Sei
la
UBRWY of DAVIDSON COLLEGE
BEASLEY’S
FARM
and
HOME
WEEKLY
Volume 11.
Charlotte, N. C., Thursday, September 4, 1941.
Number 36.
EDUCATING FISH
TORUNOVERTHE
BIG RIVER DAMS
To Save the Salmon They Must
Be Kept Going Up Colum- -
bia and Tributaries
THEY’RE GIVEN FREE RIDE
Most of the delectable Salmon
which the people of this country are
fond of are caught in the Columbia
river. To keep them from perishing
they must be kept %oing up river.
How is this done ? Why do not the
big dams stop them? Richard L.
Strout tells the interesting story in
the Christian Science Monitor.
“But how do the fish get over?”
asks the earnest gentleman in the
tweed suit.
You can see that the crowd is in-
trested. A little murmur goes up.
Yes, how do the fish gfet over?
The scene is in the temporary
wooden shelter on the rim of the
Columbia River by the great new
dam, where fhe guide gives the
hourly lecture. The crowd has watch
ed the tricky relief map show the
way the river used to be, and the
way it is, and the way it is going to
be, and has heard statistics about
the biggest structure ever built by
man. Outside it can see water pour
ing from the 10 top outlets and
creaming at the'" bottom from a drop
longer than Niagara’s. “Are there
any questions?” asks the lecturer
suavely, bracing himself for the in
evitable. Yes—its about fish.
Eager and Childlike
The American Nation is an eager,
child-like, warm-hearted nation. And
it knows instincitively that to build
the greatest structures in the world
isn’t enough. The Egyptians did that.
They must be humanized. There is
being born about these dams a new
mythology that has to do with fish,
and is to them what the bears are to
the Yosemite—that is ’till the Gov
ernment lost patience with the bears
and started moving them back into
i,the mountains. It isn’t moving the
fish up into the mountains. It is
taking care of the fish as no fish
have ever been cared for before.
At first sight a fish may seem a
cold and clammy subject for a legend.
But anybody who has seen a couple
of Chinook salmon hurl themselves
out of icy waters like released springs
straight against a raging current and
scrape and flip and jump their way
over a 10-foot obstacle has had his
heart pulled into his mouth with a
gasp of admiration. He never feels
quite the same way about fish again.
A royal Chinook salmon can leap a
20-foot wall, I am told. Anyway it
can make your spine tingle as it
comes up a foaming rapids where
a canoe would swamp in a minute,
round rocks, through whirlpools and
over rapids, and tries time after time,
days on end if need to, to get back to
the same creek where it passed its
early life.
The Homing Instinct
Tests have shown that salmon have
a homing instinct that wouldn’t be
bad for a pigeon. They live in the
ocean for a while, and then they go
back up river to the same place they
started out from, at the end of their
four-year cycle, there to spawn and
start the cycle anew. Deep in the
cold salt caverns of the Pacific they
have kept the memory, somehow, of
that particular fresh water stream,
hundreds of miles inland, where they
hatched from a “nest” scraped up
from the gravel; and back they go at
last, under a compulsion that is too
much for them, heading instinctively
always into the current, over bars
and shoals, up waterfalls and bar
riers, rejoicing in the buffets of icy
torrents, till at last they reach their
quiet rendevous with Nature in a
gi'avel riffle.
And that is why Jim Wickham runs
en electric fish elevator for salmon
at Bonneville dam ad is not ashamed
of his job, and why in addition to
that the Department of Interior is
operating the first fish ‘taxi” ser
vice in an extraordinary effort to
teach an old fish new tricks. Per
haps you didn’t think you could teach
a fish anything? Well, the Govern
ment is trying to re-educate fish, and
and thinks it is succeeding.
To tell the thing consecutively let
us leave the earnest gentleman in the
tweed suit, who is still asking ques
tions here at Grand Coulee, and go
downstream 450 miles to Bonneville
Dam. This is a very much lower dam
than Coulee, rising about 60 ft. above
water.
Let us take Jim Wickham first, and
come back to the universitv for fish
—^perhaps “school” would be better
—later.
The salmon run on the Columbia is
Important commercially. It amounts
to $7,000,000 a year. The question
rose, when the government first pro
posed to build the dam right across
the river, how are the salmon going
to get over the thing'to spawn? Don’t
think it was merely business. It was
sentiment. Once Americans get inter
ested in a thing like this they are the
most sentimental people on earth. It
seemed almost sacrilegious to any-
boidy who had seen these big, superb
ly graceful fish leaping the rapids,
to block their access and so extermin
ate the breed above the dyk-e.
