Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-09-23
CAROLINA CLAY-EATERS.
Strange People Dwelling In the Sand
Hills near Columbia.

Strange People Dwelling In the Sand
Hills near Columbia.
Whilst standing in Nam street to-day
conversing with talented and enter
| tanning young physician of this city, /
was a costed suddenly by an old man
| who thrust paper into my unwilling
hand, uttering these pathetic words as
he did SO: "For Gods sake, read it, gen.
| tlemen.n
My friend. who was preiudiced
against beggars in general, and ''sand-
| Killers" in particular, was for sternly
dismissing the intruder, but something
| peculiarly pleading in the aged mendi-
cant's look arrested that purpose and
| impelled him to follow the dictates of
his nobler nature, and to relieve the dis
tresses of the poor wretch. /, too, could
not restrain charitable impulse. and,
placing a small coin in the itching
palm which pleaded for aims, / turned
to my companion, as the old man sham
bled of, chuckling over his good luck, I
and jingling the money in his bony
hand. Whilst bestowing our small
aims / hastily scanned the old greasy
paper, which contained these words,
with several illegibly-scrawled sigma
lures at the bottom: ITO whom it may
concern: The bearer is 100 years old,
worthy Of assistance. for he is unable to
work"
Here was genuine centenarian, and
we did not begrudge what we had given
him. But what a strengthening being
he was! How unearthy his visage, how
yellow his complexion, and how
shrunken his cheeks; what pleading but
lustreless eyes, and what a miserably-
emaciated and drawn-up body. A type
of man but frequently met with. had
seen him before, and had encountered
in the streets of Columbia occasionally
men and women not unlike him, but
had never imagined that he was more
| than 65 or 20 years old. The eyes
of my medical friend followed the re-
treating form and he dryly remarked:
sDo you know that he is genuine clay
eater?'
"a whatp exclaimed /.
"Why, man that lives on clay; one
whose principal aliment is kaolin, or
kind of smooth, gritless. moist clay,
that abounds in all sandhill regions"
"Now, surely you don't expect me to
swallow that statement any more than
| l would expect that man to swallow a
COB of mud"
'Why, most assuredly / do" said he,
'for tbs as true as Gospel. and know
what am talking about"
''But you don't think I'm SO gullible
as to believe that this man, who is over
hundred years old, has been blessed
with this remarkable longevity because
he ate tasteless clay?"
sit is strange, yet it is true. / have
made a study of the question, and have
during my investigations witnessed
some striking revelations. Now, to be-
| gin with, have seen 'sand-hillers' in
/ certain parts of North and South Caro-
| lima, and some within ten miles of Co
lumbia, while engaged in eating their
| dinner, and have observed them con-
sumo, with evident relish, large quanti-
ties of clay; aud, what's more, l have
joined in their frugal repast and par
taken of some of the stuff myself"
..Well, what does it taste like, and
how does it affect one?n
at is nearly tasteless, but some of
the clay-eating epicures profess to enjoy
it because of delicate flavor it posses
ses. 1t is white, devoid of grit, and not
unlike the kaolin of which plates and
saucers are made. There is nothing
disagreeable about this clay, and it
may be taken into the stomach with
impunity. 1t is not injurious as an ar
ticle OF diet; indeed many contend that
it insures longevity and wards off sew
eral diseases. There are well authenti-
Gated instances of wonderful longevity
among 'clay-eaters,' and it is well I'M
| derstood by such of the faculty as have
studied the subject that none of the
'sandhillers' ever suffer with indiges-
ton or dyspepsia, and | have never
known one to die of consumption: in
fact, foolish as it may seem, l am con-
strained to believe that this strange
habit exempts the 'clay-eaters' from
many of the ailments to which the rest
of the family are heir. OF course there
is no thing very succulent or nutri-
tious about slice of clay. but it certain
ly allays the cravings of hunger. This
it does by distending the walls
of the stomach. 1t is not to be
expected that clay diet will take en-
tirely the place of bread and meat, but
1t does this to a certain extent"
The doctor paused and l marveled at
what he told me. Continuing, he said
I'm my country practice, which occa-
sionally carries me out into the sand
hills occasionally, | say, for although
the sandhillers are the slickest looking,
most cadaverous and wobegone beings
in the world, they are the healthiest),
have good opportunities to study their
peculiar habits. They can subsist on
exceedingly limited quantities of meat;
in fact, they get very little to eat, and
that fat bacon about thrice week.
They are not lazy but decidedly shift
less. They are troubled with few wants,
however, and these are supplied easily"
''Do they eat only one sort of clayP"
/ interrupted
las general thing, yes" was the
reply; "but sometimes their table is
garnished by yellow mari, somewhat
scarce, which they consume with a
keen relish. 1t is said to taste sweet,
and they use it as a dessert They, how
ever, draw the line at red clay. This
not even their ironclad stomachs can
digest Don't you eat red clayP' /
asked gawky old fellow. No, sur
rec, was his animated response; 4 have
occasionally had er brick in my hat,
but I'll be blamed eff l banker after
making my bowels brick-yard. y
Columbia Is. CO. Letter in atlanta Con-
stitution.