Daily Republican., 1883-11-09
THE POOR WHITE TRASH
A PECULIAR PEOPLE IN EAST
TEN n ESSEE WHO CAM SO UlRT
TOBACCO.
From the Philadelphia Press.

|
From the Philadelphia Press.
GREENSBORO, Ala, Nov. IL have
Just returned from soOurn of some
months in the mountains of East Ten
nessee, rambling over them, sometimes
on horseback and sometimes on foot.
Ia this way / have become pretty well
Acquainted with the mountaineers OF
the Chilhowee and Smoky ranges, and
am sure that the readers of the Press
will be interested in . faithful descrip-
tion of these peculiar people, who are
however, in no wise Jealous of good
works, nor of any other kind of work,
since the Government has broken up the
Illicit distilleries in their mountain
gorges. They are classed in the Sont
as poor white trash" Everywhere
they are the same people, pos; rs Ing
the same marked characteristics, speak
i1g the same dialect and living on II {
same low grade of civilization. People
of the same sort are found in various
parts of Maryland, Virginia, the two
Carolinas and Georgia. In all these
regions they hold social grade below
that of the negroes. Their origin is en-
veloped in mystery No one knows
from what nationality they have
sprung.
| HOW POOR WHITE TRASH LOOK.
The men of these mountain slopes are
tall, loose -jointed, and walk with long,
swinging strides they have lazy, do
nothing and care-for-nothing air in
both speech and movement. Most OF
them 90 barefooted-at least in the
summer nlonths-and wear very tight
fitting linsey- woolsey trousers, dyed
brown with the bark of the walnut.
They have no suspenders, and very
few Of them wear coats of any kind.
Their shirta are made of coarse cotton
material, and are generally 80 dirty
that 1t is impossible to tell the Original
color. Most of them wear slouched
wool has that look as if they had seer
many years of hard service, some few
having homemade hats of plated rye
straw. Almost every man seen on the
road had long, rustic looking rifle on
his shoulder, an ox-horn powder flask
and a cOwskin shOt-pouch swung
around his neck.
The women are in keeping with the
men. Their dress is made Of the same
material, only shade lighter in color.
There Is no fit about the waists of their
garments, and the skirts are most econo-
mically narrow, and never 50 long az tc
suggest the idea of a trail consequent
ly their large, wide-spreading bare feet
are exposed at every step. They veal
a kind of sun bonnet of the same ma
terial AZ their dress, shapeless, limp, ,and
Tapping around their brown and salloW
faces.
The young girls are so dirty that, il
they have any personal beauty, l. Ii
co vered In early life the teeth art
dscolored and decayed, caused doubt
less by their constant use of tobacco
Men, women and children all chew the
weed incessantly, and also smoke and
use snuff. Splitting with these people
is not only habit, but pastime by
long practice they have acquired a sur
prising skill in emitting tobacco juice
from between their teeth, sending II
with peculiar kissing sound to dis
taLce of nine or ten feet, always aim
ing at some object directly in front O
the.n, aud seldom failing to hit it
They can spit at long range with th'
same precision and certainty will
which they shoot, being as sure to hi
the mark at ten feet with tobacco juice
as they are to bring down the squire
from the top of the tallest tree with
their unerring rifle. The two highest
accomplishments with the men are tt
be able to shoot and to spit well, and
men and women both actually hold
splitting matches.
A SCENE OF PRIMITIVE POVERTY.
Between the Chilhowee and Smoky
Mountains there is a picturesque val
ley, about six miles in length and of a
varying width of from a few hundred
yards to almost mile. Some beautiful
streams come leaping and laughing
down the mountain sides, forming a
creek which rushes through the valley
with stiicient strength to turn mill.
The soil is rich, and would yield abund
ant crops If properly cultivated, but the
cultivation is Of the most primitive and
thriftless kind. The pole and brush
enclosures around the little farms Car
hardly be called fences. The valley
was first settled more tLan a hundred
years ago, and there is not yet In it a
house worth $50.
The men are thriftless and do.
nothing set, who wander about over the
woods with long rifles on their
shoulders, and yet they told me that all
game had long ago disappeared except
squirrels, and, added one, "they is
moighty scarce
| | stopped at the best house in the
valley to get lunch. 1t was a double
log hut, with four doors, but no win,
dows did not see window in sin,
gle house in the valley. The owner OF
the house where stopped seemed to be
the head man or chief of the clan, exer.
ciSing controlling influence Gin all
matters of putlic interest"
| He is about sixty years of age, and is
stout and strong. From him | learned
that there are seventy-five voters in the
valley, Of whom only twenty seven can
write their names, and that ha himself
cannot read. There are three school
commissioners, and of them only one
Can read.
| The lunch with which was served con-
sisted of bacon and bea ns, cold, bread
so hard that could sea rcely masticate
it, and good milk and butter. But it
was given with great cordiality, and
even with manifest joy and pride
The old woman sat at the table chew
ing tobacco and splitting on the floor,
evidently proud Of her accomplishment,
and anxious to show her skill in spirit
ing tobacco juice between her black
shaggy teeth, The old man sat against
the door smoking a short.stemrned
black clay pipe, giving me a history of
the valley. He said when he was
young there were plenty of deer and
bears, and mo end to fish in the
crick, but" he added in a very
sad tone, they is all gone now, and ]
think hit wus the war that has gonned
| them"
After dinner we visited the school
house, where l saw and heard some
things which greatly interested and
somewh amused me. But reserve for
another letter a repOrt of the school