Most people know what was done
here. Fish “ladders” were built
around the dam in a series of ascend
ing cement pools. Controversy rose
as to whether fish would have the
resolution and persistency to go up
the ladders for a 60-foot rise, just to
get back to the place where they had
passed their formative years. Con-
^ MORE ON PAGE FOUR
Forgetting Those Things Which Are Behind and
Reaching Forth Unto Those Things Which Are Before
Time to Forget Trifles and
Grapple With a Serious World
(AN EDITORIAL)
Human Interest
The great apostle tells us that
when he became a man he put
away childish things. It is time
for Americans to put away child
ish things and act like men who
know they are in an exacting and
dangerous world; that the only
way to survive and master fate
is to go ahead, not to peddle dis
cord, doubt, lazy impulses, jeal
ousies, trifles, bickerings, criti
cisms, political chicanery, provin
cial prejudices, fears and mis
givings.
The President said Monday
that there had never been a time
when Americans were not ready
to stand up and fight for their
rights. The primary right of a
nation is the right to live in
peace and pursue its own life
free from menace from without.
The first principle of America is
that set forth years ago in a cer
tain important document, the
right of the individual to life,
liberty and the pursuit of happi
ness. It can be no less so of a
nations.
If we are to live in a world
where any set of ambitious mad
men, respecting no law and guid
ed by no principle except their
own will, may at any time break
out in universal assault, we will
have a poor chance to pursue our
own way in peace and good will
to all the world. By putting in
years of reparation while the re
mainder of the world lived in
dreams of peace and no more
war, Germany has set up a ma
chine with which it is determind
to conquer the world, and will do
so unless somebody is able to
set up a greater war machine. No
one nation can do this. Hitler’s
start is too great and his devas
tations already too far accom
plished; No one nation ever
could have done it. Only a com
bination of nations can do it, and
in all the world there is no pos
sible combination which can now
do it without the active partici
pation of the United States.
Only the United States stands
between Hitler and world con
quest.
That is the one and only sub
ject for the people of the United
States to ponder now. If we do
not assume the obligation which
our devotion to humanity re
quires, we should certainly as
sume the task which our own
safety and our own right to live
in pace and freedom in the future
make necessary. It is not our
will and inclination that must be
done, it is what a world condi
tion imposes upon us. Men of
America have always cherished
freedom. Eternal vigilance is
the price of liberty. No people
have ever long enjoyed the rights
of freedom without having to
fight for them. He little under
stands America who fancies that
our willingness to pay the price
of liberty is circumscribed by
metes and bounds. It is circum
scribed by nothing. Can a people
who have always defied assaults
upon their rights now submit to
assaults merely because they
come under new guise and in a
world governed by new forces
with which we have not before
had to contend ?
The childish minds in Ameri
ca fancy that there is no danger.
They build and demolish toy
houses; they quibble about this
and about that. They are un
imaginative and think that tri
fles are important. They listen
to soothsayers, fortune tellers,
quacks and peanut statesmen.
MORE ON PAGE TWO —r—
TWO NEW LAWYERS
Two new lawyers were presented
to the superior courts in Mecklenburg
Tuesday and were formally admit
ted to practice before the state bar
when Joseph Blount Cheshire IV and
Warren Carlisle Stack took their
oaths in the courts of Judge Zeb V.
Nettles and Judge Hubert Olive re
spectively.
Both of the young men have legal
backgrounds. Mr. Cheshire is the son
of Joseph Blount Cheshire of Raleigh,
well known lawyer, while Mr. Stack
is the grand-nephew of the late Judge
A. M. Stack of Monroe, who for years
was a superior court judge in this
state.
Mr. Cheshire was presented to
Judge Nettles by Hugh B. Campbell,
and he will be associated with the
firm of Tillett and Campbell in the
law building for a time. Mr. Stack
was presented to Judge Olive by
Charles W. Bundy. He said he is un
decided where he will begin prac
tice. Cheshire and Stack finished
their law work last June at the Uni
versity of North Carolina and Duke
respectively.
SOLDIERS’ PAY DAY
Back from the Labor Day week
end, a severe financial drain to most,
enlisted men at the Charlotte air base
were doubly grateful when they re
ceived their monthly pay checks.
