The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-01
SOUTHERN MoUNrAINEERs.
Queer and Contradictory Peculiarities
of Primitive People.
BON the Washineton Ereninc star.


From the Washington Evening Star.
To my mind the most striking peculiar
ity Of the mountain people is found in
their Views on religion. Here IS where
the mountain people are earnest. They
talk politics twice in four years; they
talk religion seven days in the week, and
many are the arguments between the
MethodlSts and Baptists and Presby-
terlans on such points of difference as in
rant Oaptlsm, immersion, close COmmun-
ION, ana predestinatiOn. Sometimes these
Wordy encounters end in tisticuffs of a
serious kind
Your mOuntaineer is a fatalist of the
most ultra type. What is to be will be. -
IS IaVOrlJe expression and he will meet
death with all the stOicism of an Indian
doctor, not an ignorant one, had cut a
man leg on; should he fail TO see his pa
tent on certain day serious or fatal
consequences might follow. The French
Broad rlVer-one of the swiftest streams
III the wOrld-fowed between them. 1t
was swollen by heavy rains more than
double its usual volume There was no
orldge at which he could cross, no canoe
could live minute in the flood. He made
preparations to swim his horse, but his
friends demonstrated and urged that such
toolhardy attempt meant death. He
cooIly sand. IF my time hasn't come, l
am all right; If IL has. | can't help ii. ~
and plunged into the river. BY miracle.
1t would seem, he avoided the floating
logs and debris and reached the other
side. His time hadn't come" was the
laconic observation of a witness. The
people OF the mountains believe in a lit
eral hell-a lake that burns with fire and
orimstone-and pictures of the fortunes
inflicted on the lost soul are sometimes
drawn by local preachers with vivid
ness of imagination and miuuteness of de-
tail that would make medieval monk
turn green with envy.
The mOonshiner does exist but in small
quantities. He has reached undue pro
portions from the fact that his existence
usually attracts NATURALIZATION He is
a dangerous kind of game to hunt he is a
sure shot; so IS the revenue officer, if he
lives long, and somebody generally gets
hurt when they meet. The mOonshner
does not attach much Importance to kill
ing revenue officer, provided he doesn't
get into the federal court for it. Owing
to the fact that the Offices have been
much abused by bad men, deputy
marshalS receive little sympathy from
people of any class. Phillips Brooks was
making tour of the western North
Carolina mountains. Riding along one
day his driver pointed TO a ravine and
said: over there a man was killed the
other day" What for" asked the
bishop, He was revenue officer"
answered the driver But what had he
done|' asked the bishop. He was a
revenue officer" persisted the driver.
Then it began to dawn on the bishop that
being a revenue officer was regarded as a
crime sufficient to merit death.
A few years ago some deputy marshals
went to a house in Mitchell county,
where man was suspected of illicit dis
tilling Nobody was in sight except the
buxom daughter of the suspect. Where
is your father" quered one of the Off
GERS. Dunno" was the stolid answer.
Has he been gone long, Right smart
while" was the reply. (Which way did
he goln Never seed him leave the
house" The officers saw smoke on the
side of the mountain and started in its
direction. The girl picked up horn and
gave long tOOt. The officers knew their
game was warned. They started on,
however, with a hope of capturing the
still. You fellers had better not 90 up
thar" said the girl; but they went on
and she followed. They came to the still
the fires were still burning, but the chem
ist had. flown. Chop it up" said the
leader. A deputy marshal gave one
stroke with the axe, when the sharp re-
port of a squirrel rife was heard and he
fell with a bullet between his ribs.
Thar" said the girl, Il told you fellers
not to come over here, cause pap lowed
he'd shoot the first durn man that stuck
an axe in his still"