Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-10-04
PRIMITIVE PEOPLE.
THE WILD AND UNTAMED JEWELLERS
IN NORTH MOUNTAIN, VA.


Scenes at Orkney springs-Peculiar APP
pearanos and Uncouth Manners Of the
Neutrality-suspicious. n Good Time
The Original "Breakdown."
To the visitors here the appearance of
these people was q revelation. That the
mOuntaineer was not possessed OF an ordt
nary education was no surprise to them,
but they were not prepared in this nine
teenth century TO gaze upon a reproduc-
ton Of primitive man. Saturday is gen.
orally set aside as a sort of holiday by
them. From within radius Of twenty
miles they come with their families,
babies and all, TO the city, as Orkney is
termed, TO have time. Those who are
.fortunate enough to have wagons drive
here, but fully seven-eights are not so
blessed, and over mountain and dell they
climb with thei- children so as to get to
Orkney.
Life in the mountains has developed
Looping movement, just as life on ship
board gives to the sailor when on shore a
swaying motion. Men, women and child
rem have the same gait The head is bent
front. AL are round-shouldered and
hollow chested. Their faces are express
ionless and semi idiotic, their manner
awkward and ungsinly, and their be
hayiOr marked by an utter absence Of
common civility. They Gazs upon a stran-
ger, or rather at his attire, with open
mouth and dilated eyes, evidently deem
ing him a great curiosity, and are not in
ha 1faa VAI -har, l,z-nrAr.aA
The women are a little more shy, and evi-
IDENTIFY the more ign GRANT Of the sexes, il
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, iJ did not require
connoisseur to determine that they were
not designed by Partisan mOdiSte. The
males wore loose sacks of cheap goods
and pants to match Everything was
loose and flowing, implying a love OF
comfort and plenty of room. Nearly all
had on black SLOUGH hats with fiat crowns
and broad brims The male children
were attired in jackets that hung about
hhClu Iht anu lHlLueustIy "llt
brown jeans pants, shaped something like
the old-style peg-tops. 1t was the female
attire, however, that attracted the most
attention. Such combination OF colors
Is rarely seen. Yellow and red FREEDOM
mated The material, as q rule, was cot
ton print, and the style a vigorous plaid.
A majority of the crowd wore loud col
ors, while the danes were attired in
gowns of some dark stuff and sunbonnets
Around the neck and shoulders the bodice
fitted snugIy, but from the armpits down
they looked like Mother Hubbards 1t
was generally remarked that few wore
cOrsets. The fl It 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 fiat
and wide
There were about 200 on the grounds last
Saturday, and, had the weather bsen 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 operatic airs This
sort OF music 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 a wonderful effect
After a while some of them became un-
easy, and before the tune died out, two
of the mOuntaineers su idenly made a
break for the board walk, and began TO
dance. II was the old break down, rem
dered in manner that would have ex-
cited the envy of q song ambulance man.
He was the original, OF which the guests
had heretofore only seen the imitation.
MANEATER AND PARTNER
The dancers were odd characters, one
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
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 lame man with a basket on
his arm. His physical imperfection did
not interfere with his movements. After
time, when the music ceased, some of
the me IN withdrew to the further end of
the lawn, where a ring was formed. One
of the youths pulled out a mouth har-
monica, and, as the wild strains swung
to the breeze, four mountain boys started
to the center and began a rollicking sort
of dance. In this way the picnickers
enjoyed. themselves throughout the day.
JUS s.bout sundown 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 welI-known "Buzzlrd" air. |
The women thought the men had danced |
enough, SO they prevailed upon two Of
their number to start the ball A tall, |
slim woman in black, about As 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 shuffles 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. |
II was an endurance match, and the aged |
dancer carried of the priZs. When com |
plimented on her performance she re-
marked, with a proud toss Of her head: |
20, I'm a hard-working woman, am"
and she looked 1t. Late at night the |
picnickers started for home, which many |
did not reach until the following morn |
ing-Cor Baltimore American.
Fencing In the Lions.
While circus was parading in Kings
ton, Can, recently, a wagon containing a