Issued to the enlisted men, officers,
and the civilian personnel were
checks totaling $85,000, the largest
pay roll since the base was establish
ed here. The August salaries top
those of' July by $5,000 and those of
June by $35,000.
This sudden flow of cash materially
altered business conditions at the
post exchange. As on the last pay
day, July 31, when soft drinks, to
bacco, cakes, ice cream, and other
products brought in $1,277.35, the
sales shot up. Although a soldier’s
pay isn’t large, the bills he hands
clerks in payment for his purchases
usually are. A $10 bill generally
seems to be the smallest a soldier pre
sents on pay day, and for that reason
the exchange usually keeps $1,500 on
hand for change.
county during the 1935 “epidemic
year.”
Latest victim of the disease was
15-year-old Vivian Bayne, daughter
of Mrs. Edith S. Bayne of 118 Hill
side avenue.
Occurring just beyond the city lim
its, the case was marked up as the
county’s third this year, compared
with six in the city area.
Only bright note in the local pic
ture is the lateness of the season,
and the imminence of cold weather
which authorities believe will prevent
prolongation of the outbreak.
No deaths have been charged to the
disease here thus far during the
summer-.
TEN BULL’S EYES, l.aOO YARDS
There is a soldier down at Fort
eyes in succession at a thousand yards
eyes in succession at a hundred yards
with a Springfield rifle. Maybe that
boy will be up this way. He is Corp.
C. C. Smith of Battery D, second
battalion, field artillery. If that were
all he did, maybe the story wouldn’t
be amazing. It’s the grouping of the
shots that makes the target incred
ible when you see it. Within an area
not over one inch square the paper
has been blown away. All ten shots
landed within a square inch! And in
the middle of Lhe paiijer. To impress
the men of Battery D with what a
good shot can do, the battery com
mander posted the target on the bul
letin board for two weeks. One man
in the replacement center, loking at
Corporal Smith’s target and remem
bering his own somewhat ragged ef
fort in the same direction, smiled sad
ly and started talking about pistols.
Battery D will go out on the firing
rang-e shortly, and probably they’ll
all be trying- to match Corporal
Smith’s record. That was the battery
commander’s idea. They may match
it, but they won’t improve on it.
GOT THEM ALL THERE
Once upon a time a young cir
cuit rider, down in Georgia, is
said to have startled his congre
gation by declaring, “Abraham
in hell lifted up his eyes and be
held Lazarus in Dives’ bosom.”
Catching himself, he quickly ex
claimed, “I mean that Dives in
hell lifted up his eyes and beheld
Abraham ni Lazarus’ bosom.” A
titter ran through the congrega
tion, and he ti’ied again, “0,
brethren, I mean that Lazarus in
hell lifted up his eyes and beheld
Abraham in Lazarus’ bosom.” A
saintly brother in the “amen
corner” laughed outright, and the
miserable young minister, after
getting it wrong again, is said to
have said tearfully, “Breth-
ern and sisters, I believe the
whole business went to hell.”
CRAMPING MISS ELEANOR
Rumors have spread that Mrs.
Roosevelt is going to Britain in a
bomber. She says: “Not that I have
heard of.” Yet the rumors persist.
One_ Washington newspaper woman
received a letter from a friend in
California saying: “I suppose you
will be flying to E>igland with Mrs.
Roosevelt.” “1 do what I’m told and
I haven’t been told to go,” Mrs.
Roosevelt insisted. All this adds up
to the fact thai Mrs. Roosevelt will
not go to any foreign country with
out the consent of the state depart
ment. All invitations asking her to
come are immediately turned over to
the state department official special
izing in foreign relations with that
area. Last year a trip to South Amer
ica was all mapped out for her, but
state department officials vetoed the
trip, explaining unofficially they were
afraid some revolutionist might throw
a bomb at her. Apparently the trip
to Britain has not cleared the depart
ment, either,
Playing Like We Are Not
at War Is Plain Foolish
So far as the Axis powers are
concerned we had as well be in a
shooting war as the war we are
in against them. When they get
ready to fight back there will be
no lack of grounds even if
grounds were necessary to them,
which has never yet been the
case. *
We are in this war, not by the
acts of President Roosevelt, as
the bushwackers of our foreign
policy contend, but by the em
phatic act of the congress of the
United States. Those people who
are now opposing that act are, as
the Alabama Lindbergh said,
simply setting u,p their wills
against the solemnly approved
policy of the country made into
law by congress.
