The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-01-17
PIKE COUNTY FOLKS.
A Singular Character who Lives In tho
Ponusyivania Mountains.


A Pike County, Pa, correspondent O
the New York Times gives the followin;
incident in the life Of Jerry Greening
one of the family charged with shooting
q mac in Dingman Township. He says
i'he Greenings 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 CT the
family-and frequently two or three o
them at once-has been defendant in
criminal suit of some kind, generally
assault and battery, at nearly every tern
Of the Pike County courts for Is years
They are vindictive and unforgiving, ant
any neighbor of theirs, or any other resi-
dent of tho county, who has given them
either real or imaginary cause for 9
"grudge" against him. knows that sooner
or later he will be made to feel theil
vengeance in ono way or mother. OLD
Jerry, although as hale, hearty, tough
and active at 70 as he was At 4G, has been
comparatively quiet and non.a aggressive
for Is years past. Previous to that his
appearance in Milford, or any other
village, was sufficient to excite general
uneasiness, for it was we'll understood
that before he started for home there had
10 be fight, and that it would have but
one eresnlt-the unmerciful licking oi
some unfortunate townsman at old Jer-
ry's hands. 1t was his boast that be had
never yet met man that was enough"
for him. One day in 1867 he entered
the Pike County Honse in Milford, and
was looking for q fight He was noisy
and abusive as usual. and terroriZed ell
who were present. The landlord was a
strong young man, but peaceable and
non .combatant. He endeavored TO
quiet old Jerry and induce him to start
for home. Jerry then turned his atten-
ton to the landlord, and declared that
be 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
word, got into his wagon, and went
home. From that day he quit drinking,
and has never been known to seek fight
| since.
In old Jerry Greenings younger dayn
he was the terror of the whole region.
There was one man in the township,
however, that he was afraid to tackle"
One Fall, backwoods preacher, known
as the ''Mountain Ranger" opened a
protracted r,eeting in the school-house,
three or miles from Greenings.
One Sunday, as Greening was hunting
deer in the woods, he met e. neigkbor
who was also a noted fighter. This
neighbor told Greening that if he wanted
to see 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
vas a tall, wiry, big listed 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 him
by the collar and flung him bodily out of
the window. Fe did not come back.
The preacher knew that the man was
held IN almost ss much terror lii the
community as Jerry Greening, and that
probably no one else in .ho township
would dare TO fight him, and 30 the
preacher thought to make a strong point
with his congregation, and, walking back
| to his post behind his desk, solemply de-
clared that it was entirely owing to the
power of religion that he had been able
to 80 quickly vanquish his assailant, and
asserted that any one in the audience
could have done the same thing if they
had faith in religion.
The effect on Jerry Greening of the
preachers summary disposition Of the
| doughty disturber of the meeting was
wonderful. If religion could do such
wonders as that, he thoughts ne says
himself in relating the story-it was
just what he wanted to help him out in
| ight with the one man in the township
that he was afraid to tackle" So that
same night he "went forward" and joined
"the mourners." The news that Jerry
Greening was getting religion spread all
over the country, and added greatly to
| the success of the revival. Jerry tho
second night after he went forward an
| nounced that the next Sunday he 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 wes giving
his experience the bayiDg of hound
was heard off on the ridge. Jerry kept
on talking, but began to prick up his ears
and crane his neck around 70 look out
of the window in the direction from
which the hounds cry came. He knew
the dog was bringing O deer strsight
toward the school. house and that it would
crop the creek at well-known runway
only few yards distant. The hound
came nearer and nearer, and presently
Jerry cav through the window big
five. pronged buck tearing down the hill.
This was more than he could stand.
"There's greet big five.prong buck"
he shouted, "and my gun amt within
four mile o here!"
He rushed from the school. house, and
seeing tho 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. 1t was his dog that
had driven the deer in, and he made up
his mind to 60 and claim At least part OF
the deer. When he got to the spot there
the deer lay dead, and standing over II
was the one man in the township whom
he was afraid ho could not click" He
laid claim to the deer though, and the
man said that If he go: that deer be
would have to whip him first. Jerry