Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-21

COLUMBIA, S. c., Nov. o5-To-day the streets
of this town have been well filed. The country
people have been here in force. Noticeable
among the crowds Of blacks and whites were
the sand Killers.
The sand Killers are race OF whites who live
among the sand hills of South Carolina They
seem distinct type. From whom they de-
scended no one knows. Morally they are wrecks
beyond redemption. They are miserably poor.
They are despised by whites and blacks alike
They have no ambition, no hope. no thought Of
higher life. No effort has ever been made to
elevate these degraded people. The treatment
they receive shows plainly the utter indifference
OF the southern gentlemen to the welfare of all
whom he thinks are below him socially.
Before the war these poor whites were treated
worse than slaves. They had the ballot. and
when election day drew near the South Caro-
lima gentlemen used to herd them In corrals
called bull pens here. and. supplying them with
whisky, kept them drunk until they were ready
to have them cast their votes. Incredible as
this story sounds. ii has been told 10 me by SO
many persons that believe ii Is true
sand hitler is raw-boned. gaunt, cadayer-
Gus man. He is put together loosely. He
shameless in his gait. He is humble in spirit,
and looks downward as though searching for
lost coin. There is peculiar side glance from
the corners of his eyes. furtive, timid. abashed
glance that thoroughly expresses the craven
spirit Of the creature His wife is generally
depressed looking female much given to pipe
smoking. tobacco chewing. and occasionally TO
the pleasure of clay eating. His children are
simply young sand Killers. Some of them. of
tender years, are slaves of the clay habit
These people live in squalid novels hidden from
the sight of passing travellers by trees Many
of these wretched dwellings stand i'm rayines
where there a love LAM for iepl
ture. A few chickens stalk sadly around the
yards. A pig. lean. active straight tailed walks
with hungry brskness about the house. The
sand hitler who does not own dog does not live
Ia South Carolina. They generally have more
than one-mean, sneaking ours, NANCY, flea
bitten. and ALWAYS tired
There has been weak effort at agriculture
around the houses of the sand Killers. A few
acres OF the sandy soil have been scratched
with @ light pillow, having wooden mold
board, and drawn by single mule, steer. or
COW. A few vegetables some corn. and coca
siOnaily little patch of cotton. a very small
patch this, as the true sand hitler is not given
to working the soil. are planted. They raise
enough TO feed their families, generally. IL
they do not they supplement the supply by
stealing or by selling wood. They hunt. the fish,
they sit in the sun. When they are tired of rest
ing they cut a little wood, by preference the
resinOus heart Of the pitch pine. called light
wood. 1t takes long time for the sand hitler
bly, the entire week. When Saturday morning
comes the torpid animal dresses himself in his
best clothes, bitches his single animal to his
cart, which is loaded with the wood and slowly
travels over miles of sandy roads to market.
Arriving there. he sells his wood receiving from
fifty cents to dollar and half for the load
This money he promptly investsin whisky which
ne carries home. He does not llnger i'm town
preferrlng the solitude of the sand hills. where
surrounded by his squalid family. he can quietly
hlt nntn l,,ll
ciety.
This part of South Carolina is a country of
one-horse wagons. 1t is rare to see two horses
harnessed and hitched to farm wagon as they
are in the western agricultural states. One
mule or horse hitched to wagon or a cart is
the prevailing rig. The sand hitler has sobery
buresqued the conveyance. He finding or
begging. or stealing, or it may he buying
though the latter is highly improbable. pair
OF wheels and an axletree builds cart. The
cart is rough affair. pinned together with
wooden pins. and impressing the northern be-
holder with the belief that it will shortly fall to
pieces have stopped on the street several
times to see these carts tumble into kindling
wood. but they hung together. and creakingly
rolled out OF town in the direction of the sand
hills To this cart small bull. COW or steer is
hltched. Three-quarters of the sand killers
nave but single animal. SOBER sad
faced animal that does not chew the cud Of
content; indeed. have yet to see them chew
III.
The harness used is homemade, consisting of
bits OF leathern straps, ropes and short chains
Many OF the animals have collars made of corn
husks, and are harneSsed as horses are i'm the
north and west. Others have single woke.
such as are used on self-sucking cows i'm the
northern states. The cattle are well broken
and remarkably docile. They stand stanchly
when left on the road or, when they are at the
end OF their Journey they lie down and blink
kindly at the by-passers. That there is anythin"
hn anfkt, A..
their drivers never seems to strike the southern
men, thought that the sight of these people
anu OF the negroes who cultivate the ''one-hOrse
FARMS" on the streets might have made the
dominant class thoughtful, and that the ire
mendOus questions imperatively demanding at
tentiOn arose before them. Not So They are
used to the spectacle. and careessly damn both
negroes and sand hllers when spoken to about
them One affluent sand hitler a naughty
monopollst, came to town yesterday
exceedingly absurd and measure of unciyiliza-
ton. He had three animals hitched to his
wagon. The nigh-wheeler was lean mule
grey with age, and having deep pockets above
his eyes. The offwheeler was a small brindle
steer, fat and saucy. Hitched to the end of the
pole, and sObery pulling his share of the half cord
OF wood, walked little red bull. Riding on the
near-wheeler was tall gaunt sand hitler. He
was shaggy of hair. round-shouldered, loose
jOinted. dirty and silent He never smoke to
HIS teaIl, siInply Jefkeu the rope that guided
the lean animal. Going down Main street the
grey mule met another sad-faced mule an old
acquaintance. probably. She thrust out her
head and brayed harshly, the little red bull bel
lowed rumblingly. and the brinde steer beloved
mournfully. The tall sand hitler spoke not.
neither did he smile. He sobery drove to a
cotton warehouse, dismOunted, and stalked off.
leaving his team in the street
One thing that impresses me deeply here is
the silence of the men, both black and white
mean the men from the country A day in
western town, when wheat or corn is mar
keted ia noisy day. Men laugh; they call
loudly to each iother: they joke; the banks are
croWGed;, the saloons filled to overfiowing: the
elevators are filled with good natured men,
and there is the loud hum of human voices
everywhere; the horses are driven rapidly;
the strong. heavy wagons rumble loudly
Here all is silent, all is slow. The people are
sedate. There seems to be no humOr among
them. Gravely they sell their cotton and other
farm produce. The sales over, the streets rapid
ly become deserted. The teams that come from
distance. 80 great as to forbid returning
that day. are driven to cOrrals. Most Of the
teamsters bring fodder for their animals and
blankets and food for themselves. These farm
ers are much more economical than northern
men. The teams arc fed and watered, fires are
built in the corral. and the teamsters, MANY of