The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-10-22
THE SAUGERS.

THE SAUGERS.
The Queer People of West Virginia Who
Live on Snakes, Owls and Crows.
New York Sum-.
Having business away up in West Virginia
some months ago, i was warned to look out
for singular race of beings called 'Saugers.
They are found among the mountain in
sparsley settled tracts, and are certainly great
curiosities. had heard of them when boy
living in the Roanoke district, but sup
posed their existence purely problematical
They were represented as race OF Tom
Thumbs, and many nursery stories were toid
concerning them. Plantation hands said that
they had seen them lurking in the spurs of
the Alleghenies and the Blue Ridge. Their
achievements were said to rival those OF
Beanstalk Jack, and my young blood was
curdled by tales of their cruelty. Darkey IN
fants were broiled at their feasts, and the
bodies shared with enormous eagles that
lowered above them and awaited the
division of the spoils. They were described
as chunky little rascals, who lived In the
crevices of the rocks, fed on roots, berries
and babies, and roamed over the mountains
like foxes and weazels.
During my journey kept bright lookout
for ''Saugers," aud found the genuine tribe
in Nicholas, Pendleton, Greenbriar and
Webster counties. There are scattering
communities in other paris of the State, but
in these four counties they seem to attain
absolute perfection. They live on wooded
slopes, or in mountain gorges,
miles from post roads and township
settlements. They keep entirely to
themselves, and physically and mentally are
far above the Digger Indians. They earn
livelihood by digging and selling ginseng
root. which grows wild in all parts OF the
country, and is superabundant IN the noun
tain Businesses. This root is bought by
country storekeepers, forwarded to Gin
| cinnati and other cities, and shipped to
| China, where it commandsa high price.
| The origin of the "Sauger" is unknown.
He existed long before the war, and his
ranks were largely recruited from the de-
| serters and camp followers of the Confed-
crate army. Many of those recruits came
| from North Carolina regiments, and the
| cross between the real Tar heel' and
nauve Sanger" has produced breed
unique in texture and extraordinary
remarkable In some communities mar
riage is unknown. PoIygamy, however, is
not allowed. The children begin to care for
i themselves at an early age, and are never
sent to school. Lawyers are tabooed. The
| people live by themselves and are law
unto themselves. They make no wills, and
| have no disputes over the property of dead
men. But few of them vote, and they
have never heard OF reform
or the constitution. They are shy
of strangegs, and, like partridges, shrink from
| public gaze Rarely do they approach set
stealthy tread, as though fearing an ambush.
Now aud then one or two come into some
country store with a backload of ginseng
| roots, and exchange it for whisky, salt, sugar
and occasionally powder and shot. with
the exception of little bacon and corn meal,
they buy nothing more. The women drink
tea made from sassafras and the roots
of the golden rod. They raise their own
tobacco and use corn cob pipss. All their
fresh meat is caught in trapE Raccoons,
opossoms. ground hogs, squirrels, pinnated
grouse and similar game never come amiss
In the winter there is plentiful supply OF
bear meat and venison. During the spring
and summer delicious brook trout are in
season. But these delicacies only.
Bacon and corn meal are the main staple.
hear, however, that they have many edible
curiosities, such ss rattlesnakes, owls,
esglets, young crows and polecats. They
recognized the virtue OF horse and mule
meat long before the siege of Paris, and say
that it is exceedingly wholesome. They
look upon a frog eater with horror, yet
t am told that fried grasshoppers are no
dsspised by them.
Persons living in the mountainous regions
of West Virginia detect ''Sauger" at 4
glance. The specimens seen by me were a.
tough as knots and as active as cats. The,
, lad a starved stunted appearance, and wers
clad or half clad, in grotesque rags rod'
!, 10 miles on horseback over road from
9 which no habitation was visible, and two o
| them Kept abreast Oh Iuc Oi iOOt. 4hc NUS
! was a fast traveller but the "Saugers" LOPEZ
along, showing nc sign OF fatigue, and thin
9 they could have kept it up all day. The
IT we're strangers, but had no fear. for the
: bore no arms l am told that not one in
owns a gun or pistol. Virginians tell m
that they are very cowardly, and neve
Is touch a man unless they can do it at ovei
whelming odds. This may be SO, but fror
what I saw of them should say that the
il are prudent and peaceful.
Of can not call them an agricultural pee
k pie, for they seem TO have an antipathy
to farming and gardening. A few attempt
h raise little corn, but % out of 80 trade gil
d seng roots for corn meal, and never touch
j, noe. They live in log huts, with mn
d, chimneys. One room serves for all pul
IT. poses With a roaring fire on the heart
ut they pass the coolest winters, apparent
IN happy in their squalor and poyert
be without thought of the outsit
~ world. They sleep upon the floor CO
ct cred with wooden blankets, with their fe
u turned toward the hot Goals. They say tn
IT. warm feet keep the body warm, and SO lol
an as their toes are warm, they care but lit
a for covering Such expressions as rig
Ias peert," "a heap Nv EN- git shut Nv EN-
gs right smarter stretch etc., are commo
nv and they speak in dialect so quaint al
ew drawing that one might fslcy them an o
on shoot from the griddle-foot d Yankee.