Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1884-01-17
i. AMONG THE CRACKERS.
A Peculiar People-Don,estic Itfe m
Manners-Matrimonial Hahffs -

Greenytle, 8. o., CORES. N. Y. Evening Post.]
Imagine q tall, .gaunt, loose.jointed
man, with long grizzled hair, deep-set
eyes that glow like Goals of fire; high
square shoulders. stopping, s!ouchine
gait, skin wrinkled, sallow, and dirty be.
yond description; hands and feet i'm
mense, the former grimy and with red.
protruding knuckles, the latter encased
IN cow-hide boots with soles half an inch
thick and Of astonishing width; clothes
in comparison with which the sproverbial
coat OF Joseph would seem dull; so coy-
cred are they with patches Of divers
colors; in his mouth a corn-cob pipe
from which rise occasionally tiny blue
rings of smoke this is faithful pen
picture OF the South Carolina /" crack er. p
In the region about Columbia, the capi-
tai of this state, and up here in the
mountains, these peculiar specimens of
humanity are called stack eyes,; at
Aiken, the famous health resort, and in
the neighborhood of Charleston, they
are known as " sand hillers;" while in
the rest of the state and in Tennessee
and Georgia they are called crackers"
The cracker" wears his trousers in his
boots, he carries dangerous weapons,
and completes his picturesque attire
with broad brimmed slouch hat, either
OF straw or gray felt. When the crops
are good he wears an unbIeached muslin
shirt, without a collar, but when the cot
ton is thin he feels as if he could not af-
ford such luxurious clothing and donsja
dirty looking red flannel garment with
white china buttons. Some OF the
prominent southern cotton-b buyers tell
me that they always know what kind of
cotton cracker" has for. sale when
they see his shirt, which has given rise
to the proverb, ga mans cotton may
be known by the shirt he wears" =
When the. !" cracker comes to town
it is in style likely to impress q
northern observer. He drives big
wagon, guiltless of springs, which has
a cover of white cotton stretched over
poles, to keep off the sun. In this
vehicle he lives when he leaves home,
carrying therein his cooking utensils,
his bed and his whisky, and usually his
wife and children. ct might beapropos
to add, parenthetically, that I have yet
to see q " cracker" who was not married,
who did not have at least half dozen
children, and who did not live in incom.
parable squalor.) ss
The female "crackers," too, afford
many opportunities for character study,
have many characteristics of the males,
and not few of their vices; some of
them use tobacco and snuff and drink
corn whisky with evident relish. They
are buxom, dirty, most of them ugly
and ignorant, yet arrogant. Outside
of the large towns of South Carolina,
newspapers are rarely read; illiterate
and half .witted people are to be found
on nearly all of the farms: To illustrate
this: A "cracker," about thirty years
of age, came to minister in Greenville
not long ago, accompanied by young
girl of about twenty, dressed in a faded
calico dress, with a aun-bonnet to matcha
After some time making the clergyman
understand that they wished to be mar
ried, the matrimonial knot was tied, but
when the minister came to make out the
certificate difficulty arose.
The bridegroom being asked his name,
replied, sheepishly "John."
But what is your other name ?"
asked tho clergyman.
81 amt got no other name," was the
somewhat startling reply.
well, what is your fathers name 2"
persisted the divine, hoping to strike a
clue a
"Peter," was the breyiloquent reply,
this time with a rising infection that
denoted impatiencs.
"What do you call him when you
don't call him Peter ?" was asked.
"I alters call him Popl" was the re-
sponse, which WAS given in I" that-set.
tles-the-u,atter tone of voice. In vain
the minister interrogated, but fancy his
amozement when he learned that the
bride did net know her family name
either, having always been called
Hickory Bess." In order to make out
the certificate the minister was obliged
to adopt the legal resort of "Doe" and
"Roe, and the couple went sway after
paying the customary fee of so cents.
There certainly is field for missionary
work nenrer home than India or Africa,
if our good friends at the north would
only investigate the matter thoroughly.
Several thousands of dollars could be
spent to good advantage in Green
vile County alone, with its 1887 illit-
crate people, only seven of whom are
foreigners.
The first Monday of every month is
"salesday" in South Carolina. All the
:" crackers come to town, rain or shine,
in their big wagons, drawn ofttimes by
mule and COW yoked together.
They pitch camp in the suburbs, and
drink the cows milk as they MUNICH
their crackers and cheese and tell stories.
They form picturesque camp, these
hundreds of semi barbarians, with their
quaint dialect, their singular attire, and
their novel way Of living. Picture the
camp at night. Ahundred fires built in
an immense circle cast their Pickering
light upon the snowy covered wagons,
throwing them into bold relief against
the sky. The horses, mules and COWS
Craze near at hand, some tethered, some
free. Here and there around the fires
are groups of men, spinning yarns
and drinking the villainous whisky of
the region, while from one or two of the
wagons womeR's faces, grim and witch
like in the dim light, Eeer curiously. It
isa picture never to oe forgotten.
The young man who, at the rink Sat-
urday evening, Observed the writer and
lady skating Gogether, and made some
remark about Beauty and the Beast, .
will hear of something to his disadvan-
tage il he will call at this Office. No
punishment is too severe fora brute who