned "a yerdict in accordance
with the law and the evidence."
Did they act in- accord with their
eat it and tell 'me h'ow you like him.
I don't suppose you will like the
"solemn oaths" in returning a ver
dict only of manslaughter for the
killing of Miller ? Did they not
take heed to the subtile manipula
tions "of the law und the evidence"
by eminent counsel, rather than the
evidence of undisputed witnesses,
and the applicable law as it fell from
the Judge's lips ? If the verdict was
the result of an impartial weighing
of the "law and the evidence" in
the case, what was the necessity of
rushing into print s to explain to
"editors and outsiders" theL grounds
upon which thac verdict was built ?
If that verdict and the jury which
rendered it were, like an historical
Roman lady, "above' suspicion"
surely , the jury would look more
seemly in resting neath the mantle
of truth, justice and impartiality,
afforded by ; their verdict, than in
attempting to explain what needed
no explanation! When a man begins
to explain, "outsiders" begin to
think something needs explanation.
"Editors and outsiders"-, sat .that
trial through and listened to the
evidence, as witness after witness
detailed the horrible killing of MilT
ler and young Burleson, and the
cowardly shooting of the elder Bur--leson
in the back. Did not the jury
also hear this evidence ? Perhaps
'"one of the jury" will tell an "out
sider" when, where and by whom
these witnesses were contradicted !
The jlnly contradictions an "out
sider"; heard were the eloquent im-i
aginations of eminent counsel "big"
with merciful leanings. And this
is the "wide range editors and out
siders" have for "forming and ex-;
pressing their opinions" in this case!'
Now for "one of the jury's" few j
points which, he accuses "editors
and outs ides" of not considering
when forming and expressing their
opinions : First, "the difficulty of
Saturday before the homicide was
compromised, and Miller and Ray
were f riends !" Indeed 1 So close
and striking was the friendship of
the prisoner toward Miller, that he
(Ray) considered" it vital to his in
terests thatbe started Sunday morn
ing to Bakersvjlle, some ten miles dis
tant, to procure the deadly Rcming-
ton rifle of Anderson, and also, if
possible, Anderson himself ; and if
not him, tbrn his pistol. What ex-1
treme anxiety the prisoner manifest
ed that Anderson should be there to
witness the friendship between him
self and Miller ! But if Anderson
could not go, then his trusty pistol
would help maintain and cement
that friendship. "Secondly, that
Ray did not go down in that shaft
voluntarily, but was khooked in by
William Burleson." That is an
"outsider's" recollection of this part
of the testimony, and to him the
necessity which required Burleson
to knock Ray 'into that shaft is one
among the worst features of the case
against the prisoner, for to "editors
and outsiders" that testimony was.
conclusive that right there and then
commenced the scene in that horrible
drama which placed Edward Ray!
on trial for his life for the killing of
Miller. 'One of the jury" seemed;
to have lost sight of that portion of
the same witness's testimony which
explained why Ray was an involun
tary visitor in that shaft, and makes
an unfair use of a fair legal propo
sition in favor ef Ray, while he for
gets to give Miller and Burleson the
advantage of the same.
In reply to his paragraph com-;
mencing : "Again Judge Gilmer,
in his charge to the jurysaid, &c."
I wish to call "one of the jury's" at
tention to what is an "outsider's"
recollection of one of Judge Gilmer's
law 'propositions, as follows : 'fin
this case, if the prisoner carae to the
mine and with the strong arm en
deavored to drive off the deceased,
and began the fight, it is murder
even if he was in danger of losing
his life, for he cannot take advan
tage of his .own wrong."
At what point of the trial did the
prisoner put upon the'stand a wit
ness to contradict Burleson's evi
dence that the prisoner struck the
first blow P If he did strike the
first blow, it looks to a common man.
very like the prisoner commenced
the fight. But, Mr. 'one of the
jury," to an -."outsider" the case a
gainst the prisoner has other slrong
points. For instance, "outsiders"
seem to think that the ; prosecution
certainly; proved that Miller and
Buchanon had been in possession of
that " mine for at least 7 or 8 weeks
prior to the prisoner's . trespass and
tripple crime ; also, that the land
upon which the mine is opened was
the property of one Col. Bailey, and
had been in possession of himself or
family for 40 years. j.Does not this
look like the prisoner comingjto the
mine and, with the strong arm, try
ing to drive off deceased ? Did the
prisoner controvert the abovej facts?
