Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-09-03
CURIOUS rA..1t..f'g9,
Congressman Tau!Jee Tells 10"
His Constituents Live.
Fros, u WaSIjnJton letter.

Froa, Washington letter.
Representative Taulbee, OF Kentucky
comes from the mountain district OF that
State, and he lives in the region described
in Charles Egbert Craddock's novels.
There are IG. 900 square miles OF territory
in bis district. IL comprises twenty coun-
ties, and it has one of the most curious
populations in the world. / talked with
Mr.. Taulbee to-day about it. Said he:
"The district is very well described by
Charles Egbert Craddock, and the dialect
is very much like that she puts In ner sto-
ries, though have never seen the IAN
ouage in print before. The population is
the product of the trontiersmen OF sew
eral States. The first settlements IN hen-
Sucky were along the OHIO river and In
the valleys of the Kentucky rivers. AS
the country became more settled civil!Za-
cation drove such of those OF the early
settlers who liked hunting and frontier
life upward into the mountains. 1t was
the same with Virginia and tennessee.
These huntsmen and frentlersmen mar
Tied and iptermarried, and they have now
become a separate people Ike unto no
other in the world, They have been away
from the civilization of the railroad, the
telegraph and the daily newspaper, and
toms OF their own. They are very pa
triotic people, and during the late war. #
you will look at the records in the War
Department, you will find that my Con-
gressional district furnished five Union
regiments. They are very simple In their
tastes, and it does not take much in my
country to make man wealthy. If be
has 81, 500 be is considered well-tO-do. II
he has $40, 600 he is RICH"
"rell me how the people live"
''There are very few towns. about two
only to the county, and these Will aver
age about 300 Inhabitants each.
The ordinary house is log one, con-
sisting of two rooms, with boards shaved
smooth with draw knife, or split, nailed
over the cracks between the logs. One OF
the rooms Is used for sleeping room,
dining room, kitchen and paror. all in
one, ia which the family stay during the
daytime. There is but one sleeping room
Tor whole family, and when they have
guests visiting them these turn in and
sleep in the same room. There a number
of beds used, and stranger always gets
the best bed. They are very modest with
it all. They turn their backs if they are
up, while the Others of the family are un-
dressing, or if they are in bed they Will
cover up their heads until you have COM
pleted your nightly toilet. 1t is the Gus
tom, you know, and | think our people are
noted for their large proportion of virtu-
GUS women. Virtue is as much respected
i'll the mountains as anywhere else in the
world, and though these women and men
will undress together and sleep in the
same room, they would be bOrritied at tue
exhibition of the decOllette dresses seen at
one of your receptions here, and would
run away with shame from an exhibition
of the modern ballet. These mountalneers
are very hospItable. They entertain you
and give you the best they have, and il
you offer to pay they will refuse and say
they do not make their money that wav.
The little money they do make comes
from farming. They do not often grow
wealthy. and they seem to be very well
satisfied with their life. You have heard
Of the feuds OF these mountaineers. |
have nearly hall score of murder cases
to defend in one county on account OF
them. l know place where two fami-
lies have been fighting each other for
generation. and where the different
families OF the two tribes never go out TO
work except in squads, and they always
carry Winchester rifles with them"
ais the country improvingW
"Well, yes, somewhat, but civilization
comes slowly in the mountains. Webaye
not the best facilities tor education, and
though the people want their children ed
ncated they use native teachers, and they
do not pusb matters like you do in the
North. The district is made up of both
Repu hlicaps and Democrats. and the last
Representative was Republican. They
people are interested lie politics, and the
campaigning has to be done almost alto
gether by public speakers"