The Lease-Leni(^ Act has been
the foundation-stone of Ameri
can foreign policy since the day
of its adoption. There is every
reason to believe that it bears
the approval of an overwhelming
majority of the American people.
Certainly, it has the full support
of Congress. The first bill to pro
vide the funds to make it efl’ect-
ive was passed in the House of
Representatives by a vote of
more than six to one, and in the
Senate by a vote of nearly eight
to one. It swas adopted with the
support of both parties — the
House Republicans voting for it
by a majority of more than two
to one; the Senate Republicans
by a majority of more than three
to one. Here, in short, is an
American course of actoin in a
time of crisis adopted with bipar
tisan approval, after full debate,
in the manner provided by the
Constitutioni
And it is against this course of
action that the quibblers and po
tential traitors are casting what
influence they have. The Axis
powers know very well that we
are in the war, but, for the en
couragement of their friends and
abbeters in this country, are pre
tending that they do not. The
shooting war will start just as
soon as Hitler finds himself able
to begin operations. It is plain
silly for us to wait his conven
ience and hope, like all the oth
ers hoped, that he might change
his mind.
TOM LINDER PLAN
FOR FARM PARITY
Geogia Commissioner of Ag
riculture Calls For 24c For '
Cotton and $1 For Corn
MILK PRICE RISES
Milk went pretty high when the old
cow jumped over the moon. It has
not gone so high in Charlotte yet,
but a slight start has been made. On
Monday the price went up from 15
to 17 cents a quart for raw milk. It
is the result of concerted effort
among dairymen supplying Charlotte.
Advancing cost of feed is given as
the reason.
PROTESTS DOG KILLING
Mrs. L. E. Elliott, vice president ot
the Mecklenburg Humane Society,
enters a vigorous protest to Chief
Joyner for the way a dog was killed
by a policeman on Labor Day.
Mrs. Elliott said she had been in
formed—in fact, she said, the officers
had not denied it but had “apiparent-
ly thought it quite an exploit of which
they were quite proud”—that one of
two officers sent to answer the call
had shot at the dog, which was ap
parently sick and was lying quietly in
the grass near the sidewalk. The shot
had failed to kill the animal, however,
and it had run with a broken leg to
shelter under a car. The officer
sought to shoot it again but the car
owner protested and when the car
was moved, the dog’s head was beaten
into a pulp with the blackjack.
“I thought anybody—and certainly
a police officer—would know that
when a dog is suspected of being mad,
although it was quite evident that
this dog was only ill, perhaps because
of lack of food, it should be put up
until its condition could be ascertain
ed. Certainly, ifs head shouldn’t have
been beaten up, for the head is al
ways kept for examination even when
the dog is killed. In event this dog
was mad, the police officer destroyed
the evidence.”
THE LAUCHING MULE
You car depend upon the Gaw-
gy editor for marvelous news.
One of tiem says: When I was
a boy I u^ed to visit a farm fam
ily, and ;his family had a miile
that couH cackle like a hen who
had just performed her daily egg-
laying sint. As a matter of fact,
this mue could imitate several
dozen tens cackling up a storm.
So eveiy time the mule put on
his impjrsonating act the lady of
the hoise where I visited would
dash oTt to the henhouse with a
large tasket. There would be no
eggs ii the nests, and the .practi
cal joling mule would raise his
head jnd flop his ears back and
let on a series of he-haws that
could be heard the countryside
over. One day the man of the
house shot the mule, and then the
hens laughed fit to kill.
NINE CASES OF POLIO
Mecklenburg’s ninth reported case
of polio in the last couple of months
caused health officials some concern
as the 1941 toll climbed slowly to-
\ ward the 11 recorded cases in the
FOR AMBULANCE FUND
One day next week will be observed
in the city and county schools as
“Mercy Ship Day” and pupils will be
invited to make a contribution to the
$7,500 fund Mecklenburg county is
raising to help buy an ambulance
plane for Great Britain.
Paul R. Sheehan, county chairman
for the drive, said City School Super
intendent H. P. Harding and County
School Superintendent John Lock
hart are co-operating in the school
drive and that he would meet with
city principals and teachers Saturday
to discuss plans for the campaign. A
similar meeting will be held in the
county schools Wednesday.
