New-York tribune., 1890-04-20
IN CRACKER LAND.
A HORsERACE, A WEDDING AND A FUNERAL
Fort Meade. FIa March co." Iowdye, strangerl'


Bound ter the races, I'll allowi'
"To be sure: and you?
eOh we're gwinc thcr, you bet"
This brief colloduy took place in the nawoods," on
the road 10 Fort Meade, between party of Northern
tourists and the head OF Cracker family which we
were passing at the time. This Cracker was tall,
thin stoop-shoudered, black-whiskcred attired
in black broad brmmed soft hat and suit of butternut
colored homcspun His wagon, Of the most primitive
pattern was drawn by big rawboned horse and one
dimnutivc mule. The wagon contained halfdozen
boxes of oranges feed for the team, the Crackers wife,
thin-faced scared looking woman, and his family Of
ten children, the latter gradually ascending in age
and size from two years to twenty. The girls all
the deep ugly poke bonncts peculiar to the Southern
moor white and all had the complexion-lead
color The BOYS in dress and appearance were funny
rcpcttons Of the old man. We passed score of such
turnouts that morning, drawn ndifiercntly BY horses,
mules oxen, or mule and horse combined, and some
times by one steer and in turns and openings in the
wood we saw them filing the road far ahead Of US. All
had one goal the annual Of the Fort Meade Jockey
Club.
As VIC entered the village the whole country side was
gathered in the wide hot street. 1t great day
for tie Cracker Christmas and Fourth Of July rolled
into one The street was a confused Of broad
brmmed hats, big sunbonnets horses oxen. carts and
dogs The bars in full blast the stores we're full
the one barber almost distracted with the demands
mazda unon him. Busiest of all was the man who sold
nool. for The poorest negro had money to bet the
race ..Uowdysv and Mawnins' were heard everywhere
Now and then a Cracker, grown hilarious with bad
whiskc discharged pistol ana forthWith had his
gun, taken from linn by some discreet frlcnd-not
without threats and maudlin appeals BY and by, as
if bv concerted action, the whole body began to move
toward the racecoursc which is three miles from town.
What a cavalcadc IL was, to be surel Light canopy
TOP bucgles drawn by sleek corn-fed horses, English
nhaetons and dogcarts farm wagons and carts, fair
women and brave men, NOrtherncrs SOutherners, Eng
lshmen Crackers negroes dogs, all streaming out to
the annual meet Of the Fort Meade Jockey Club The
course Is thrcc.Guarers Of mile long around lovely
circular lake, in fairly good condition, though little
soft from the absence Of rain to pack tho sand.
We found seats in the grand stand next to an Eng
lehman and right Jolly good fellow he proved to be.
lie remarked that we should see novelty in racing.
We run races he continued; you tr0t them.
our jockeys will be in the saddle ana our horses VIII
unEeallop-inscad Of trot. This first heat IS what
Won might call gcntleman's race. Only horses owned
in Fort Meade can be entered. and IS expected That
they will be ridden when practicable By their owners
The contcsng stecds on the course, sadded and
bcsrodc by mon who looked like jockeys. At signal
from the Judges stand they were of with thunder of
hoofs A kicking up of dust and very far burst OF
speed Bevie Of fair. daintily gloved damses, whose
lovers were perhaps among the contestants took great
interest In this But 1t was evidently not the
race Of
waiting for the native seeds 10 be brought on Soon
,hc turn Of the commonalty came. Every head was
cr,ncd forward as the stecds for the next race were
brought up These were the horses the Cracker knew
about. and hi, sesterces were laid upon them. We
overheard these comments from party Of four natives
Just below rs:
That roan's Jim's crittcr. Made 1t In twotwenty.
Put vour money on him.
