The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-04-22
SOUTH CAFLINA CRACKERS.
yILEMAN <DHERENTs DEsCRLBED BY
ONE VINO KNOWS THEM.

Their Tine, and the Dsseeudsnts Of
These Gsatry Are tbe Craeher OF To.
day, who Furnish the Pcpulists.
When the average Northerner reads in the
papers that Gov. Tillman's political strength
in South Carolina comes mainly from the
farming population. who are Populista, he
thinks Of the Populjst party In that State as
being composed OF such honest. slow. hard
working. saving church. going. side-hill farm
ers as make up the strength Of the Republican
party In the central. northern. and western
part OF this State. This IL a mistake The
Palmetto State countryman bears about
the same resemblance to the farmer
OF this region as q hlghwayman does
to q peddler. The horny handed son
OF toll as portrayed In the Sunday
school books OF a generation back doesn't ex-
ist in South Carolina. The man who nils his
place there IL called cracker. After you
have heard South Carollnian say that word
cracker" with the peculiar intonation in-
variabiy given to IL. you will realize that 1t Is
By no means synonymous with honest farmer.
A gentleman who has lived In South Carolina
for fifteen years. during which time he has
kept eyes and ears very wide open. told a Sun
reporter. few days ago. some things about
the crackers. their origin. ways, and the sig
nilcance Of the situation in reference to them.
1T ought to be generally known, and don't
think II is." said he. that the Populist party
in South Carolina doesn't include. ss It does. I
am told in some States. the good country
farming element The fact is We haven't
enough Of the good farming element to make
q showing on. We have class OF people who
own what were once farms. but they don't de-
serve the name OF farmers They're the
crackers. There is something more than iC-
nj oil Ia ~
in the real cracker There's deep-seated
devilishness. n natural love for liquor. and q
great aptitude for murder and other crimes
The cracker hasn't evolved these things out OF
his own inner consciousness: he's come by
them honestlyLit cracker eyer does come by
lot Of ancestors back Of him.
These ancestors are OF two kinds. You can
take yolr pcf there's mighty little ehoGs be-
your history you will flndthat at one time the
that some Of the countries having an interest
In the New World decided to clean them out.
They cleaned them out Of the sea and drove
up through the country. finally settling down
to lives Of something rather worse than use
There n Is the e the S 9Ss
part. When the English settled In South Car
DINA they were. In the language Of to-day. too
strong to work. But the work had to be done.
SO they imported slaves from England CON
yicts for various crimes, who were to serve out
died In the process: others served out. became
free and having nothing else to do. settled
Ss IN h and
tions thereafter isn't clear,,or, why, for that
poor %Site trash Even the sG eser s? looked
%s Of the war he the
diyidu%i In the cSu IT., and the most worth
strain. for none but Door white would marry
with poor white. But il was weakened and
and lack OF opportunity. Then came the war.
and a change for the poor white. No longer
tions for them the Bou hons as the good fam
lilies were called. drifted away from heir coun-
their hands with spade or plough. and as their
only other resort thoy won't into business.
Mark the result: The farms Tell into the hands
OF the poor whites. being first divided up into
There YOU. haye your poor white becoming
improve his opportunities to become a decen.
strain is in him. emasculated by generations
OF CONTEMPT and degradation. but still there.
makes Gis VIE Sfn and Children work the farm
while he hunts or fishes at such times a. he
isn't too lazy. When he gets money, he goes
for moonshlne whiskey and gets it. Why. the
ade wagons for the crackers. That's whore they
ment blockade and 1lIlman's blockade to do
u. And when the cracker gets full OF whs-
He rh bSee or thres @ Sns
becomes that m xture Of pirate and English
convict. and a murdeEous. treacherous. foul
a knife back OF him. He uses tn 8 gun nrst.
but the knife Is his favorite That's the pirate
saen two of them after a knife fight and-wel.
It WAS worth going miles not to see.
IL necessary the cracker will stand up and
n m ali
for they have lots OF practice hunting; But
their iavorite game is to lie in ambush and
through him and his pockets stripped We cali
thos ssf feloWs s s.hsf 20 FL shs
Eilling from safe cover. As lang as IFS
cracker ana thu Kills S snsier abdn
When a cracker kills q decent man he
does IT in such way that he leaves no tracks.
isn't much chance for the law to com @ In there.
either In two OF the northern South Carolina
average about thirty murders wear together.
and YOU can bet that cracker Is the murderer
IN sithaP County for fifteen years sn It's eiibsF
cracker kili cracker. and nobody cares. or rs
a cracker killing. With respectable victim
There was a case a couple of years ago up IN
Lancaster county prominens man OF some |
ers who had come in to town on a bat one
evening; They were in front OF the Post |
DUce. One OF tnotn snapped MIN on tn6 SnOul- |
der an said with a maudlin laugh:
=. How are =, !Judgef Are y reekonin' to find
The Judge. who was very dienihed man.
drew himself up. shook the crackers hand |
rom his shoulder. and started on. when the |
other cracker stepped In front OF him With an |
ugly look,
You CANT shake us of so easy said he.
We're as good as YOU now, an you CANT call |
i nigh on us, You amt any too good your
"' You're drunken rufiau.' exclaimed the
Judge, pushing the man aside. lass on or
III have you locked up
,,,' Not by a damn sight shouted the cracker
I'll fix YOU ana drawing a knife he lunged |
1t the Judge. but missed him
Instantly he was covered by r dozen re-
lolvers in the hands OF a crowd who were at
he Post Offlee aud who had seen tho whole
hing. They would have tarrsd aud feathered
hose crackers but for the Judge begging
hem on Ten months later the Judge had
occasion to drive TO nelghborinR town. His
buggy and horse came back without him. We
ound him dead in the road at the edge OF the
woods. charge OF bueGshqr had struck him
n the back OF the head. We couldn't find |
hose TWO crackers 10 lynch them. That WAS
cracker killing, and it's only one Of many.
Those are the men that make up the strength
i the Tillmanite PARTY. They're the Popu-
I