The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1873-01-16
PosRY COUNTY.
The Hisserie Bot vanishf.g Inhabfsans q
MSek,Pese TewnshfP-WheFeE sSlesssa Sc

TIE Historic b1t vaaishiag Inhabisans 81
In the southwest corner of Indiana, between
the Ohio and the Wabash, is Posey County
Nearly ten years since taught . winter school
IN the centre of P0sey, and from nv charge and
patrons, might have furnished all the characters
Of Eggleston. "Old Man Means" Bud" and
ISIS, Hank" and "Shocky," all figure in my
rccollections. The boys barred me out" Of
course; hut ] tried no such hernic remedies as
| did Ralph HartstOck. On the contrary, quietly
returned to my boarding house. and read law all
crew fora vhSe day, snd study my chosen pro-
fession. fosey Is unque. 1t hss on the south
and west some of the best districts in the State,
which have given NJ such men Is Mcclure,
General A. p. HOvey and the Owens family
while in the centre and north arc regions
SO benightsd that strangers would not believe a
literal description. remember it used to be
said that inst north of where taught, people
run down their children with dogs once . mouth
to put clean clothes on them, and in the maps
tanght-we laid Poeey Oh in four divisions,
marked tkas II childish comedy: sCivilized
Tribs3S "YaAoes." "Afnngeroons,s I" Upsxplored
Regions" had sixty-five scholars on my list,
and my private record shows eighty-fve "cor-
poreal punishncnts infiicted;" and the bulk of
that fell on three boys. "Lickin' and larnin-
lickin' and larnin'" was the Alternative philoso-
of Centre township, POsey County.
In this part of Indiana and Illinois the original
Hoosier fOurshed. Flat Creek Hoop Pole Dog
Hollow and Lick Skillet are all here. No stage
caricature ever represented the Hooser to one
who knows him; he is suigeneris; gannt of per-
son, pale yellow 0f hair, loose of joint long drawn
out and shaky, with inmtable voice, and foot
which is destr uction to cnt-worms. know the
HOosier well, and can talk sbont him as please
for Twas born with him, partially brought mp with
him; l narrowly escaped being one of him. His
language is derivative and compound dialect
consisting of equal parts of literally translated
Pennsylvania Dutch idiOms, Carolina and Ken
tucky niggerisms, and good stock English. Web
ster has no vowel sounds which fully represent
the HOosier dialect. Its grammar may he par
italy illustrated by the cOnjugation of the word
"to do" As thus:
Present tense: Regular as in English.
Imperfect: done it, you done it, he done it.
Plural: We'uns done it, you'ns done it, they
uns done it, etc.
Perfect: gone done it, etc.
Plural: we'uns gone done it, etc.
Pluperfect: been gone done il, etc.
Plural: WeuDs been gone done it..
First future: Igwine to do it, yon gwine to
do it, etc.
Plural: We'uns gwine to gone done it, you'u
gwine, etc.
The Hoosier enjoyed CORR skncking, circmses
and "spellin' Matches" his greatest dread was
'fever'n ager." In my bOyhOOd this terrible
scourge was both epidemic and endemic; both
chronic and sporadic. In spme neighhorhoods, it
Argnst-when the vegetation begins to part
with its juices to the air; i'm other places it was
to I've expected at any season of the year and any
hour of the day. These last were specifically
known ~ the "ager naborhood;' new Corners
were solemnly warned not to get in such, and
every village cherished traditions of some other
village not far remote, where the town bell was
rung every two hours for folks to take their
quinine." Now one may live for years in almost
any part Of Indiana before seeing case of aguc
of in. Sfa
and this appears to have been one of the years
for it. met young people Of my acquaintance
who .i,;:d never seen a case before their own,
it had 80 nearly vanished; but l recognized it
freezing disease. COgnais with the " agcr" was
the "milk sick" that strange, unaccountable
affection which seized upon mlk-kine. and through
their milk, butter and flesh, upon MAJ. That,
too, seems to be nearly extinct Indeed, n.ver
hear it mentioned now but it was the cause OF
many painful and lingering deaths, and still more
shattered constitutions, twenty-five yearsago. A
thousand times heard groups of farmers discuss
the various theories as to whether it was in the
water or the air. or the vegetation, all three,
aud for aught know the question is unsettled
yet. The HOOsier, too, is almost extinct, and
since the school law Of 1856 went into operation
. young generation of educated people have come
upon the stage. Our people have become better
mixed in both the States. The "poor whites"
who left the South to get away from slavery arc |
no longer the majority of our population. The |
Northern man has come into the general mass |
much more readily than one would have expec- |
ted who knew their mutual prejudices twenty |
Eve years ago. The Southern settler probably |
had more personal generosity the Northern far |
more public spirit. The former was free with |
his tobacco and liquor, loaned his horses and |
dogs, and on public days treated" everybody |
~ long a. his money lasted; bft when q church |
Or school house was to be built, the other came |
put Of his financial reserve, gave ten-fod more,
and with more judicious liberalty. The union
Of the two has produced the young Westerner, of |
whom I am proud to he considered. one.