After White died two blow-hards, brothers, came from Coinjock to the Island, to "thrash it out," they said. These two brothers were named Te and Shade Killum, and called themselves the bull-champions of Coinjock. On the evening of their arrival, they talked and acted vulgarly in the presence of women of the Island; and with oaths remarked there were little chance to use their muscles in a fight on there. The news of their proceedings flew, and Taylor Jones sent them a message to present themselves on the premises of Malachi Jones (Colonel Jones' father) the next morning and they should be accommodated. All understood what would likely happen and both men and women were out to see the fun. The women, particularly, wished them well pummeled for their vulgar conduct the previous evening.

The Killums were on time and each wanted a man to fight. Jones told them it was not necessary for each of them to have a man to fight; that it only required one Islander to whip two such as they were. The fight was to be over a line of bandana handkerchiefs tied together. They came up to the line with great anticipation to annihilate this, a single, antagonist. Jones's first blow laid Shade out; this so frightened Te, that Jones only got in a half stroke on him; he ran away leaving his brother, who had now recovered sufficiently to run also. Jones told them they were of no account, that he had only condescended to give them a blow, each, for their ill manners the day before, and that if they were caught on the Island an hour hence, he would not insure them a whole bone. They went in haste.

I have heard of these two Killums from the old people of Coinjock--John Simmons, Levi Walker, Old Aunt Lydia Poyner and others; that they were vulgar fuss-breeders, of little account for anything else, and that if they ever whipped any man it was by doubling on him. Mrs. Poyner told me that the last fuss these two bravadoes had was at a muster at the Nathan O'Neal place in Coinjock. They were abusing some poor, old, inoffensive fellow, and the sympathetic women present paid the bill for a good fighter present to pummel their faces to a pulp. He did it, and forever after they kept aloof from public gatherings.

After White died, Jones was growing old, and the Islanders were looking around among the young and lesser lights to fill their places. Even Uncle Mac, though young, tipped the scales near the two hundred pound mark. He was anticipating a championship; for was he not quite an athlete, and a skilled veterinarian, who with little help could take down horses or other animals when a cutting operation was necessary. Late one evening he happened at one of these rendezvous on the Island, where a crowd of Northern sailors came up for a drink and a spat--the usual thing. Jones was away and Uncle Mac was the only lesser light present.

One New Yorker remarked how quickly he could put out Jones's light, if there, and how cowardly the others were that he couldn't even get a brush out of them. By this time Uncle Mac's dander was rising; even the witch and haunt fear was fading; but he did fear, somewhat, this bullying fellow, but was determined to fight him though he get thrashed. Off went his coat, into the ring he went, apparently with great confidence in his ability to tag this Yankee; but within all was fear. When vis-a-vis he waded in and licked his man; great rejoicing with the Islanders, of course.

The most important groggeries where sailors and citizens met to see and carry out their hurly-burlyings, one was near and southwest from where Walter Capps now lives, the other on Betsy's Marsh on the north side of the South Channel of the Inlet. At this latter place, besides drinking, fighting and gouging eyes, there were music and dancing frolics, here crowds of both male and female gathered from all points of the compass. Of course there was a family or two living here who kept a groggery and always prepared for these almost nightly bouts. Knotts Island furnished only its quota; they come from all the country; from Pasquotank east, anxitirated by a good slice of southeast Princess Anne.

The people carousing at Betsy's Marsh came from all points of the compass, so there were room only for a few of the Islanders; and that few were there mostly as detectives to give the news of the proceedings. Knott's Island, however was well represented at the Island grogery near Walter Capps' present abode as aforesaid.

Sailors from North and South met here, as well as the Island citizens, where they drank grog, fought and caroused.

Gross immoralities were practiced at Betsy's Marsh frolics, resulting in the birth of children with unknown or unlawful fathers.

Whiskey in those days was cheap--twenty-five to fifty cents per gallon--, hence a great deal of drunkenness could be found everywhere; Knott's Island had only its share. I do not say that all the men on the Island were in these drunken brawls, but I do say, from what I have heard from those old who knew, that there were so much drizzle and fog in the social and moral atmosphere that the ray of the religious sun penetrated the Island only feebly. But among the Island people there were many truly religious, of the old Lorenza Dow type, who read their Bible and drank in its precepts; who sang their plaintive minors out of the Zion Songster and Pious Songs, and who kept themselves, as far as their surroundings permitted, unspotted from the world.

The men in those days, with fish and fowl in plenty at their doors, and chinkapins and acorns for hogs when taken from the marsh, could provide eatables for their families with but little labor; and so they had plenty of spare time to visit the resorts aforesaid. But the women's work was not so easy as that of their lords; picking cotton and wool, carding, spinning, weaving, cutting, sewing and making clothes for the entire family, fell to their lot; besides there were other household duties.

Now this chapter gives a glimpse of society on the Island in the 18th century, and I am sure it is true of the first thirty years of the 19th century, as handed down by tradition.

Now, I will come down to the time of my birth, and tell how the church revolutionized Knott's Island; how it progressed, and became, through great difficulties, fully established; how its entering wedge split, tore assunder and almost annihilated the old-time customs.