No ! except by mora beautiful alle
gorical fancies of eloquent counsel.
In fact, simple-minded "editors and
outsiders" are foolish enough to
think that the prisoner, coming
from another county "to the mine,
and with the strong arm," trying to
drive off the rightful owner or occu
pants, constitutes a sufficiently strong
casetd ; have warranted an extreme
verdict' ! ' - j
"One of the jury" says further :
"Ray's character as a dangerous man
was not in question before the jury."
Either our author isjnistaken or; my
recollection is at fault in this par
ticular. Certainly James Miller
spoke of his reputation as a danger
ous man, and even swore howj Ray,
by force of that very reputation,
tried to drive Miller out of the mine
by repeating that terrible name,
after he found that Miller could not
or would not receive and read the
paper he (Ray) handed him.
' I have tried, Mr. Editor, to pre
sent to "one of the jury's" mind a few
of the considerations . which j may
-have led to the censure of ''editors
and outsiders" ; to the verdict under
discussion. Men cannot see or act
alike in all matters. With "one of
the jury," -or with the twelve we
have no quaffrel and no charges to
prefer againstlthem. From what!
we know of that jury, we were led
to expect honest, conscientious re
sults, and dreamed of nothing else
till we read the explanations of 'offe ,
of the jury." But when, he or any
other juror or lawyer denies "editors
and outsiders" the right of enter
taining their own opinions and ex
pressing them, even the august priv
ilege of criticising the verdicts of
juries, this country will have fallen
upon evil days ; our large oaks! will
become "Tyburn" trees, whose fruit
will be supplied by Judge Lynch,
and our society will degenerate into
chaos as in a large western ej-tyj last
summer. I would like to have com
pared two or three other of lis pro
positions with the evidence decided
on that trial but enough fortius
article. I will close by assuming
that ''editors andJoutsiders" have as.
clear a right to form and express
"opinions, and are generally as com
petent to judge ;of "law and evi
dence," as an average jury of twelve
men. ' j '. I
In conclusion! desire to ask "one
of the jury" if the remarks of his
Honor, Judge Gilmer, in passing
sentence upon the prisoner, had no
significance to a jury who had just
rendered a verdict so vastly different
from what hp might possibly j have
been led .to expect by the . law and
the evidence in the case. Judge
.Gilmer said, "Edward Ray, for sev
eral days past I have been impress
ed with the thought that I should
be compelled to pass the extreme
sentence of the law upon you. You
may congratulate yourself 1 upon
having secured a jury who could,
conscientiously, find you guilty of
only manslaughter, and thus relieve
me of the terrible necessity of pass
ing that dread sentence upon you."
Thus it seems not to bo very pre
sumptuous to say that the Judge a9
well as "editors and outsiders" real
ly had "law and evidence" t war
rant them in anticipating a differ
ent result to the Ray trial.
"Outsider."
What ws Find to Appreciate and Deprecate.
Mr. Editor : We desire to sub
mit some thoughts on our attach
ment to our native land, which are
directed to those who have a idispo-1
sition to desert the home of their
childhood. Home, yes, that word
of all most dear to : the youthful
heart. " . '
Young man, stop, letis consider
whether there is real cause for leav
ing our dear land. It does seem to
me that, there is no cause. There
are avenues open for efficient labor
"erp. Our resources are to be devel
oped ; our people to be educated ;
our soil to be cultivated. Consider
ing, young man, that efficiency gives
room at the top in all callings, and
further, that our country is at that
point in her history when proficient
workers in every sphere are needed,
is it not strange that so many of our
young and talented : youths act so
inconsiderately?
