The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-01-17
PIKE COUNTY FOLKS.

PIKE COUNTY FOLKS.
A Singular Character who Lives In ths
Pennsylvania Mountains.
A Pike County, Pa, correspondent o
the New York Times gives the following
Incidents in the life Of Jerry Greening
one of the family charged with. shooting
man in Dingman Township. He says
The GreeniDgs live by hunting, fish
ing, acting as guides to visiting sports
men, and by the sale Of railroad ties
hoop poles, cord wood, tan bark, ship
knees, and other products of the woods
which they have ransacked and stripped
for miles around, irrespective of owner
ship or title. Some member OF the
family-and frequently two or three OF
them at once-has been defendant In a
criminal suit of some kind, generally
assault and battery, at nearly every term
of the Pike County courts for 25 years:
They are yindictive and unforgiving, and
any neiehbor of theirs, or any other resi-
dent of the county, who has given them
either real or imaginary cause for a
"grudge" against him. knows that sooner
or later he will be made to feel their
vengeance in one way or another. Old
.Jerry. although as hale, hearty, tough
and active at IS as be was at 40, has been
comparatively quiet and non'aggresslve
for for IS wears past. Previous to that his
appearance in Milford, or any other
village, was sufficient to excite general
uueasiness, for it was we'll understood
thot before he started for home there had
to be fight, and that it would have but
one sresuIt-the unmerciful licking of
some unfortunate townsman at old Jer-
rvs hands. 1t was his boast that be had
never vet met a man that was enough"
for him. One day in 1857 he entered
the Pike County House in Milford, and
was looking for fight. He was noisy
and abusive as usual, and terrorized all
who were present. The landlord was 3
strong Young man, but peaceable and
.non.combatapt. He endeayored to
quiet old Jerry and induce him to start
for home. Jerry then turned his atten.
ton to the landlord, and declared that
he would whip him. He proceeded to
carry out his intention, but the landlord
got in one blow between Jerry's eyes
That felled him like an OK. The aid OF
physician had to be called in to restore
him to consciousness. When he recov-
cred he walked out of the hotel without
a word, got into his wagon, and went
home. From that day he quit drinking,
and has never been known to seek hgEt
since.
In old Jerry Greening's younger days
he was the terror of the whole region.
There WAS one man in the township,
however, that he was afraid to tackle"
One Fall. a backwoods preacher, known
as the ''Mountain Ranger" opened a
protracted meeting in the school-house,
One Sunday, as Greening was hunting
deer in the woods, he met q nelghbor
who was also a noted tighter. Inns
neighbor told Greening that it ne wanted
to SEQ some fun to come along with him,
as he was going over to the school,
house to "bust up" the meeting, because
his wife had got religion and spent too
much time at the school. house. Green
ing went along to see the fun. When
they reached the meeting the services
were at their height. The two men
stalked in. The aggrieved neighbor
walked straight up to the preacher, who
was q tall, wiry, big-fsted man, and
boldly announced that he had come there
to clam" him and "bust up" the meeting.
The preacher paused in his sermon, and,
stepping up to the intruder, caught MIN
by the collar and flung him bodily out OF
the window. He did not come back.
The preacher knew that the man was
held in almost as much terror in the
community as Jerry Greening, and that
probably no one else in the township
would dare to fight him, and 80 the
preacher thought to make strong poine
With his congregation, and, walking back
to his post behind his desk, solemnly de-
clared that it was entirely owing to the
power of religion that he had been able
to 80 quickly vanquish his assailant, ana
asserted that any one in the audience
could have done the same thing II they
had faith in religion.
The effect on Jerry Greeniug OF the
preachers summary disposition of the
doughty disturber of the meeting was
wonderful. If religion could do such
wonders as that, be thoughts he says
himself in relating the story-lt was
lust what he wanted to help him out IN
q fight with the one man in the township
that he was afraid to "tackle." So that
same night he event forward" and joined
ethe mourners." The news that Jerry
Greening was getting religion spread all
over the country, and added greatly to
the success of the revival. Jerry the
second night after he went forward an.
nounced that the next Sunday ne would
tell his Experience" One of Jerry's
hunting companions was on his way to
the woods that day after deer, but when
he heard that Jerry was to tell his ex-
perience he stopped in at the school
house to hear him, setting his gun down
by the door. While Jerry was giving
bis experience the baying Of a hound
was heard off on the ridge. Jerry. kept
on talking, but began to>prick up his ears
and crane his neck around to look out
of the window in the direction from
which the hounds cry came. He knew
the dog was bringing a deer straight
toward the school. and that it would
crop the creek at a well-known runway
only few yards distant. The hound
came nearer and nearer, and presently
Jerry saw through the window big
five. pronged buck tearing down the hill.
This was more than he could stand.
"There's great big 6ve-prong buck, !"
he shouted, "and my gun amt within
four mile O. here! %
He rushed from the school-house, and
seeing the gun the hunter had left at
the door he grabbed it and made for the
creek. Before he reached the runway
he heard shot and knew that some one
had shot the deer. It was his dog, that
had driven the deer in, and he made up
-, vivid ~ m and claim mr. least mart OF