Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-06-21
Car EATERS.
Tar-Hsels Who Really MastIcate the
Earth.

Earth.
A Washington Post correspondent,
who was attached 10 corps Of engineer :,
biologists and naturalists who were
making tour Of investigation through
the wilderness Of the Smoky mountain
region of North Carolina several years
since, when near the watershed which
drains westward into the New river in
West Virginia and the head waters of
the Big Sandy, was Informed by resi-.
dent mountainous that about 20 miles
away there was a nelgAbOrho0d in which
every resident was said TO be clay
eater. Accompanied by Captain Denton,
a mountain guide, aud negro servant,
he says, we crossed the range through y
narrow gap, and descended after u ten
| mile ride, upon II narrow creek. which
subdiyided u little valley between two
parallel mountains. Here we struck the
Ilrst cabin in strung ont settlement Of
perhaps 40 or 80 families.
Every pusson on this yer erik is a
clay-eater," said the guide, as We ap.
preached low.rooted, rude log cabin,
the door of which stood wide open, fac
ing the stream.
\ tall, sallOw, stoop-shouldcrcd man
of 40 or so stood near the door, from
which on our approach strcamed nearly
u dozen bare headed, bare footed chill
dren, ranging from 10 Is years Of age.
The man was clad i'll coarse hempen
shirt and trousers. Like the children, he
was bare.headed and Dare-footed.
Our guide spoke 10 the man, calling
him 10y name, D!nkcr, and abruptly in.
troduced the subject OF our call,
nir " eat .. l.. Z !
over the mOuntn les to sec sum NV you.
uns Get clay. Tney-uns sez they-uns
don't b'leey we-uns kin Get it,"
"Iou.uns lite an KUN rite in said
Dinker. ."Morg,' turning to one of the
largest boys, tex off n they.uns saddl's
an brides an turn Ihey-uus' HOSES inter
the pasture
The boy took charge of the animals
and led them into a small patch OF
ground fenced in with brush fence
We declined to enter the house, giving
as an excuse that il was much pleas
anter under the shade Of blg tree
which stood near the door. At our re-
quest Dinker sent one of his boys, a
sa!low-faced, tow-hoaded lad Of 10 or
10, after some OF the clay which was
said to be edible. The guide and myself
accompanied him to the creek, where
he stopped in front Of a layer Or ledge
OF BLUSH gray clay several inches in
thickness. Tie stuff, when taken in
hand and moistencd, felt pliable, soft
and oily like putty, and bore much the
same general appearance. The boy
carried handful of the cay to his
father, who, after taking it, gave it
another wetting, then, rolling il into "a
ball, began manipulating it as painter
preparing putty Tor use. He rolled it,
pressed 1t out and manipulated il until
the greasy, slippery mass became soft,
pliable and tenacious. Then be sepa.
rated it into pills or boluses, from the
size Of bullet 10 that of an ordinary
marble, with two or three as large al
most as walnut. lie gave the smaller
children several uf the smallest balls or
pill, and the larger ones tho balance,
reserylng 10 himself two Of tue balls of
clay.
The boys. girls and the man then put
the balls OF clay in their mouths, when,
BY constant chewing and the and Of the
secretions, they soon converted them
into soft inucilaginous masses, which,
with no apparent difficulty, they swal-
lowed.
For fear that there might be some
sleight-of-hand hocus-pocus about the
affair determined to try tile clay my.
self, took piece about the size of
bullet and put it into my mouth. In
short time, without chewing or manpu-
lating it al all, found that the saliva
had completely dissolved the mass.
There we're no gritty particles apparent,
but, on the contrary, the stuff left an
oily feeling, but without sembance of
taste.
didn't swallow the stuff, but could
have easily done SO but for the repug-
nance l naturally felttoward eating dirt.
After the clay had all been swallowed
by the man and children, said;
docs this stuff satisfy your hunger"
"SarIin; thet's why we-uns Get it. A
Teller kin Get nuf to las three or fob
days, but this yer bunch'll only last till
to.morry."
Doesn't the stuff make you sick?
Doesn't it affect you some way when
you make what you call meal out of
it,"
"Nevcr heerd NV nobody gettin' sick
OH it, but thar's some ez say it makes
theyun weak"