Think once, how our forefathers
have borne the inconveniences of.
life to which they were subjected, to
prepare for us, a home of peace and .
plenty. Have we any. incentives to
labor for our country ? j Imagine, if
you can, the condition of our rural
home 50 years or more ago. Comv
pare their encouragements with ours.
Mark the contrast. Then, our
country was largely in original
growth. All resources were unde
veloped. With! few exceptions,
farming was, the sole employment,
and the veteran farmer who produc- i
ed 15 to 25 bushels of wheat was
accounted successful. He could,
with utmost' care, have biscuit for
breakfast on, j Sunday morning. ,
Really, they were destitute of most
of the comforts of life. . But - space -"will
not permit! us to dwell here,
suffice it to say there is a ; great
change, and that of advancement.
Now, while we exult in our prog
ress, we should net. forget te love
and venerate ou fathers for the for
titude with which they bore trials
for their posterity. By comparing
this retrospective view with the
present, how marked is the contrast?
Then wc may ask what makes it ?
and hear coming along up the silent
corridors of l bygone years, it is the
determined hand of progress. Our
country is progressing. , Behold !
what are those ivc seo standing out
on fame's immortal tablets ? , They
are the names of North Carolina's
artists, . poets, ' ministers, orators,
Statesmen and warriors. Our,coun
try is cultivated and teeming, with
the ambrosial sweets of, life. Our
farmers are educated and are edu
cating their children. An age of
financial prosperity has dawned upon
us, but the mostj consoling thought .
is the glorious intellectual advance -of
our age. The transcendent
brightness of the sun intelligence
is beginning to shine in upon us
in calm magnificence, its .effulgent
rays are penetrating the remotest
corners ; each year adds new stars to
the clear serene j firmament, whose .
scintillating orbs still grow r mere
bright and beautiful. May we soon "
emerge inWthe ifoonday. : The dark
cloud of ignorant and superstitious J.
intuitions are fast receding., Oh !
may we soon witness t heir interment
beneath the calm and placid waters
of the great ocean of oblivion. - v
But just here I remember that the
brightest day has its succeeding
night, 'no sweet without its corres
ponding bitter."! Yet, . painful , to
say, there still exists a degree of fo
gyism, which, in our opinion, . de
serves severe censure. There -are
men in the country who sk'ould have
advancement as their happiest theme -that
advocate such ideas as these, or
rather bring them under the head of
resolutions. 1st, j That men should
furnish thefr wives and daughters
vvith one5 calico dress per year,1 and
that to be brilliantly spotted. 2nd,
That' we should have no railroads in '
our land as they are very injurious,
but should hitch two mules to an
old wooden axle wagon, swing; on a
bucket of tar, and travel 24 days on
atrip to Columbia or Charleston,
feed six bushels of corn and 20 doz
en bundles of fodder, besides their
rations and whiskey bill, and there
purchase our luxuries, and further,
that the supply must not exceed one
dollar's worth each of sugar and
coffee, and five gallons of molasses,
for they were better then than now.
3rd, That every man should be al
lowed to make all the brandy and
whiskey he desires', and learn his
boys all to drink it, because those
who get a taste . of the damnable
stuff are not half so apt to make
drunkards. v, i i .
The same class have resolved fur
thejrmOre, that all commercial' ferti
lizers, machinery and improved
agricultural implements are a nui-.
sance and should be discarded. All
agents laboring in. such interest are,,
to say the; least, - intruders, and
should at once be ! excommunicated.
Such opinions we have heard ex
pressed .by men who have reared
families,' and as boys aro likely to
inherit the temperaments of - the
father, we may yet expect-, trouble.
Youths, be on your guard. Heed
not such instruction. The youth
who ; becomes add icted to regular
dram drinking is, nine timea Out of. .
ten, a drunkard in the , same, sense
that a pig is a hog, just as soon as
ho can grow to it. RememW that
such ideas as those taught by this
near sighted sect are derogatory to
character and prosperity, and seri
ously dangerous to the ultimate end
of life. Let the' rising generation
become attached 16 home, .fall ir.ta
line with the already great army cf
combatants, and ere long wo' ehr.ll
have felled thel dread monster crl
come off more than conquerors.
' ,' : Jjr-