SWEA{ A MIGHTY OATH
The )ravery and fighting ability of
the Russians have surprised the world
and tie venom with which they re
gard -he Germans is shown by an
oath vhich is said to be taken by
men vho fight behind the German
lines, from bushes and trees, and
from everywhere that they can reach
theirenemies outside of the organized
lines This oath is gi-v^n out by Mos
cow as'follows: “I, a citizen of the
Grejf Soviet Union and a true son
of He heroic Russian people, swear
I wll not lay down my arms until
the last Fascist in our territory is
desroyed. I swear I will carry out
the orders of my commanders with-
oul question and observe strict mili-
tay discipline. For damaging our
vilages and country, for the death
of our children and for terror and
to!'tures inflicted on my people, I
S’^ear to revenge myself bitterly,
nrercilessly ind ceaselessly on the en-
eny. I will take an eye for an eye
and a tootl for a tooth. I swear I
vould rathe: die in a bitter fight than
jllow mysef and my family or the
Soviet pecple to become Fascist
slaves. If ly my weakness or cow
ardice or bj ill fate I break this vow
and betray the interests of my peo
ple, let me die a traitor’s death at
the hands o' my comrades.”
INTANGIBLE TAXES
Mecklenburg county and the city of I
— MORE ON PAGE TW’^O —
COVERLES FOR BRITAIN
A Masachusetts woman tells
how she onverts old blankets in
to nice cverlets and contributes
them to le Bundles for Britain.
She says “I have a number of
old, thin blankets, relics of 35
years of bmemaking. After mak
ing sure they are clean, I fold
them en for end, and stitch
—^ MOR ON PAGE TWO —
Mr. Tom Linder, commissioner of
agriculture for Georgia, is calling for
farmers to hold their cotton till con
gress provides “true parity” for the
farmers. He sends out a circular in
which he says; >
The Linder plan to provide actual
parity for farmers of the nation is
before congress.
The plan calls for a floor of 24c
for cotton, $1.64 for wheat, $1.00 for
corn, 12c for hogs, 14c for beef, and
other basic crops in proportion.
It calls for an actual parity price
of 32c for cotton, $2.19 for wheat,
$1.32 for corn, 16c for hogs, 17 l-2c
1 fdr beef, and other basic crops in
I proportion.
This plan is receiving almost unani
mous backing of the commissioners
of agriculture and other farm lead
ers, and has received most favorable
consideration by a number of influ
ential senators and representatives
in Washington.
Time to Act in Concert
Cotton is now moving in consider
able volume through a large part of
the cotton belt.
Prices being^ paid for cotton are
very little above the government loan.
If farmers sell their cotton now,
any action by congress later will not
help them.
If farmers put their cotton in the
government loan now and congress
passes legislation to increase the
price later on, the farmer will get the
benefit of the increased price. .
The mere fact that the cotton is
being put in the government loan and
not being put in the channels of trade
will itself be a powerful factor in
forcing higher, prices for the staple.
Committee to Washington
The committee of commissioners of
agriculture appointed at Memphis on
August 9 will go to Washington as
soon as arrangements are completed
for them to be heard by congression
al committees.
They will be joined by other com--
missioners from the national organ
ization on invitation of Hon. Roy
Jones, commissioner of agriculture of
South Carolina, president of the na
tional group.
The great strength of the Lindei'
Plan is that it incorporates all the
farmers who grow basic agricultural
crops in one group.
Heretofore there has been a cotton
group seeking aid for wheat, another
group seeking aid for hogs, etc. This
division of strength was the great
weakness that has made it impossible
to get adequate consideration in con
gress for agriculture as a whole.
The Linder Plan asks equal consid
eration and opportunities for all far
mers of all sections on all crops.
The Linder Plan also provides for
fixing the relative prices between
farm products and the things that the
farmer must buy.
It provides for taking an average
of prices existing over a ten year
period from 1920 to 1929 inclusive,
and then fixing and maintaining the
relative proportion between farm
products and manufactured commod
ities that did-exist over that ten year
period.
Farmers In Desperate Condition
The cotton crop in Georgia this
year will not exceed forty to fifty
per cent of a normal crop.
This means that with acreage re
ductions now in force, Georgia will
not this year produce more than
four hundred and fifty thousand
bales.
A noi’mal crop in Georgia, under
government restrictions would be
around 1,200,000 bales.
Georgia did produce, at one time,
2,500,000 bales per year.
This means that Georgia will only
produce about 16 2-3 per cent as much
cotton as it did at one time produce.
