Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-05-19
pLUNKET ON "WIMIN."
HOW CRAZY THEY ARE 10 FOLLOW THE
FASHION.
The Fashions Of Old Times and How They
Change from Time TO Time-sesneSa a.
Richmond During the War.
[7or the Dispatch.l

Brown.
"They will draw their corset-strings so
tight that they pant like n lizard ana {,
low can span GROUND e,n, and they WIN lo'Ge
a No. 4 shoe on a No. Z 1901 anu ny
Ground "a risky a. er lamb, while they are
suffering agonies that would put any man IN
the hospital"
ain their counting days." said Brown.
al can remember said PIunketi, "Wheh
# was the fashion TO be pale and sicElF-iooA-
ing. and the girls would poultice tneli lace'
and hands with meal-doush TO Dleach en;
snd they would be 50 hneky that they Nou'u
cut a pea In two for q mOuthful ana s"es,
they had a bate when they had only eat q nai
OF biscuit. And then pretty soon Tue cIa"o
GOT on the red order, and the pokeoeIIIes
were gathered and rubbed on thelr lAcSs,
and when they'd get hot and perspire tuo
nokeberry Juice would streak 'cm up the
same as an Indian, but il was the isshlon'
aud wbstever Is fashion is right"
.'If it's some other fellows sister, suk-
geSted Brown. .n
Zone time.D resumed Plunkeit, "tney
had A fashion to look slim and bean-poie IKE,
without any bumps on theirSelVes snu slN
wards OF calico would make any OF cum
dress, and then ergin they took a craze 10 10
fat and chuily, with big bumps on 'nen-
selves. anu iuEU u AVNh n
goods STORE TO furnish cloth enough 10 dress
orc Of ,em, and the cotton they used 10
make the bumps would III a good-slzed
bamUcr>basket; Pve seed little punT wlinIh
tote enough dry goods on theirselYes u
weigh down a strspping Niger iellow''
"In their c%ourting DAYS. said brown,
Garter them same gals got married they hau
to have a nurse 10 tote the baby
"Then they quit 80 much clothing" sald
Plunkett, land cot up hoOpsklfts. BAMBOO
briars we're sewed into their uuderskirts anu
i was erbouf three feet from their stockings
10 their skirts all Ground; but II they nap
pened 10 press up ercin anything u was
erbout six foot TO the brlar In the rear ana
very much elevated. I've seed gals WIFE the
bamboO-briar hoops on 1op down on a Dehcu
or chair too sudden and cause the Drlar 10
elevate itself in front till IT would mlghty
nigh touch her nose. FROM BAMBOO oIl'IS
thev went 10 white-Oak splits, ana from
white-oak splits they went 10 the anhee
steel.rlbbcd hoops, and from the steel lids
back TO the beln.pole business, and now
they've rot to rearing up behind and bend
ing IN before
"In their counting days" said Brown.
"Tye seed the DAYS" said Plunkett.
&" vbcn a woman would have scrsped every
NOT in the kitchen Tor backing fore they
would or wore red shoes, and now every
fool of 'em wants nothing but red leather.
The streets UP TO Atlanta are full OF men
and wimin with red lealber shoes on, and II
looks 10 me ~ II the men were getting so
they haven't got no great sight more sense
than the wimin." -.
" Iknow that wars er lad, bad thing"
resumed Plunkett, after a short pause' ''but
when | call to mind the simple ways OF our
Georgia wimin in them bard days l i'el
like the country was blessed 10y It's coming,
for we would never have learned their good
ness IN times Of peace.
"The pretty bounets that were made from
the scraps OF the worn>Out dress o1 peaceful
DAYS sheltered faces free from foibles, aud The
homespun garments covered forms I'M
warped by tie Strains OF fashion. They
dressed in tears and moved as in the
presence OF death, az pure as angels ana as
seii-sacrlfcing as the men who fought their
battles"
"You're night" said Brown.
"Speaking erbout the wimin in the var
said Plunkett. as he scratched his head and
Knocked the ashes from bls pipe, "makes
Inc think OF the day the Seven Pines bat
tie was fought IN front OF Richmond. / was
there that dav, and it was the hottest weather
Id ever seed. TWO OF tue finest armies that
ever stood facing OF each other were there
McClelland and Joseph +. Johnston. The
Yankees could see the flags waving on the
Capitol OF the Coniederacy, and 1t was IN
derAood that it was going 10 he the day that
would decide the fate Of Richmond and OF
the Confederates.
Gas soon "a the first streaks OF day broke
in the east II was ssluted by the boom, boom,
boom Of the big guns captured al Manassas.
called Shermsn's battery. There were two
guns in that battery, called Long Tom and
Laughing Charlie. They bad a queer ring
TO their boom, aud ii was these guns that sa'
luted the day as It peeped up over the nils
and announced ready for the Coniederates.
.sRIchmOnd began 10 stir. The Wimin
and children liz outcn bed, the bells began
TO ring aud the whistles to blow, and the
DeoDle 1ocked to Main street till there was
not standing room on the walks. The fight
had commenced, The big guns were roaring
and the little guns were like a fire IN a cane
brake. Trains rolled in from Petersburg
and L%ynchburg with reiniorcements. They
In from TIE ears and started at a double
ouick down Main street and out TO the fight.
Kpapsacks begin to be thrown TO the right
and the left, and the cutters were filled.
Wimin and children went 10 pliiBs them up
and stood guard over them, but II was no
use. they were never called for, and il was
mighty few that unslung their knaDsscks on
Main street that day that lived to see the end.
"As the day advanced the hotter 1t grew.
Every vehicle in the city was pressed into
service to 90 for the wounded, and as they
| rolled in the cry for water. water, water
was heard everywhere.
"The wimin Of Richmond were the first TO
discover what was needed. Every bucket
and dipper was pressed, and the old men
and children went in a run 10 and from the
wster.plugs while the wimin went for pro
visions. Tubs aud buckets were placed all
along the curbStones on each side OF the
street filed with water, and baskets were
held By the wlmin, and each soldier was
| given a sandwich as they double-quicked
down the line.
"The wounded were coming in by thou-
sands. The news spread that Joseph L.
Johnston was shot and Lee had took com-
msnd. The doctors were out OF bandages.
and the wimin tore their undertaking and
sheets into strips to bind up the wounds.
"Tbis young generation are the sons and
daughters Of such wimin as these. AS II
was then so it will be ergin, ! reckon; so
LET ,en rim. But II does make me mad 10