The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-10-21
TRADING WIVES.
a North Carolina Community Where
Women Are Exchanged

Women Are Exchanged
Chicago Times.
The writer. while riding across the states
some months SINCE. stopped at the cabin OF
one OF those settlers on a small creek at
the loot OF Big smoky mountain The
head of the family was light haired.
heavily bearded nam of 80 or 90. dressed in
pair of linen trousers and shirt of the
same material. both of home manufacture.
The woman Of the house was Il tall, raw
honed dark visaged female OF 40 or more.
There were eleven children OF al ages, all
OF whom were clad in a coarse shirt and
pantaIoons except the smaller ones. who
wore natures gsTb from crown 10 toe.
None of the family wore either boots or
shoes.
Sampson-that was the name OF the host
lin reply to the professional query, us
there anything new going2" replied:
''Ngthin' ever happens hyer, stranger.
'cepting it's the Mormons or swapping
match"
What do you mean by a swapping
match"
Wal. ef that DON beat all. Say, Nance"
turning To bis wife, he 'un don't know
what q swappin' match is"
"Humpb." calculated the woman, ''he
un don know much. Why, stranger,
swappin' match is where folks swap HOSES,
wives an sich."
Wives. You don't mean TO say that
YOU people trade wives. do you"
That's ies what | mean, replied the
man. an there's going 10 he a big swap
over to Bill Sngg's tomorrer."
4 ride of about two hours over the
mountains brought US to the residence of
Sugcs. II was like that OF SIMPSONS and
every other babita.ion | saw in that local
ity. n log structure, but, unlike Sampson's.
IL bad tao rooms instead of one. In the
yard and under the trees there were about
dozen horses and mules two coons. and
about ten or twenty sheep, and number
OF hounds.
There were eight men and seven women,
all clad in coarse. homespun linen. Such
women as wore any head-dress nj all wore
long poke or snn-bonnets. One or two of
the women were fairly good-looking, bat
the rest OF them, like the men. were coarse,
raw.honed and anything but handsome
We had not arrived a moment too soon
to hear the preliniinarIes of the business
for which the appointment had been
made. Bill Sugc the proprietor of the
house, was the first 10 breach the subject,
which he did in the following language:
We uns hcv met here TO swap an
trade. hev been iryin' to swap wimmin
with Jake Long here fur some time.
hcv got my woman here. an so hez Jake.
an an ready TO trade. What dive say,
Jakef'
Jake, biz, gawky young fellow. said
There's my gal. Bill" pointing to raw
honed. dars-eyed woman of Is ''She
can dig more 'seng. chop more wood, and
ken beat any thin' shoot;n' on the creek.
II take yer woman an ser old mare to
boot"
Saggs had led his wife-or woman--up
90 that ot Long. The women seemed To
be almost utterly Indifferent. of il they did
object they spoke 40 word or made no
sign.
That's more'n Iii give. Long: that
woman. pointing 10 his wife. lis good
cook. and kin hoe as much corn as any
woman IN the naborhocd. an she's val bic.
Ii trade even UP and no boot"
There was considerable talk and dozen
propositions. which finally ended in suggs
swapping for Longs woman and giving a
rel COW with one horn and two sheep as a
premium to boot.
This settled, tao others. middle-aEei.
! red-whiSAefed telioS, with rather good
/ booking Young woman for a wife, traded
With younger man for q woman who was
old enough to be his mother, bat looked As
though she conld DO almost any manual
labor. The youne man turned over his
property and took charge OF the one he had
. baEsered for. lie seemed somewhat
pleased hv his bargain. and his new puf.
chase certainly did not seem 70 have been
sorry for the exchange. The name of the
young fellow vas Blodgett.
There we're SIX bargains or trades Suc.
eosslvely closed during the dAy. one Of
which Was between an old fellow of % o.
mote snd a much younger man, in which
they had merely exchanged for the woman
tie other man bad IN his possession NJ 4
former time. They both seemed Pleased To
get their women hack. There vas no boo;
or pFemiuss in the trade