Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-10-17
PRIMITIVE PEOPLE.
THE WILD AND UNNAMED JEWELLERS
IN NORTH MOUNTAIN, VA.

Scenes at Orkney Springs-PeeuliAr AP-
P-earanes and Uncouth Manner Of the
MISUNDERSTANDING q Good Time
The Original breakdown"
To the visitors here the appearance OF
these people was q revelation. That the
m~ountaineer was not possessed OF an oruE
nary education was no surprise to them,
but they were not prepared in this nine
teenth century TO gaze upon q reprodue-
ton of primitive man. Saturday Is gen
erally set aside as a sort Of holiday by
them From within a radius Of twenty
miles they come with their families,
babies and all, to the city, as Orkney Is
termed. to have q time. Those who are
fortunate enough 10 have wagons drive
here. but fully sevep-eights are not 50
blessed, and over mountain and dell they
climb with their children so as TO get 10
Orkney.
Life in the mountains has developed
q looping movement just as life on ship
board gives To the sailor when on shore a
swaying motion. Men, women and u
rem have the same gait The head Is bent
forward and the arms hang down in
front All are round-shOuldered q
. QOuOW-CuGsCN. 4AGA A0NN@ ~
ionless and semi-idiOtic, their manner
awkward and uugainly, and their be
hayior marked by an utter absence OF
common %civility. They gaze upon q stran-
ger. or rather at his attire, with open
month and dilated eyes, evidently deem
ing him a great curiosity, and are not IN
the least dis concerted when discovered.
The women are a little more shy, and eVl-
Ill 81. 49, ion Grant of fhA sexes II
that were possible. This may be due to
the fact that the males are oftener within
the pales Of civilization. Some OF them
chew tobacco like the men, while others
smoke pipes. So much for their personal
appearance and manner.
GARMENTS NOT FASHIONABLE.
As TO their garments, it did not require
a~connoisseur TO determine that they were
not designed by a Partisan mOdiSte. The
males wore loose sacks Of cheap goods
and pants to match. Everything was
loose and flowing. implying q love OF
comfort and plenty Of room. Nesrly all
had on black slouch hats, with Hat crowns
and broad brims. The male children
were attired in jackets that hung o
them like sacks, and immensely wide
brown leans pants, shaped something like
the Old-style peg-tO2s. Il was the female
attire, however, that attracted the most
attention. Such q combination OF colors
is rarely seen. Yellow AMI red FREEDOM.
mated The material, as a rule, was cot
ton print, and the style q vigorous plaid.
A maiority Of the crowd wore loud col
ors. while the danes were attired in
gowns of some dark stun and sunbOnnets.
Around the neck and shoulders the bodice
fitted snugly. but from the armpits down
they looked like Mother Hubbards. 1t
was generally remarked that few wore
corsets. The Hat shoes left a solid print
on the soft ground, and the head gear OF
the more youthful, which, like the rest OF
the attire, suggested comfort, was Hat
and wide.
There were about 200 on the grounds last
Saturday, and, had the weather been less
threatening, there would probably have
been many more. They came to have a
good time, and they had it. The music
first attracted their attention. They gath
cred about the little rOund-house on the
lawn, and gazed with wonder and admir-
alton at the brass instruments. Soon the
leader abandoned operate airs. This
sort Of attracted but did not amuse
them. He started up the Virginia Reel,
and almost instantly the features Of the
listeners underwent a change. The old
familiar strain had z wonderful effect.
After a while some of them became IN
easy, and before the tune died out, two
Of the mOuntaineers suddenly made a
break for the board walk, and began to
dance. II was the old breakdown, rem
dered in a manner that would have eX-
cited the envy Of a song-and-dance man.
He was the original, OF which the guests
had heretofore only seen the imitation.
MAN-EATER y PARTNER
The dancers were odd characters, n
in particular being known throughout
this section as John Huckleberry, "the
man eater He is said to be the strong
est man in the mountains, being a match
for any six men. The mOuntaineers re-
spect his prowess, and look upon him as
a leader. The giant is about six feet
two inches in hight, and Is Of herculean
build. The man-eater's partner in the
dance was a lame man with a basket on
his al His physical imperfection did
not interfere with his movements. After
a time, when the music ceased, some OF
the men withdrew to the further end OF
the lawn, where a ring was formed. One
Of the youths pulled out a mouth har-
NlOuACAs dADF dH AAO "AA q o"N1H
to the breeze, four mountain boys started
TO the center and began a rollicking sort
of dance. In this way the picntckers
enjoyed themselves throughout the day.
Just about shutdown the musicians gave
the usual concert on the lawn. After
playing a number Of airs they decided to
give the mOuntaineers another benefit.
This time they selected "Sallie in the
Garden" the we'll known ~BuZzar3' air.
The women thought the men had danced
I enough, so they prevailed upon two OF
, their number to start the ball. A tall,
slim woman in black, about IS years OF
age with a shaker bonnet, and a girl OF
Is responded. There was no winging, as
Is seen at tough balls in your city, but
the side steps and shuifleS were immense.
They tossed themselves all over the
board, affording infinite amusement to
{ the spectators For five minutes they
danced together, then the young girl
gave out. The old woman, however, kept
it up until the musicians were tired out,
1t vas an endurance match, and the aged
dancer carried of the prize. When com.
plimented on her performance she re-
marked, with q proud toss Of her head;
20, I'm o hard-wOrking woman, l am,
and she looked it. Late at night the
~picnickers started for home, which many
did not reach until the following morn.
inE-Cor. Baltimore American.
Fencing in the Lions.
While a circus was psrading in Kings
ton, Can, recently, a wagon containing 4