The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-12-26
IN THE BAD LANDS.
MOUNTAINS HOMES OF KENTUCKY
some Of tho characteristics of the
People Who Live In the Bad
Lands of Old kentucky
Some Old People, Etc.


welve miles from the Clinch river and
: the first man of note that you meet in
le mountains. / had been told that
Id man Geiser's place would make
nit ~ my first days journey, and that
should he well treated there. At the
lose OF an April day, when showers
ad changed 10 sleet, found myself in
-ont OF a double log house. there was no
eed TO ask where it WAS, for houses are
niles apart here. Everybody is wei
ONE to "A dram OF pine-lop whiskey, "A
hare OF a blazing tre, chunks of corn
odger and such as the
flies of the family have
royided, in those mountain |
,omesteads. For pay he gives news if
q be from the settlements" or hunt
ng yarns ii from the mountains. Money |
always refused--alwaN earnestly |
md often Indignantly. Your savage is
,lways an arIstucrat. He will rob Ivy |
iolence or he Will cheat in horses and |
.attle aud such things rs are subject u !
avage traffic, but he will not sell the |
heller of his roof. But after supper |
gas over aud the pipes were lit, ven |
ured TO a X, land where is the old |
nan?"
"Here am, stranger" said he who
lad acted as host; he took off his hat,
which, like most of his p"ors, he had
worn ~ table. "IIow old do you think
[ ann" His hair was glossy and au
lurn; ii il were streaked with gray |
'ould not notice the silver by the fire.
ght. There were a few crows feet un-
ler his ewes and few wrinkles on his
orehead, his hands always the best in
ices OF age) were smooth ana firm on
he back. lie did not look day over
y; but knew lie must be more than
hat to have earned the prenOmen o
i'd man, 80 | sal =: II guess YOU are CO."
"IaHl d." lie replied. "If you want
see II man who is old, just stop at old
nan loves as you travel along to-
morrow. TIE next creek you cross is
allied 'Stinking;' it VIII be run down
" the time you come TO 1t, and you can
,retty nigh cross 1T dry shpd."
"Aud now old is Old man Lowe"
"rhey say he is ITO years old, and
eckon he is. lie was called old man
When came here, iorty-three years
go"
1 stopped the next day 20 see this fiv"
core years and ten veteran, and never
want " see another very OLD man. Hls
yoice was inhlinan-it was sibilant as a
Whisper aud tremulOus as the rattle of
lry cane leaves; his skin was dead
crown as a fallen leaf; he trembled, and
% could tell me nothing.
81 began TO forget things about twenty
FEARS ago, aud | can recOllect nothing
low. | have always lived here, auu
nany hear I've killed, and one or
wo Indians. That was many year
igo. | used To be mighty peart man.
I reckon ] shall die some time, but
lon't feel no more like IL than have
eftHa
ince lost the use of my.
ell" Vanity of vanitits, saith the
reacher. surely all is vanity. 81 tar as
- man Lowe was concerned the great
cd Pan was dead, aud after that " by
hould any man seek To live? What IN
ie when nature is dumb. or speaking
peaks to deaf ears? The old man ueis, 7
iwned UOOacres wf land; at one time he
rad Ms much AS sixty acres under cult
vatiOn, tut he had lCt twenty 20 back in
% wilderness. Why should a III II toll
oraise more corn tnan himself aud his
oxen and his single "hOrse critter" could
vat? The hogs could have iatten them
elves in the woods, aud meat could Il,
NIilled with rifle any day iutke year
Still the old man complained that th'
country was getting over crowded
Clinchville was little more than twelv,
miles away, aud IL had 400 souls aud twt
stores iu its limits, and they were builu
ing railway, which wOuld bring NOR,
tolks. Game was still "tollable y euly, >
next day | saw buy knock u lawn owe
with "A ruck) but "the railways won't
,oOn run IL out"
The year 1866 was full of wild-oa
Speculaiiuus, aud this mountain rail
road was Que OF them. The srheue ha
'Ong since been abandoned. There vii
ONE a time " hen these despla noun
aims, with their treasures of coal an,
rou VIII he tuunrled anu will echo 1
he whistle aud the grOan of the lucOmt
i've, but IL will be hundred YEA,
ience. II will he when the easil
niurd, easily SINE ted, aud easily tran,
ported ores OF Alabama are CROWN
carce There Is que steam iustltutiO
u the mountains. About fifteen mi,
'eyund WILLIAMSBURG, on the keuluck
ide oI the slope, "A little portable M
Ind engine has been hauled 10y incred
lie lHhur; they said u took twenty \ oh
token to get II there. It's location ".
lot due native enterprise, hut rath,
D some 10 yankee (thbut 2ll yea
head ui ume), who thought that
sDod pine iaud could DO purrhas,
or 81 pes acre, anu as tiue trtrS cuu
- had with or without asking ~
fortune could he made ruttii
lumber. His plan WAS In saw all wiut
IN Iluat his iumber IN the frrshrt,
he stte ms mo the Cumherl aud nv,
mi So ,lONn 10 Nashville, as Is done
he All ghtuN mountains, lie did VI
,now The Il iilrrcucc Ia the streams. II
'reeks aud brooks of the Wig it nj
'ennsylvauia lumber countries Use NJ
lenly, tut when they do RISE they ST.
ai>cd IRA dHY or Two. Big Creek c
thread, a torrent, and "a thread aga
n tweuty.iuur hours Its soWith
he streams In this country. lie ielt
nil behud him-Saw, rggiug, cOi
Tarki burrs aud Hll. The matt,
never tried Ia run the saw alttrntnnu
nut the corn crackers were regular
'un thrice week. How tho machi
lad been run tHr years without u ulu
~ guodnu>s alone KNOWS. Tue Sal
,roVideuce Ia 1t watches over cnildT
MI druukvu men had protected /
tomVspuu ousi leers from dis tstefs.
ist caldmttN overlook the mill. A cl
idged M ths whistle aud IL
used to tipt. Tueu Il was known II
he machine was unsafe; trey wa
AVE rlNkrd a rtd-hut crown sheet
siieut Wm~tle-that was being n
lardv. Traveller, who knew sou
hihg h'o - englnts, hAi p 'utd Rlu
nj they offered him $50, iully piAl
$50 els whte. To revtily ma,t,rs
oak tue y eaun chest apart, madu n
bout ltVciing tue slides, aud when
me Ma lnuking no tOlk the chi . uul
he valve Of souui, then got steam
MI tu" rd. Tue natives came ir
ave aud glen aud insisted "a n I
very three miuuts. Ia the Kingdom
he b hnd they take u uue-tytd man
make hiu King, So the amateur enl
'ei might have married alt of the u
iag.shl' giri~ ~ Whitley rnuntv,
zone Ia congress IN iullhess or time.
A lew niles firtter into the mo
ains dNUit the famous S'anshr
They have been charged with ev
'rine kuuwn Ia the decalugue. ~
4 them a. 1 found theni, aud |
ourned two days with them; d
we're
As mild mannored men
Asey,r scditled shirur cut u throat