New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1878-10-02
The Poor Whites Of the Sou1h

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that the war. emancipation and the es-
tablishment of free schools has helped
their condition somewhat, but they vet
retain many of those characteristics which
distinguished them in slavery times. The
poor white trash are about the only
paupers in the Southern States, and they
are very rarely supported by either the
state or community in which they reside.
They are found nowhere but in the conn-
try, in hilly and mountainous regions gen
orally, in communities by themselves, and
far removed from the more refined settle
ments. Why it is they always select the
billy and consequently unproductive dis
.tricts for their homes is unknown. In
the settlements wherein they chiefly
reside. the poor whites rarely 1--we mere
than mile or two apart.
Each householder or head OF family
builds himself little hut of round logs
Or pine poles, chinks the places between.
these with clay mixed with wheaton
straw; builds at one end a big wooden
chimney with tapering top, all the in
terstices being ''dobbed' as above; puts
down puncheon floor, ana loft of or
binary boards overhead; fills the inside
of the rude dwelling with few rickety
chairs, a long bench, a dirty bed or two,
spinning wheel (he loom,i any, is out
side under she'd a skillet, an oven, a
frying pan, a triangular cupboard in one
corner and rack over the door, on which
to hang old ''Spi,fre,' the family rifle;
and both the cabin and furniture are con-
sidered as complete. The happy owner
then Clears some five acres or so of
land Immediately surrounding his
domicile, and these he pretends to culh-
vate, planting only corn, pumpkins and
little garden truck. He next builds
rude kennel for his dog or dogs, print
tive looking stall for his "nag,'' ditto for
Beck, his COW, and a pole hen-house for
his poultry. This last he covers over
with dirt and weeds, and erects on one
side of it a long slim pole, from the upper
branches of which bangle gourds for the
martins to builo their nests in-martins
beng generally regarded as useful to
drive off all bloody-minnel hawks that
look with COO hungry an eye upon the
rising generation of dunghills.
Being thus prepared for housekeeping,
now comes the tug of war. Whatever
may be said Of the poverty OF the white,
Of his ignorance and general spiritual
degradation, he rarely suffers from hun
ger or cold. AS class, indeed, they are
much better off than the peasantry of Eu-
rope, anu many poor mechanic in your
city--to say nothing of the thousands
without trade or occupation, wandering
through The North and West would be
most happy at any time from December
to March to share the cheerful a1mth
the blazing pine knots which gov upon
every poor mans hearth in the South; as
we'll as to help devour the fat hauches of
the noble old buck whose carcass hangs
suspended from one of the beams
Of the loft overhead, ready at all
times to have slice cut from its sinewy
bones and broiled to delicious juiciness
upon the glowing GOALS. Indeed, the
only source of trouble to the poor white
is the preservation of his yearly scraps"
OF corn, that, owing to the sterileness OF
his land and deficient cultivation, some
times fail him, running all 10 weeds and
grass.
But he has no lack of means. Wild
hog, deer, wild turkeys, squirrels, rae,
coons. opossums- these. and many more
are at his very doors, and he has only to
pick up ''old Spitfre,' walk few miles
out to the forest. and return home laden
with meat enough to last him week.
And should he desire to purchase a little
wool for spinning, or cotton ditto, or
little sweet'ning" to put in his coffee or
''sassefock' tea, or a few cups and saucers,
Or powder and shot, salt, meal or other
household necessaries, weeks success
full hunting invariably supplies him with
enough game to procure the withal for
iuxuries, which he soon possesses himself
of from the nearest village or cross roads
store. Having obtained what he wants,
be hastens back to his barren solitudes !;
bls wife and daughters spin and weave
the wool or cotton into such description
OF cloth as is most in vogue for the time
being, while the husband, father, sons
and brothers betake themselves to thei.
former idle habits-hunting, beef-shoot-
ing, gander-pulling, marble-playing,
and getting drunk. Panics, financial
pressure and the like are unknown among
them, and about the only crisis of which
they know any thing is when poor fell
low is called upon to ''shuffle off this
mortal coil" Money. in fact, is almost
an unknown commodity in their midst,
and whether our currency is gola, green
backs or the dollar of the s.daddies'' con-
c"rns them not. Nearly all of their
trafficking is carried on by barter alone
In their currency COW is considered
worth so much, horse so much, dog
so much, fat buck SO much, a fat tur-
kew so much. cOOn-skin 40 mich. etc.