The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1896-11-12
HOMES OF The cLY.eAATsRs
n Peculiar Glass of People who Live In
Alabama.

Alabama.
yellow clay as a daily food is what
many of the people of Winston county,
Ala. live and thrive on. The county
Of Winston is in the northwestern
portion of the state and is sparsely
settled, its population being poor and
appearing to be eking out n mere ex-
istence. 1t is only within the past
few years that the amount of taxes
collected from the entire county
amounted to $1,000. Until 1918 Win
stead was forty miles from the nearest
railroad and the county court house
twenty miles further. Houses for
worship and those for educational
purposes are few and far between. A
majority of Winstead's population live
in small log cabins of the rudest kind
and exc out miserable existence by
farming, hunting and fishing.
Their farms, or patches, as they call
them, are small clearings around
their cabins, and are seldom more than
a few acres in extent. Their crap (as
they Invariably say consists of corn,
peas, potatoes and few who are for
tunate enough to own a horse attempt
to raise little cotton. The land is
very poor, and, as the crops receive
little work, the yield is always small
A few hogs are raised, but the ma.
iority depend on the country stores
for the few strips of bacon they eat
during the year. Here in this county,
though, the moonshine stills flourish as
the green bay tree. In almost every
cave and on every little brook among
the hills may be found a still whose
uDdertaker's delight is produced by
the soft light of the moon and where
Uncle Sam fails to get his pull-down
Of 90 cents on the gallon. These peo-
pie are too far from market to sell
their corn for money, but they can
convert it into good, straight liquor,
carry II in kegs or jugs to the more
thickly settled neighborhoods few
miles away and obtain a few dollars
in money, some tobacco, coffee, and
snuff for the women folks. Men,
women and children are all slaves to
the tobacco habit. The women chew,
smoke, and dip snuff, but dipping is
generally a Sunday luxury, as snuff
is hard for them to get.
The clay eaten by these people is
found along the banks of the small
mountain stream in ineXhaustible
quantities. and is of n dirty white
color usually, sometimes a pale yell
low. 1t has n peculiar oily appear
anee, and the oil keeps it from stick
ing to the hands or mouth. When
dry ii does not crumble, and a few
drops of water will easily soften it
until 1t can be rolled into any shape
desired. The clay is almost without
taste, but evidently possesses some
nourishment, as these people declare
they can subsist upon it for days with
out any other food whatever. They
place small piece In the mouth and
bald it there until 1t dissolves, and is
swallowed in small quantities at a
time. The quantities eaten at one
time varies from one lump as large as
q pea for q child or beginner to a
tnmp as large as mans fist for those
who have eaten 1t for years. These
people eat the clay with a ravenous
relish, and the only bad effect seems to
he the bad appearance it gives the
akin of those who become addicted
to the habit. The skin turns pale, so
pale, in fact, as to give the face the
pallor of death, and then later on it
turns siclly pale yellow, color
closely resembling some Of the clay
eaten. Children who become addicted
to clay eating grow old, at least in ap-
pearance, prematurely, and their faces
lose forever the bright glow of youth
and health. Strange as it may appear,
there is little sickness among the clay
eaters, and they live as long as the
average of mankind, this proving that
clay eating is not fatal in its effect.