The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-20
ONE HUNDRED YEARS BEHIND THE age.
Primitive Industrial Operations and
Manner Of Living.
VIOLATIONS OF THE REVENUE LAW
How Whskey Is Made and Concealed in
the Mountains.
WASHINGTON. Jan. 10, 1879.

toward the suppression of violations of the revenue
laws in the mountain sections of the South We see
frequent reports from raiding parties Of revenue
officers in the States of Tennessee Kentucky the
Carolinas, Arkansas. &c, and almost every re-
port winds up by saying that death blow
has been dealt in the section raided and
that further violation is expected. But after
section is radcd, dstilleries torn mp the men ar
rested general CONSERVATION effected there is the
ghost of Banquo still. The fact is that from the
foundation of the world Nature has conspired
against Commissioner Raum and his faithful officers
by building wild, rugged and impenetrable mountain
chains over a great portion Of the South. The
people who inhabt these wild districts arc
an uncultivated but hardy class of mountaineers
who live in style peculiarly backwoodish. The nat
ural scenery around them is of the most sublime
character. They build their dwellings in the hol-
lows or in deep coves and mountain gens Here and
there lonely cabin stands high up steep hillside
resting the foundation its builder has dug the
hill. Leaping. dashing. glrgling streams of water
abound. The creeks and rivers that flow down rugged
mountain gorges leap from high bluffs in laughing
cataracts arc lined with wldernesses of laurel and
low growth trees. The mountains and ridges are
covered with forests of oak. hickory, PINE poplar
chestnut. &c. Drumming pheasants. squeaking
ground squirrels. busy pigeons. barking gray
squirrels Shiny reptiles. forest birds and game in
habit these sylvan retreats In them the trees rocks
decaying logs. &c. grown messy gray from age
and the ceascess shade which them. Human
voices seldom wake these lonely wilds. except oc
casional hunter who seeks the black bear, the deer
or wild turkey
INDUSTRIES OF THE SECTION.
The citizens Of these mountain sections live by
cultivating scanty crops Of corn. wheat buckwheat
oats, potatoes sugar cane, cotton fax. tobacco &C.
These are cultivated on steep hillsides or in the
narrow wales and coves of the mountains. The
traveller is often led to wonder how these hardy
people manage to cultivate such steep. rugged land
and to gather their crops from it, They do all the
work such places with the hoe. No beast could
stand to pull plough such steep, dan
gerous lands. The wheat is sowed down and
the land dug up with the hoe. Hills arc
dug for corn. tobacco, &C., and weeds are kept
out by constant hoeing. Wagons seldom used in
gathering crops except it be in places where it is
possible to reach the fields by winding and circuit
routes. In such cases the wagon is loaded and,
to prevent its too rapid descent log the lap Of
tree is tied on to be dragged behind Where wagons
cannot be used the graf is carried down by or
is pitched from post to post until it lands at the foot
of the hill. Sleds are much used for drawing grain
wood, &c, down the hllsides. They are drawn
on the naked earth. and when not descending a hill
very cumbersome. The manner of threshing ont
wheat buckwheat, &C., is to beat 1t out with fails or
trample it out by riding horses around in circle on
pile of sheaves. This where threser cannot be
hauled limited number of stage roads have been
built over these wild mountains but they are few
and far between. Narrow trails that creep around
difficult passes and frightful chasms are seen
oftener than wagon roads.
Mills for grinding grain are Of the rudest patterns
imaginable. They are plain structures of undrcssrd
logs covered with clspboards and foored with
puncheons or undrcssed planks laid down loose The
fixtures are hopper, pair of millstones, meal box.
water wheel and mill made in whole in part
by laying dug out logs end to end trestles. The
grain is brought to the mills in driblets by the
men and boys. who carry it on their backs in
quantities ranging from peck to bushel.
The bread most used is that made from
corn meal, baked in "pones'' or dodgers" Ovens
alone used for baking. stoves not in use.
Wheat bread Is held rarity and is only used on
special occasions 1t is baked into biscuits
cake is much used. Cattle. hogs and sheep al
lowed to range ut liberty the woodlands and
"od fields" Mich cows bells that jingle in a
peculiar, musical way as the cows nip the
sheep is wanted for mutton the flock is
searched for in the woodland by the mountaineer
bearing o rifle his shoulder and knife in his
belt. Hogs root for living When the forest trees
yield acorns and chestnuts in abundance the porker
gets sufficiently fat to be driven home to the
slaughter. When the chestnuts fall to the ground
happy mountain boys and girls gather them by the
bushel and barter them ut the stores for ''store
goods Thus the world gets the most Of its supply
of chestnuts.
THE poMIcILEs.
The dwellings in which these people live are plain
log structures. covered with the universal clap
boards. No sawed lumber is used in their construc
ton, except for making DOORS shutters and lay ing
floors. framing doors and windows. &c. These huts
cabins usually contain only one room. especially
il the family is small. When more room
becomes necessary to shelter the family an
addition is made at the side end adioin-
ing house is built. Chimncys universally built
on the outside of the houses as a means OF ccono-
MIXING space The frcpaces built from three to
five feet wide. Into these wide ireplaces large sticks
OF wood are piled for blazing Killing fires in winter
cooking. and by their light they to knit the family
socks. mend the family clothing spin the wool and
fax and weave the cloth which ~ 10 keep the family
warm. The father sits the fire cobbling the
shoes of his family. The children, perhaps amuse
themselves by looking at the pictures in the last
years almanac turning the leaves of specr or
reader. il they fortunate enough to onc and
all by the light OF the fire. The furniture OF one Of
these rude dwellings consists of 70 few plain chairs
table, two three beds. spinning wheel limited
number of cooking vessels and. IL IL be the weaving
q loft its floor is laid of plank, and il is reached
by ascending q stcpladder which leads through q
scuttle hole. Around the walls aud 20 the josts
of the room are hung numbers of homespun articles
of dress, hanks of yarn, punches OF hax
rings OF dried pumpkin. bags of gard
arises from the fact that war,irobcs are
unknown to the mountain style of architecture The
prevailing style is to make single door the front
window ut the back aud also Mt the end of the
dwelling. All the members of family sleep in
ROOM when convenient The boys usually put
on the lott to sleep where the family is too large be
ccominodatcd on the first floor Bri TAI parties
usually occupy the lott "the bed behind the door
Trundle beds for the children are kept beneath the
larger beds and drawn out when bedtime arrives.
PREVAILING MODES.
The females wear homemade dresses of ,nsey
cloth and sunbonnets of calico Extras seldom
worn. The same dress usually answers for home
duties. attending church-''meeting. as they term
it-vlsng. attending funerals, going to the store to
trade. &c. In summer time all parties go bare
footed" In winter they homemade shoes
brogans bought from the country stores. The dress
Of the mon Is very plain. No hnery Is INDUCED in
suit OF blue jeans cloth. homemade. aud pair of
boots. with paper collar aud wool hat. is the highest
finish looked for.
The corn crops, when gathered. stored In small
log cribs with little square window, used as door,
cut about four feet from the ground. Smokchouscs
for hanging bacon. are made of undressed logs and
have floors except the earth On this a fire is
kept burning for several days after hanging the
bacon. in order to smoke" il. As apologies for
barns square log pens built with lofts laid of
poles In these lots stored hay oats and fodder
Cattle and horses stand in the stable while the
mows of hay and oats above for the hens TO
make nests In aud to roost upon.
Each family has n rife, about the doors of the
cabins stand troops Of hungry dogs. Hunting foxes
eoons, opossums squirrels rabbits, and occasionally
deer and bear. In engaged in n of sport and