Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1885-09-19
In The Virginia Mountains.
Washington Republic.


Washington Republic.
Grundy is a mere hamlet on the
bank OF Big Sandy river, ten miles
from Kentucky state line, the home OF
the "moonshiner, walled in by noun
tains on all sides. The area OF the
whole village is not more than one eand
one-half acres, and wilder, more des-
olate lookingplace you cannot imag-
inc. 7 could find but two men in
Abingdon who had ever been to Grun-
dy or could give me any idea OF the
road leading there. One of them was
a revenue officer who once made a
raid over there on horseback; the 9TH
er was member of congress for that
district, who had been there once dur
ing the political campaign ofiast fall.
They had made the distance by
! horseback, sixty miles from Abingdon
and by wagon road ninety-six miles.
They said it would be impossible to
find the horseback road without a
guide, as the road was q mere path
over rocky mountains, often almost
indiscernable ! could not hire guide
Or saddle horse without a sore
back 1.-THE horses back not the
guide's), so | hired q covered wagon
and pair of horses and went 1t alone,
taking a supply OF raw dried beef,
canned meat and crackers. VI all the
trips ever took, that was the worst:
1t was up and down mountains all
the way. Twas six days and nights
on the road. One horse played out
almost entirely before l got back.
NV right arm is stiff and sore yet from
using the brake on the wagon to keep
it from running over and killing the
horses coming down the mountains.
| had great difficulty in finding the
way, as nobody on the road seemed
to have ever been five miles from
home.
On top OF Big Sandy mountain l
, came across a woman standing IN her
hut door with a child in her arms.
looking very miserable. She said,
"Meester, did you meet an old woman
on mewl?"
"Yes, about tho miles back"
. 'Did the mewl fling herr"
mo, not in my presence, why!
"Well dat ole woman is my nanny
1 and critters up in does mountains
e haint usen to kivered concerns, and l
+ was skeert the mewl mout ha flung
:. her."
q Wondered il the horses and mules
y were really afraid of wheeled vehicles.
: About a mile further on, Ispied about
n 200 yards ahead OF me aparty OF four
o persons mounted on mules. AS soon
n as drove in sight, they rode up Ir
e the bushes and dismounted, and as
. had been cautioned that it was not
= perfectly safe to go over the mountain
% alone if there was anything about mi
4 like a revenue officer, and as 1T was
y then getting dusk, was a little doubt
i full what that maneuver meant. Bu'
i drove bravely up and to my surpris'
~ each man was holding his "crltter
e close by the bit and the CRITTERS
: gave them lively time to hold then
g until my wagon passed. / then re
= membered having read year or tive
\ ago a speech or lecture made by Rev
- erdv johnson, in Baltimore, in whlcl
he said there was a county in tn
mountain section of Virginia, in whicl
there was not a single wheeled vehicl
known, and only one wagon roat
70 through the country. / immediatel.
= concluded that l had found the coun
y. ty and road.
A. From the eastern edge of Buchanan
= county, where entered it, to Grund.
:, is thirtv-one miles. | did not see II
!" that whole thirty-one miles srngl
+ brick or frame house of any descrlr
II tion. Nothing but the lowest orde
of log huts; stack chimneys three o
~ four feet lower than the house: In
.. puncheons formed the roof, held dow
" by rocks piled on them. was in to
Ts ie rain all one day, and forced at nigh
=. to seek shelter in one Of these houses
~ where | could have fire, as 1t wa
" very cold up in the m ountains. In
lV' whole family occupied the room wit
!, mo The horses were turned out Z
nu craze. 1t was court week at Grund!
or Court was held in small schoo
er house. The hotel is frame buildir
~ of only two rooms with a stack chm
iic nev between. Four beds were In eac
tto room, and one of these rooms was a
W so used for dining purposes, II peop
IN IN could be said to dine who eat twice
ak dav, 800 days in the year, nothn
wn 'H but hot, half-done soda biscuit al
me fried meat. ! killed eleven snakes
ain the road and drank a quart ofrot-g'
or mountain whiskey to hold the N
biscuit down. There is not a iran
an house. / was told, in Buchanan cou
81, ty. outside of Grudy, and there a
aR- only five there since the fire.
q "'
ar ,.,