The cotton crop over the entire
belt is very short. Should this cotton
crop go on the market, there will be
no way for the farmer to get any
relief on this year’s crop.
Not only that, should this crop go
on the market it will be very difficult
MORE ON VAGE FOUR
REASON WE FORCE
ISSUE WITH JAPAN
President Trying to Show Her
That It Would Be Better
to Have Peace
President Roosevelt is pressing
Emperor Hirohito of Japan for a de
cision as to whether Japan is to be
a friend or enemy of the United
States, says the United States New^.
The President has personally enter
ed into negotiations with the head of
the Japanese government knd is seek
ing to reach a settlement on all major
questions at issue between the two
countries.
Japan is being given a chance Jk>
choose. If she decides to remain a
full-fledged member of the Axis and
to continue her policies of aggres
sion, she will face the combined
strength of the United States, Brit
ain, Russia, China and the Nether-
land Indies. This sti’ength already is
being manifested in economic war.
If necessary, it will be manifested in
military war. Otherw'ise, if Japan de
cides to swing over to a basis of
peaceful co-operation with her neigh
bors in the Pacific, she will find them
ready to extend friendly hands.
Thus, centering around these talks
is a situation of great importance for
the whole world. The negotiations
may determine whether peace or war
is to prevail in the Pacific. Also, they
may determine whether Hitler is to
have an active ally in the Far East,
or whether he must rely only on
German might in order to win.
The vital significance of the nego
tiations was indicated last week when
Japanese Ambassador Nomura call
ed on President Roosevelt and pre
sented a formal message from Prem
ier Konoye. The Ambassador was in
frequent conference with Secretary
Hull.
In Tokyo, affairs were rapidly
reaching a climax. American Ambas
sador Grew repeatedly conferred with
Japanese leaders. Premier Konoye
called his cabinet into special session.
The Premier and other ,, ministers re
ported in person to the Emperor.
Why U. S. Seeks Showdown
President Roosevelt’s move to bring
matters to a head in the Far East
is an outgrowth of his talks with
Prime Minister Churchill somewhere
in the Atlantic three weeks ago. The
two men decided that the initiative
in -the world struggle should be taken
away from Hitler. Britain and Russia
are acting in Iran, and are leaving
it to the United States to take the
lead in the Far East.
Here is the reasonmg on which the
President’s move is based; If matters
are brought to a head now, the
strength of Russia, as well as that of
Britain and the United' States can
be an important factor. On the other
hand, if Britain and the United States
wait, Russia might be defeated and
Japan might be able to attack when
Britain and the United States are
busy defending themselves against
Germany elsewhere.
Mr. Churchill made clear Britain’s
position toward Japan in his radio
speech last week. After describing
Japan’s course of aggression, he de
clared :
“It is certain that this has got to
stop. Every efl'ort will be made to se
cure a peaceful settlement. The Unit
ed States are laboring with infinite
patience to arrive at a fair and ami
cable settlment which will give Japan
the utmost reassurance for her legit
imate interests. We earnestly hope
these negotiations will succeed. But
this I must say, that if these hopes
should fail we shall, of course, range
ourselves unhesitatingly at the side
of the United States.”
The economic measures against Ja
pan undertaken by the U. S., Britain
and the Netherlands Indies already
are beginning to hurt.
Effect of Economic Sanctions
Exports of oil from this country
to Japan have practically ceased. Two
Japanese tankers were to have sailed
with 145,000 barrels of fuel oil. But
permits for the withdrawal of funds
needed to pay for the oil were with
held, and the tankers left without
their cargoes. Permits also were with
held for American funds needed by
Japan to pay for a cargo of Canadian
wheat.
Britain has placed all trade with
M0KJ5 ON PAGE THREE
BIRD HUNTS AND
TURKEY DINNERS
IN THOSE TIMES
Capt. Ardrey Goes to Raleigh
Where Legislature Sells the
Western N. C. Railroad
EXPELLED JOE TURNER
By H. E. C. (Red Buck) BRYANT
Bird hunting, quail shooting now,
was popular in Captain William E.
Ardrey’s day.
January 6, 1880, his diary said:
“Lark Robinson, Sam Davis and Cous
in Ed Russell cam^ to bird hunt, kill
ed 95 birds in two days.”
My grandfather, Moses Allen Parks,
and his neighbor, Captain Jimmie
Robinson, grandfather of Walter S.
