The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1888-07-12
II i.aoxs LIKE A LIE.
What u North rn Writer says of :siay
Eater In North Carosspi she s.. IL
tin-i's Corresp ,ndena Wants lnfs'r-

tin-i's Corresp ,nsien4 Wants 1rIfs'r-
nation.
IS. eciat CO.. t Stattatf
vas amt st doing The other ,iaY
la Il big ariti chair, rrting To- re.sl II
northern paper wht,i | WAS brought
to consciousness with Il lump, when
my eyes rested on the i,'a heading
CAROLINA CLAY iArERs.
Reading ii, was fist indignant
aini iitp'is II, teen curious Ii it is
So wu,,id Ike to know it, if net then,
he northern gentleman " bo iuisted
parade d as Il second Gulil.er Oh his
travels. Here l.. the piece, just az it
was printed:
A short time ago Dr. Frai.k f.
Getc:.il, Philadelphia v ent on :. gen
! uine expedition to Nrth Carolina
His quest Of game led him into the
wild c,,untry back If Salisbury, which
| is inhabited, iur the most part, by
miserable race IF bcines, with only
! ed existence These creatures ar..
nearly all verit:;ble living skeletons,
and, with few exceptions, are addicted
to the habit Of clay eating. While
shooting wild turkeys and other game
in this wild region, DR. GetchelI made
Ala Incidental study OF thr, peculiar
tabit OF vice alflong the inhabitants.
1t is mountainous county. and iii
the spring little rivulets start nut from
! the caps OF snow on the mountain, aud
! as the DAYS grow warmer, the little
rivulets become torrents, and great
washouts are maze along the moEn
tain side. The soil is Of Il heavy,
clayev nature, bus there are strata oi
| CLAY that is heavier than the rest, and
when the water rushes down this clay
is formed into little pellets and rolls
and accumulates in heaps III the val
ley. These little pellets and rolls are
what the clay eafers devoGr with as
much avidity as IL topper swallows a
glass Of whisky.
"Au,ng the poor people OF this
Sc ton saitl DR. Getchell, the hab-
it of eating clay is aI.,tosi universal.
Even little tcddlrrs are confirmed in
the hal,ii. and the appetite incfeases
with time While investigating the
matter, ! entered cabin occupied by
enc ri these poor families, ai:, saw Il
little chap tied by The ankle 70 the leg
of 8 table. on hich WAS placed big
dish Of bread and meat aad potatoes
within easy reach. The child was
kicking and crying. and asked his
mother why she had tied him up. She
replied that she wanted him to eat
come food efore he went out to the
clay, and he refused to do SO. The
Eolnan contesseil that sle ste the clay
herself, hut explained that the child's
health demanded that ii eat some sub
stantial TODD before eating any earth
Almost every one I met i'll this section
wae addicted Il. this lahif They
were all very thin. bat their flesh
seemed 10 be ,h.fftd cut This was
particularly noticeable about the eyes
which hal sort of reddish hue.
"Ail Of the clay eaters were exces.
siyeI lazy an! ii;duei.t, and a | OF
the 81 conditions combined lei me &c
t!,s: combustion that there must be som,
seslgtiye ~ stimulating qualities o.
, both, i'll the clay. an.l | determined t,
find out whether there was ~ not
i .ea,as2I asaie:jj 'ie-asrl.' =; .'.4r u4f .:!p
clay home with me. aid Professor
Tiarnan and myself made :,n asiaiy isis
of the stuff, and discovered that in
stead of clay enters the inhabitants Of
central Norti. Carolina should more
PROPERLY be called arsenic aterS Ai)
OF dis clay eontsins arsenic. but *
actly III nhat proportion we h2vY no
VT discovered Arsenic ea1%rs i.
! aonanion in man, parts 1t th/ world
and is pracsiced 70 q greaZr or les
extent lhrnug bout ts,e #1/el. It sct'
dis see!ative and also rs stinuiant
The moan!=ineers Of EJyria, Austri;,
are habi,ual urseNc cutters. the,
give as their reas Il for e,tnug il tha
they ar, bet;eI abe 10 climb III
MOUNTAINS aiHr eating me poison
aud t''siE S<pian.,'i''n is" re' feet,
reasoiia,ie/hh~. - stseuio 9:t:tY is
scdttiveIp the hearts action 1t ha
; been SHOWN that arsenic or atsenica
{ fumt% are sure cure it,r interinitten
foyer The iuilal,itants IF II ST ctiol
| N lurHeall, Euglant. at one time suf
4 fered with this fsiis II ieEer, bat mhel
) tb- copper WORKS ~ere estaisiiaife'
7 tl:.-fe tile fever aijsa pi,eared This Wa
| accounted for by The iirseDe;ii fine
; creaied in the .teaiinent NJ copper
As /. whether airs nic eating shorten
lite | am not pared t. say. Tut
inssa;,l Investigating the mater thou
osiahiv.i