The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1883-12-26
A PECULIAR PEOPLE.
The " Poor White Trash D Who Inhnbil
the Tennessee Mountains.


have just returned from sojourn of
some months in the mountains of East Ten
nessee, rambling over them, sometimes on
horseback and sometimes afoot. In this
way have become pretty well acquainted
with the mountainous of the Chilhowee and
/ Smoky ranges. They are classed in the South
as poor white trash" Everywhere they
are the same people, possessing the Same
marked characteristics, speaking the same
dialect and living on the same low grade OF
found in various parts of Maryland, Vir-
ginia, the two Carolin is and Georgia. In all
these regions they held social grade below
the negroes. Their origin is enveIoped IN
mystery No one knows from what nation
atty they have sprung. The men of these
mountain slopes are tall, loose jointed, and
walk with long, swinging strides they have
a lazy, do-nothing and care for-nothing air
in both speech and movement. Most of
chem go barefooted-at least in the summer
months-and wear very tight-ftting, linsey-
woolsey trousers, died brown with the bark
/ of the walnut. They have no suspenders,
and very few of them wear coats Of any
kind. Their shirts were made of coarse
cotton material. and are generally so dirty
that it is impossible to tell the original color.
Most of them wear slouched wool hats that
look as il they had seen many years of hard
service some few having homemade hats
Of plaited rye straw Almost every man seen
ON the road had a long, rustic looking rifle
on his shoulder, an OK horn powder flask
AMI cowslsin shot pouch swung around
his neck. The womsn 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 they are neverso long as to sug-
gest the idea of a trail consequently their
large, widespreading bare feet are exposed
at every step. The young girls are so dirty
hat, if they have any personal beauty, it is
covered. In early life the teeth are dis
colored and decayed, caused doubtless by
their constant use of tobacco. Men, women
and children all chew the weed necessarily,
and also smoke and use snuff. Splitting
/ with these people is not only habit, it is a
pastime. The two highest accomplishments
! with the men are TO be able to shoot and to
| spit we'll, and men and women both actually
hold splitting matches. The men are n shift
loss and do-nothing set, who wander about
oyer 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, g they is moighty
scarce" | stopped at the best house in the
valley to get lunch. II was q double log
hut, with four doors, but no windows. /
did not see window in q single house in
the valley. The owner Of the house where
/ stopped seemed to be the head man or
chief of the clan, exercising a controlling
influence g in all matters of public interest,""
He is about sixty years of age, and is stout
and strong. From him l learned that there
are seventy-fve voters in the valley, of
whom only twenty can write their
names, and that he himself cannot read.
There are three School Commissioners and
of them only one Lan read. The lunch with
which / was served consisted of bacon and
beans, cold, bread 30 hard that 1 could
scarcely masticate it, and good milk and
butter. But it was given with great cordiali-
ty, and even with manifest Joy and pride.
The old woman sat at the table chewing to-
bacco and splitting on the floor, evidently
proud of her accomplishment, and anxious
to show her skill in squirting tobacco juice
between her black and shaggy teeth. The
old man sat against the door smoking a
short stemmed. black, clay pipe. giving me
history of the valley. He said when he
was young there were plenty of deer and
bears, and no end to fish in the crick,
but" he added in very sad tone, they is
all gone now, and think hit wus the war
that has gonned them. - Correspondence Of
the Philadelphia Press.