~wal. I'll be burned II ther amt old man Budds
A., hc or
sweep the stakes surcs I'm Jake Arp
"Thcr's Prescott's mustang Yer can see the brand
" : on his nigh flank from here
rhct cray's BIZ ,hcdd. the COW hunters Time an
,,,no ayin on the Kissimmce prarers I've seen that
critier cut his ont Ov cr herd an run nm rou
and roun' till the beast was glad ter make Ter Tie
corral out cr pure desperation. one two, three more
,ow hunters Col er mighty what cr this NJ be-
An thcr's Moscs's lcetc roam. born an
raised in er natwoods III they'd Tie or
diamond back (rattlcsnake) behind somewhere tN"l
hoss nd clean the MastcrcSt crter Ter scent
a RATHER ever was. Las week Nose lett MN er""'lo
by Red Water Lake. hitchcd aforc his box wagon an
,yent I'M fer his corral By an'by he heerd racket
nm there was his critter boltn' thru the hatwoodS
NOT soppln fur timber notin' else TIL he made
ile cow pcn ter hum. Left seat at er lake, or boN
A, Ii..cr's cabin fore wheels at Gator Creek, hlhd
wheels al the bend by my cane patch, er reaoh AT
Noccasin Bay an made cr w-pcn Win er shafts
danclu' ter his heels Nose went down ter see what
cart him an ther was cr biggest diamond back ever
seen coiled up in gopher hole bout SIX ieet rom
where the hoss grain along lie SAID tler tus'
spring Of that crittcr was ten feet
Al ,nis moment the horse, were let go. and they
did 20 i'm a cloud Of dust. pursued by a chorus OF
sioufs and wells that would do credit to band OF
Comanchcs cheer in which the Cracker YELL inc
crun English IooIay" and the Northern " kah' ran
ocre nappily blended. The greatest excitement pre-
rrff,
,o,n led then the gray. Then il was nipand tuck
i.f,,e,n the mustang and COW hunter Win the roam
and gray for co, 'g1o & noeators M o"T o" ~ hs head
Crachc. and gentlemen rose IN Their seats ana Yelled
waved their hats-and when Cracker waves ms tat
II H. -, though a big umbrella were swunS through the
air.
PIN, other dav we were electrified by news that there
,,. fo be a Cracker wedding at the hotel salile
Prescott was to be married Now dance Is aliH",t
a. necessary an adlun.t OF nc aiia's ,rhat nc b
l"n,r,cfcd in dimensions. good Mrs. Ncvin, offered
tn. partles the use of her large dining room The
o,rhfecn not unattractivc in her fine new gown OF
~,-i., muslin. The groom, u lank. awkward yontn,
ssna lie hung hi, head shccpiShly and scanned the
en,r All through the ceremony. When the ." Will'
had ic,n pronounced the parson made long PRAYER
IN nc vcfnacular. which was an admonition 10 the
newly welded a, wei, as ehpp,Hloh 10 , nn,
,,r dencins TWO nddlciS and man with bones
Took position az one end Of the room. and a' they
oot the nsurc-. square DANCES only were IN vogue.
Trsf ,dv fo ri,ht.1 shouted the MASTER First gen
,I.,n,n to reht.7 ." First lady on top cross over
.E,lan.c forward Half right and LETT Right
hand partner all way round were the successive
,..rr,. r,cd rhc fun was fast and furious rather
,I," GRACEFUL some of the dancers We're heavy
weights. and pranced m and down ne long room
,, .,,,,r f,ir maiden refused to balance To her
,,,fn.r and then there was abundance of Jokes and
d.',,i.isn. at the expense OF the "mticncd7 one.
III. ,.,iv,, lasted until morning and included sup
M -, ,rri,h much VillanOus whi>hcy drank and
.omc laughabc and grotcspuc scenes were enacted.
Nj Min charVari. or scrcnadc with tin horns
,,n, drums gun, and other noise producing n,tr1I
cns Given AZ the residence of tlc bridegroom. COM
plcicd the ceremonies
, Cracker funeral is pcrhap, one Of the most
,,thctir hings IN the world. Foar DAYS ago II Long
XII ,u. I'm and hcd Ncvins 10 build coffin for his
nrnt,rr., Oldest girl who had died the day before.
X> day We drove mp just as the funeral procession
..n,d iii, sravcNar The graveyard was dis
,inpshahc from the waste only by score Of mounds.
'r,,ri,rd except that in few Instances fences of
n"iinrs had been built around them. Two oNcart>
romnr.ed the proccs 'ion The first. driven by an
,',i, -, thr decreased. contained only The cOfn. In
,he second driven by another uncle. sat the father
s', .is,cr Of the dead girl-the only m0urncrs The
"s nt .,onned before freshly opened grave. The