The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-10-31
CLAY THEIR DAILY FOOD.
SUCH IS THE DIET OF A CURIOUS
SET or PEOPLE IN ALABAMA.


SET or PEOPLE IN ALABAMA.
4 Peculiar Comple1IOn Seemingly the
Only Had Ehect-HOw the Clay Eaters
1--we and Get Their Daily C1aY-One of
Them Interviewed to Little Purpose.
sThose people are clay eaters"
The people referred to were group OF
men and women of various ages who
had gathered at country store in Win
ston county. Ala, to barter a few eggs
and chickens for coffee and tobacco.
They were poorly clad, men and women
were barefootec, and three children in
the party were also bareheaded. Their
faces were pale and haggard. and in their
eyes was dull. hopeless look, showing
that they were not only densely ignor-
ant. but without ambition to better their
condition in any way. The storekeeper.
after attending to the wants of these
strange customers, informed the writer
that they belonged to the poorest class
of nlountaineers who inhabited that sec
ton. and that white clay was part of
their regular diet
The writer spent several days in Win
| ston county recently and visited the
homes of a number of these people who
eat clay as a part Of their daily food.
They live in small log cabins of the rud-
est kind. and exc out miserable exist
! ence by farming. hunting and fishing.
Their farms, or patches as they call
them, are small clearings around their
| cabins, and are never more than few
| acres in extent. Their crops consist Of
corn, peas, potatoes, and a few who are
/ fortunate enough to own horse attempt
to raise little cotton. The land is very
poor, and as the crops receive little work
the yield is always very poor. Men,
women and children are slaves to the
tobacco habit. The women chew and
smoke, aud most of them also use snuff
when they can obtain it.
THE ABODE OF CLAY EATER.
The interior Of the cabin of clay eat
1 er is rude in the extreme. The cabin is
usually built of small pine logs, from
which the bark is sometimes removed
There are no windows and usually only
one door. There are no pictures on the
walls, no ornaments Of any kind and
often no furniture worthy of the name.
If there are bedsteads they are of the
crudest kind, made by the head of the
family with no other tools than 3 saw
and an ak Usually the cabin is too
| small for bedsteads if the family is large,
and they sleep on quilts and mattresses
spread on the floor. The entire family,
often ten or more persons, eat and sleep
| in one small room. The cooking is done
in the one fireplace, the utensils consist
ing of frying pan, kettle, an oven
and possibly few pots. Cooking stoves,
sewing machines and all modern conven-
fences are unknown.
The clay eaten by these people is found
along the banks Of the small mountain
streams in inexhaustible quantities. It Is
of q dirty white color usually; sometimes
a pale yellow. It has a peculiarly oily
appearance, and this oil keeps it from
sticking to the hands or mouth. When
dry it does not crumble, and a few drops
of water viii easily soften it until it can be
rolled into any shape desired. It is almost
without taste, but must possess some
nourishment, as these people declare they
can subsist upon it for days. They place
small piece IN the mouth and hold it
there until it gradually dissolves, and is
swallowed in small quantities at time
The quantity eaten at one time varies
from lump as large as pea for the
child or beginner to lump as large as
q hens egg for those who have eaten it
for years.
a CLAY EATER INTERVIEWED.
sHow did you learn to eat clayT' /
asked of a man whose face was almost
the color of the stuff he was eating.
i Dunno" he answered. 81 seen pap
and t'others eatin' it, an got at it"
docs the habit grow until you acquire
taste for the stuffT
"HuhT
"Can you quit eating clayS"
Dunno; never tried"
'tHas the stuff pleasant faster
eff 'twant good wouldn't be eatin' it, -
and the native drew a second lump from
his pocket and began to eat it with a
| relish.
The only bad effect of clay eating seems
TO be the peculiar appearance it gives the
skin Of those who become addicted to the
habit. The skin turns pale, so pale, in
fact, as TO give the face the pallor Of
death, and then. later on, it turns pc
cuIiar pale yellow. color closely re-
sembling some of the clay eaten. Chill
: dren who become addicted to the habit
, grow old. at least in appearance, prema-
turely. and their faces lose forever the
bright glow of youth and health. There
: isiittIe sickness among the clay eaters,
1 anu tu0y nN0 ID AOAk ebo e44C aNCA0SS Vi
; mankind, SO it is conclusive that the
! habit is not fatal In its effects.
II 1t may or may not be the result of clay
eating, but these people are Is supersti
{ | tious as the black followers of a voodoo
They have signs for everything and al
I most worship the moon Corn is planted
: | when the moon is full and potatoes are
planted in the dark Of the moon. They
! viii not start on a journey or begin q jot
unless the moon Is right, and they fore
, tell storms and all kinds Of disasters by
| the appearance Of the moon. If one END
of new moon Is lower than the other il
b | will rain before the moon changes again
say the clay eaters, but If the moon il
h level there win be no rain until another
: change occurs. Macon (Ga.) Telegraph
: On Their Heads.
In France, when q patient Is undel
chIoroform. on the alightest symptom
: appearing Of failure q the heart, they
+ turn him nearly upside down. tina
> Is, with his head downward and hi
s heels In the air. This, they say, Away
9 restores him; and such Is their faith II
: the efficacy OF this method, that the op
:, Grating tables IN the Paris hospitals Ar
made 50 that IN an instant they can b.
elevated with one end IN the air, so q
TO bring the patient into position re
|. senbling that o. standing on his head. :
. Boston True Flag.
i