The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1883-01-11
[Springfield Globe.l
AMONG THE CLAY EATERS.
The Sand Hitler People of SOuth
Carolina,

Carolina.
The sand hillers are a race of whites
who live among the sand hills of
South Carolina. They seem distinct
type. From whom they descended
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 life, no thought of a
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 gentleman to the welfare of
all whom he thinks are below him So
cially.
] Before the war, says Frank Wilke-
son in the New York Sun, these poor
whites were treated worse than slaves.
They had the ballot, and when the
ELECTION day drew near the South Car
olina gentlemen used to herd them in
corrals, called bullpens here, and, sup
plying them with whisky, kept them
drunk until they were ready to have
them cast their votes. Incredible as
this story sounds, it has been told to
me by so many persons that [ believe
it is true.
A sand hitler is a raw-boned, gaunt,
cadaverous man. He is put together
loosely. He shambles in his gait. He
is humble in spirit, and looks down
ward as though looking for lost coin.
There is peculiar side glance from
the corners Of his eyes, a furti1 :,
timid, abashed glance that thoroughly
expresses the craven spirit Of the
creature His wife is generally de-
pressed looking female much giving
to pipe smoking, tobacco chewing,
and occasionally to the pleasure of
clay eating His children are simply
young sand hillers. Some of them, of
tender years, are slaves of the clay
habit. These people live in squalid
novels hidden from the sight of pass
ing travellers by trees. Many Of these
wretched dwellings stand in ravines
where there is little level land fit
for agriculture. A few chickens stalk
sadly around the yard. A pig, lean,
ACTIVE, straight-tailed, walks with a
hungry briskness about the house.
The sand hitler who does not own a
dog. does not live in South Carolina.
! They generally have more than one
mean, sneaking ours, NANCY, flea
bitten, and always tired. =.
There has been weak effort at ag-
riculture around the houses Of the
sand-hillers. A few acres Of the sandy
soil had been scratched with a light
plow, having a wooden mould board,
and drawn by single mule, steer or
COW. A few vegetables, some corn,
and occasionally little patch of cot
ton, very small patch this, as the
true sand hitler is not given to work
ing the soil, are planted. They raise
enough to feed their families, gener-
ally. If they do not, they supple
ment the supply by stealing, or by
selling wood They hunt, they fish.
they set in the sun. When they are
tired of resting they cut little wood,
by preference the resinous heart of
the pitch pine, called light wood. 1t
takes long time for sand-hiller to
cut the eighth of cord of this wood,
possibly an entire week. When Sat
urday morning comes the torpid ami
NAL 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 be promptly in
vests in whisky, which he carries
home. He does not linger in town
preferring the solitude Of the sand
hill S, where, surrounded by his squalid
family, he can get drunk and thor
oughly enjoy sand hill society.
This part Of South Carolina is Il
country Of one-horse wagons. 1t is
rare to see two horses harnessed and
hitched to farm wagon as they art
in the Western agricultural States
One mule or horse hitched to wagon
or cart is the prevailing rig. The
sand hitler has soberly burlesqued
this conveyance. He, finding, or beg
ging, or stealing, or it may be buying
though the latter is highly improba-
BILE, pair Of wheels and an axletree
builds cart. The cart is a rough
affair, pinned together with wooden
pins, and impressing the Northern
beholder 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. Three-quarters Of the
sand hillers have but single animal
sober, sad-faced animal that does not
chew the cud of content; indeed,
have yet to see them chewing any
cud, either of content or discomfort
The harness used is home made, con-
, sisting of bits of leathern straps
ropes, and short chains. Many of the
animals have collars made of corn
husks, and are harnessed as horses art
in the North and West. Others have
a single yoke, such as are used or
self-sucking cows in the Northern
States. The cattle are well broken
and remarkably docile. They stand
stanchly when left on the road, OF
. when they are on the end of theil
: Journey, they lie down and blink
g kindly at the by-passers. That there
e is anything ludicrous in the appear
t ance of those teams and their driver.
S never seems to strike the Southerl
i men. I thought that the sight Of
e these people and of the negroes wh'
). cultivate the "one=horse farms" OF
the streets might have made the dom
: inant class thoughtful, and that th'
tremendous questions imperatively
demanding attention arose befor
r them, Not so. They are used to tn
Y spectacle. and carelessly damn boil