Pony-Penning
Chincoteague Island, August 21, 1888.
The prosperity of this island is due almost exclusively to its oyster interests. The bays and inlets that surround the island are the best natural oyster grounds on the Eastern Shore. Chincoteague bay is literally covered with planted oysters, and each man has his ground marked off. The last season was the most prosperous one for years, and it is estimated that the money derived from oysters alone amounted to nearly $150,000, or nearly $50 for every man, woman and child on the island.
FINE FISHING.
Fish of all kinds also abound in these waters. Hon. H. K. Ellyson, of Richmond, with his granddaughter, Miss May Ellyson, went out one afternoon last week, and soon returned with eighty odd fine trout. Almost every inhabitant has a boat, some larger, some smaller, and during the oyster season Chincoteague bay is alive with boats. All oysters in these waters are taken with tongs, and while disputes sometimes arise as to the limits of oyster planting grounds, no such thing as an oyster war has ever occurred here.
WILD PONIES.
In times agone Chincoteague was known abroad chiefly on account of its ponies and pony pennings. How these ponies first came to the island no one now knows; but tradition says that a South American ship containing a cargo of ponies was cast ashore off Assateague in the latter part of the seventeenth century and that some of the ponies managed to swim through the breakers to the island, where they went wild and propagated their race. There are now five or six hundred ponies on the two islands and those that are not used are allowed to roam wild over the marshes and meadows, in which they live throughout the year with no other food or shelter than the marshes and pine trees afford.
PENNING THE PONIES.
Every year during the month of August the ponies are driven into pens, where the younger ones are lassoed, hauled out by the neck, and branded. This is an immemorial custom of the islanders and was formerly observed as a great fete day, attracting large crowds from the mainland and many from New York, Philadelphia, and other eastern cities. The pony pennings of the present day are rather tame affairs. Formerly the whole population of the island turned out -- men, women, and children -- and there was much fun and excitement as the youngsters mounted on tame ponies, chased the wild ones over the marshes and drove them into the pens. Now they are quietly driven up and penned the overnight and the lassoing and branding excites no more interest here than a hog-killing or corn-shucking in other parts of the State.
HIGH PRICES FOR PONIES
Persons still come from a distance to buy ponies, but they are dear at present prices. the young mare colts are rarely sold, but when they are sold they bring from $75 to $100 each. Unbroken three year old horse colts bring from $50 to $75, according to size, appearance, &c. The crowd present this year was larger than for some years past owing to the fact that the Baptist Association was holding the sessions here at the time. Richmond was well represented, while there were delegations here from Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.
Mr. A. J. Ford and Colonel Howard Swineford of Richmond, and the Dispatch correspondent were honored while on Chincoteague with a sail in Captain Kendall Harmon's celebrated boat the John. W. Edmonds, the fastest skiff afloat in Eastern Shore waters. She has won every race that has been run in this section since she was built, and has brought her owner many handsome silver pitchers and goblets. This skiff, which belongs at Wachapreague, sailed up to Chincoteague outside in the open sea in the hope of getting up a race, but was disappointed. She was greatly admired and when she moved out from the wharf with the party mentioned aboard the crowd that thronged the water's edge to see her move off was larger than that which witnessed the pony penning the next day.
"UNCLE" KENDALL JESTER.
I had forgotten to mention that "Uncle" Kendall Jester, who has witnessed all the pony pennings here for the past seventy years, and who is himself an extensive raiser of ponies, was on hand this time, and promises to be so for many years to come. Though seventy-four years old his hair is still untinged with gray and his frame is as erect and robust as that of a man of forty. He is an expert horse back rider (a rara avis in this clime), and never fails to get unco happy on horse penning days, and his wife never fails to come down and take him home. He probably has the most numerous progeny of any man in this section, if not in Virginia.
ACCOMACK BAPTIST ASSOCIATION.
The meeting of the Accomack Baptist Association just closed was one of the most pleasant and successful ever held. There are 19 churches and 7 pastors in the association, with a total membership of 1,973, with 1,997 Sunday school scholars and teachers. During last year there were 163 persons baptized and 152 gained in membership. The total contributions during the year amounted to $9,714.02, distributed as follows: Pastors' salaries, $4,697; State Missions, $208.29; Foreign Missions, $849.49; Home Missions, $259.81; pay for board of ministerial students at Richmond College and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, $113.33; colportage, $285.81 support of aged ministers and their families, $933.81.
The next meeting of the association will be held next August at Atlantic church, on the mainland just opposite Chincoteague.