Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-05-18
KENTUCKY NOUNTAINEERS,
A Visit to a Typical Family on Bull
skin Creek.
of THE EVENING STAR.

CLAY COUNTY, Ky, May 10, 1889.
1t was early in the morning of a perfect
April day that We went down the road that
leads to the banks of the Bullskin-a creek
that traverses part of eastern Kentucky. 1t
was charming ride through the mists and
shadows of the early morning. Our destina-
ton was the house of an old man named
Barger. 1t was a quaint old place, much
cleaner than the houses in that country usually
are, with the remarkable luxury of an up
stairs" Old Mrs. Barger was preparing dinner
when we arrived, and we sat down to dine at
10 O'Clock in the morning. We told the family
that We dined at home about eight hours later
than that, but they would not believe it.
Most of the party belonging to the geologi-
cal survey set off Immediately for the noun
tains. but spent the long afternoon reading
mapping and chatting with old Mrs. Barger
She busted herself about the stove, which,
with the dining table, VISA under a shed in the
yard. and sang old time hymns in the highest
voice l ever heard. She suddenly stopped
singing and asked me if had ever heard that
"hime" before, and while l was trying to guess
at her meaning she explained by saying that
she got it from an old 'hime-book'' that was
snearly hundred years old.
THE FAMILY.
She was an active old woman, the mother of
many stalwart sons and daughters One of the
latter, strapping bare-legged lass of eighteen,
had just gone to the creek with the family
laundry. This is quite serious matter par
ticularly for the clothes They scrub them in
the water, then pound them with heavy paddles
till their ideas of cleanliness are satisfied 1t
takes good homespun to bear such heroic
treatment In the evening 1 Joined the group
sitting about the ire waiting for supper. They
were the boys" come in from the farm work
with several neIghbOrs who had been helping
Darkness had fallen. and the men about the
fire were silent and sedate as only a group of
mOuntaineers can be. The silence was suddenly
broken by the entrance of a hale hearty old
man, whom all the party addressed as grand
pap and treated with great respect The old
man placed himself with utmost care on a stool
near the fire, and waited until Mrs Barger had
resumed her work at the fire, and the men had
gone back to chewing their 'long CUT and to
silence; then he looked about him with an air
of enjoyment, and slowly remarked:
Il lay I'm goin' to leave this creek"
why, what's the matter, grandpap?" came
in a chorus from all sides, for grandpap had
been land mark ON the creek before auy of
them were born.
Cause" he replied, 'cause it amt safe fur
nobody as lives on this creek; it amt safe."
WHY IT WASN'T SAFE
The men sat upright for a moment and for
got the chew. the bacon burnt unnoticed on the
stove, and after enjoying the suspense for a mo-
ment, the old man continued in his soft drawl.
Bud Simpson has done beat Joe Bakers
wife all 10 pieces with a fence rail, and run off
and lef her fur dead" Various EXPLANATIONS
came from all sides, while 1 sat by and listened
to the details Of what seemed to me to be a
shocking assault. Grandpap explained, with
slow care, how the quarrel originated with the
''dawgs and the hawgs." and finally concluded
by repeating, Il tell We goin' to leave the
creek; it amt safe" Mrs. Barger returned to
her bacon with the astute observation, "Wall,
that beats my time" and took no further part
in the conversation, but the men were thor
oughly aroused and discussed the outrage with
solemn eagerness. One tall fellow who seemed
to be man of some importance reached quite
fever OF excitement and all the little circle
stopped to listen when he delivered his opin
ion. "A man amt no right to beat woman
with fence rail. man shouldn't beat none of
my women-folks with a fence rail- II Bud
simpson wanted to beat Tidy Baker why
dldnt he take his fist an beat her? A man
am no right to beat woman with fence
rail. He orter have took his fist
The party all agreed that punishment with
the INST was the proper mode for women and
silence soon reigned again. The old man then
inquired who was this man as was around
cimbin all the mountains and havin' all the
trees cut down" and the same tall spokesman
enlightened him by replying: "He belongs to
the Joel Hodgkins survey, least ways, that's
what he told me-" Think Of it. That learned
bureau OF science, the U. s. geological survey,
70 be known in Kentucky as the Joel Hode-
kins survey" The belated party came in at
last after hard days work, and supper pro-
eeeded with utmost harmony. We left the
banks OF the Bullskin as soon as the work was
finished, and had no opportunity to ascer-
tain the fate of Tidy Baker, What good old
people the Bargers were, kindly, honest and
Intelligent; 1t was quite treat to be with them
ior whiie. N. L. B. Y.