Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1894-07-26
SOUTHERN MouNrAlNEERs.
Queer and Contradictory Pecutiaritlea Of
Primitive People

TO my mind the most striking pecu-
liarity Of the mountain people is found
in their views on religion. Here is
where the mountain people are ear
nest. They talk politics twice in four
years; they talk religion seven days in
the week,and many are the arguments
between the Meihodists aud Baptists
and Presbyterians on such points of
difference as infant baptism, INNER
sion, close communion and predestina-
ton. Sometimes these wordy encoun-
ters end IN tisticuifs Of i serious kind.
Your mountaineer is fatalist of the
most ultra type. "What is to be will
be- il favorilc expression. aud he
viii meet death with all the stoicism
Of an lnnian. A doctor. not an igno-
rant one, had cut mans leg OFF;
should he fail 10 see his patient on a
certain day serious or fatal conse-
quences might follow. The French
Broad river-oae of the swiftest
streams in the world flowed between
them. II WAS swollen by heavy rains
to more than double Tvs usual volume.
There was no bridge At which he could
cross, no canoe could live 4 minute in
the flood. He made preparations TO
swim his horse, his friends remon-
strated aud urged that such a fool
hardy attempt meant death. He cool
ly said. IF my time hasn't come. am
ali right; if it has, can't help it, and
plunged into the river. BY miracle, it
would seem, he avoided the floating
logs and debris and reached the other
side. "IIis time hadn't come" was
the laconic observation of witness.
The people OF the mountains believe
in a literal hell lake that burns with
fire and birthstone and pictures of
the tortures inflicted on the lost soul
are sometimes drawn by local preach
ers with yividness of imagination
that would make medieval monk
turn green with envy.
The moonshiner does exist, but in
small quantities. He has reached un-
due proportions from the fact that his
existence usually attracts national at
tentiou. He is y dangerous kind OF
game to hunt; he Is sure shot; so is
the revenue officer, If be lives long,
and somebody generally gets hurt
when they meet. The moonshiner
does not attach much Importance 10
killing Il revenue officer, provided he
doesn't get into the federal court for
il. Owing TO the fact that the officers
have been much abused by bad men,
deputy marshals receive little sympa-
thy from people Of any class. Phillips
Brooks was making "A tour of the ~est-
,.n NArth (Nar,.li,,a maintains " a..
inc along one day his driver pointed
to 4 ravine aud said: "Over there a
man was killed the otherd day" Nv hat
for" asked the bishop. He was Il
revenue ollicer.' answered the driver.
But what had he donca" asked the
bishop. "lie was revenue officer"
persisted The driver.
A few years ago some deputy mar
shas went to house in Mitchell
county, where Il man was suspected Of
Illicit distilling. Nobody was in sight
except the buxom daughter of the sns-
pect. Where is your fathcr?" queried
one Of the officers. Dunno VAS the
stolid answer. HAS he been gone
longp' Right smart WHILE was the
reply. (which way did he goP' Never
seed him leave the house, The OIL
GERS saw smoke OH the side Of the
mountain and started III its direction
The girl picked up horn and gave a
long toot The officers knew their
game was warned. They started on,
however, with hope of capturing the
still. you fcllers had better not 20
up thar" said the girl; but they went
on and she followed. They came to
the stiil--the fires were still burning,
but the chemist had llown. Chop it
up" said the leader. A deputy mar
shall gave one stroke with the ax, when
the sharp report Of a squirrel rifle was
heard, and he fell with bullet be-
tween his ribs. "lhar," said the girl,
81 told you tellers not TO come over
here, cause pap lowed he'd shoot The
first durn man that stuck an ax in his
atill ~ HuShitlaf9U Sgay