The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-06-07
IN THE KENTUCKY MOUNTAINS.

From the L Louisville Courier Journal.
had a glimpse Of life in tho Ken
lucky mountains the other day that I
will not soon forget. said . capitalist
| made . trip into that section as the
representative Of . syndicate to look at
some coal lands. went as far as I
sould BY rail, and then took horse
and rode into the wilderness Toward
night brought up at . little cabin, Of
which l had been previously informed.
and made arrangements to spend the
night there This cabin was about
twenty feet long by about twelve feet
wide. On the ground floor it was all
one room. Above was loft, to which
access was gained BY means of a ladder
bnd hole in the floor. There was
little corn growing around the place.
and there were two hogs. In the rear
OF the cabin was low shed, open at
one end and with . slanting roof. 1t
was just big enough to hold COW at
night The COW, which was . lean.
woe begone animal, the two hogs and
the corn constituted apparently the
entire assets of the place.
In this establishment were living .
man and his wife and eight children,
tie Oldest being twelve years They
lived on corn meal and milk, with oc-
casionally some pork. Both the man
and the woman were barefooted. The
elder children had clothes enough to
cover their nakedness. and the younger
were not so fortunate. The man seemed
to be a slow, dull sort of fellow, who
had lived in destitution SO long that he
had become used to it The woman
was different. Her face wore an ex-
preston of abject despair. If = painter
had wanted model for picture en-.
titled ''Hopelessness'' he need have
gone no further. After supper the man
went out to feed the hogs and the COW
and do other chores"
talked to the woman for about an
hour. and succeeded with great diff
Guilty in getting her story. Her pride
stood in the way of her telling me
anything for long time. During all
the time in which she talked tho ex.
preston of dull istlessness, to which
her face had become habituated, never
left it but once. Then a look of some
thing like happiness came over her
features. This was when she said that
they had not always been poor. 1--WE
weren't always this way" she said.
''We were we'll of once. We saved
enough, him and me, SO that we were
rich. We had twenty-seven dollars
laid away once" That was her idea
Of wealth. Twenty-seven dollars! She
went Oh to say that the children had
come fast, that COW had to be bought
and that she cost eighteen dollars. The
children had fallen sick, and the doc
tor had to be brought in from eiviliza-
ton, and he cost Eve dollars. and so il
went until their fortune had gone,
and they had nothing left of that mag
nifcent twenty-seven dollars
The next morning paid them my
lodging. l had slept in the loft, and
the family had slept in the roam be- |
low. None of them took OF their |
clothes. 1 had brought with me q |
huge lot of roast beef sandwiches, and |
ate these for my supper and break |
fast. for / had been warned that |
probably could not get anything to
eat there. Before leaving 1 took |
twenty-seven dollars. and wrapping |
it up in a newspaper, left it on the !
ia BILE in the middle of the room. Then !
/ rode away, feeling vastly pleased
with myself, and knowing that there
was one mountaineer' family in Ken
tunky that had recovered its lost for
TINA