Robinson, leading merchant of Prov
idence township, were among the firgt
bird hunters in our section of the
country. Harry and Echo were the
dogs they used, lemon and white set
ters, stocky-built, and tough, able to
go from sun to sun several days a
week.
Some well-to-do Charlotte man
asked Captain Robinson to teach his
son to shoot quail on the wing. The
old gentleman, who was a marksman,
agreed to do his best. The boy was
sent down, and the first hour afield
he “killed” all the game, both he
and his guide and teacher firing ev
ery time they rose.
“Bang,” went both guns in unison,
“I got him!” said the young fellow.
That went on for five or six shots
when Captain Robinson withheld his
fire.
“That’s strange," said the visitor.
“That is the first time I missed! Won
der why?”
“Because I did not shoot,” respond
ed the seasoned hunter.
Turkey Dinners Order of the Day
Turkey - dinners at Christmas time
were common in certain homes; Cap
tain Ardrey, Dr. Kell, Mr. Bell, Dr.
Joe Ardrey and others gave turkey
dinners for their families and friends.
Captain Ardrey and Captain Robin
son made occasional business trips to
Monroe. They drove down January 14,
1880, and spent the night With “Mr.
Hall and went to the Baptist church.”
January 15: “Returned home. Fleet
Catcher (the buggy horse) made the
trip back in a little over three hours.”
A diary note says: “Sold Sammie
Kerr the Kirkpatrick mule.” Another
one: “Traded horses with Mr. Bry
ant, Fanny for Bill, gave |20 to boot.”
The following day: “Brother Stacy
preached the best sermon I ever heard
him preach.”
January 26: “Received the proclama
tion of Governor Jarvis, calling the
legislature to convene March 15.”
January 28: “Quarterly meeting at
S'andy Ridge. Mr. Bell and I went
over in the buggy, heard our new pre
siding elder. Rev. M. L. Wood, the
first time; favorably impressed.”
March Meeting of Legislature
Of the meeting of the legislature
Captain Ardrey wrote: “We met at
12 noon, 15th, in extra session. All
members in their seats; one year to
a day since we adjourned, and not a
single death among them, all looking
v/ell, and rejoicing at the reunion. The
session exceedingly pleasant; I en
joyed my stay in Raleigh more than
at any other time. The W. N. C. R. R.
was sold to W. J. Best & Co. Joe
Turner was .expelled. We passed about
70 acts and adopted 14 resolutions. I
heard some abel speeches for and
against the railroad bill. Hon. Mr.
Dortch,, Judge Merrimon, D. K. Mc
Rae, in opposition, and Hon. George
f Davis, Col. Ruffin and Captain Cooke,
in favor of it. We had a great speech
from Mr. Best. Most of the discussion
was at night, and not in the halls of
the legislature.”
March 30: “The General Assembly
adjourned and we said farewell to
Raleigh and dear friends and left for
home with the conscientious feeling we
had done our work well, and all part
ed in peace and harmony, many never
to meet again in this world for some
will not return.”
The Captain Is Married
A notice, clipped from a Charlotte
newspaper, July 22, 1880, and pasted
on the Ardrey'diary, said: “Married:
In this county, on the 22nd instant, at
the residence of the bride’s father, by
Rev. L. E. Stacy, Captain W. E. Ar-
drew and Miss Mollie Howi^l
“The Home (the paper) extends its
congratulations and wishes them all
possible happiness.”
Mrs. Ardrey was a daughter of Mr.
John N. Howie, of the ,Harrison
neighborhood.
Negro servants were not neglected
in the Ardrey diary comment. Sep
tember 10, 1880: “Uncle Allen died:
he had been a faithful servant. Big
George Ardrey (colored) very sick;
we thought he would die.”
October 7: “Lou and Lon Springs
married; had a big time; we lost a
good and faithful cook; she had been
with us four years, through all of our
afflictions and troubles, and always
loyal; we will ever appreciate her.”
Gin House Burned
October 26: “Mr. Weddington’s gin
house burned; incendiary. Loss $2,-
500.”
October 28: “Sam Rea’s gin house
burned with 11 bales of cotton.
“Mr. Bell and I coming from town
saw the fire, about 8 o’clock at night.”
October 29: “Great deal of excite
ment over the fires. I went to town
and had my houses insured. Almost
everybody thinks it is a radical move
MORE ON PAGE THREE