The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-07-04
THE oKEEFlNokEE SWAMP.
(Waycross, Ga, Letter to New York
SUM-

(Wayeross, Ga, Letter to New York
Sum-
"Bears? Well, I reckon! An pan
theirs, deer, an alhgators WY, boss,
dey dee is jess swarm dere. ! does go
down wheE ever 1 can git day an
night off,
1t was Okeeinokes Swamp Of which
this colored "boy'' of Waycross was
talking-a fully grown boy of 80 or 40,
who. like most of his comrades, keeps
gun for sporting purposes solely, and
steals away to the swamp whenever op-
portunity offers.
but you never shot bear there"
he was asked. And pnnthers? Why,
you'd fall down in fl5 if you were to
see panther.
"Well, boss,'' he answered. 81 can't
just erzactly say I've shot bear nor
panther, but I've killed lots of gators
and birds Snakes, too: an, what's
more, I've seen the women"
That was the point Here was II man
who professsd actually to have seen the
women of the swamp. and every colorel
man of Ware county who owns gun
says either that he has seen them, too, or
that his nearest neighbor has had long
talks with them. 1t would he waste of
time to argue with them about it. they
are SO sure of their ground. Besides,
there really are women living in the big
swamp.
This Is no ordinary swamp. Okeetino-
kee, but tremendous morass fit to rank
with the great Dismal Swamp. Begin
ming about seven miles south of this
place, it covers al ! the lower part OF
Ware county and the western half of
Charlton county, besides u big section of
Clinoh, and runs across the line into
Florida. The Suwanneo River rises in it,
and the St. Mary's River tries to drain
it without great success.
Som ebody with good imagination
started the story long ago that party
of hunters went into the swamp and
lost themselves, and that they were near
ly starved when they encountered bevy
| of skinned women, who fed them
with dates and otter things that do not
usually grow in swamps, showed them
the way and advised them to make them
selves scarce, as their husbands and faith
ers were bloodthirsty fellows, and would
make short work Of Thorn. These women
were the most beautiful ever seen, of
course, with the outlines of the Greek
slave and the winning ways Of civilized
bellies, altogether fitted to be the wives
and daughters of tho Creek Indians who,
they said. Ind taken refuge in the swamp
to avoid the extorminating whites.
This little Indian story. weak as it is,
has become part of the gospel Of the
negroes of Ware and Charlton counties,
who require something of ghostiy
nature to make them happy; consequent
ly they keep the dark maidens still in
the swamp, with such supernatural i'm
provements as the occasion demands.
Sometimes darkey laundering in the
swamp with d gun on his shoulder. does
see woman fit by in o canoe, and his
imagination does the rest and helps keep
the story alive.
That there should be women living in
this desolate swamp, and men, too is
strange enough without looking for any
thing uncanny. The swamp would be
utterly impossible if it were not for little
natural canals wide enough for a canoe,
and the larger canal that has recently
been made for floating out the lumber.
Okeefnokee is full of giant cypress trees,
and some enterprising money hunter has
made canal wide enough for small
tugboats and is cutting the trees and
towing them out. In the heart of the
swamp are several islands of consider
able size. notably, Hickory Island,
Billy's Island, Floyd's Island and Camp
Island, and these GASES in the wilderness
Of black mud have been inhabited by
white families for many generations,
There are white children on Billy's Is
land who have, never been out of the
swamp and the trips their parents make
to the "mainland," as they call it, are
very infrequent. 1t is not singular that
the women of these islands who are dark
enough to pass readily for Indian squaws
should be seen occasionally in their
canoes, or that the negroes should mis-
| take them for the friendly Indian women
of the story.
The post Office directory, in its list of
Georgia Offices prosaically records
wainwright, Charlton county" 1t does
| not add that wainwright post Office is on
Camp Island in the midst of Okee6nokee
Swamp, the island lying nearest to the
Short Line railroad from Wayoross to
jacksonville. The mail goes to Upton
Vile, and thence is carried in canoe to
Camp Island, where the other islanders
call occasionally to get their letters and
papers. The Indians gave the swamp its
musical name. which in their tongue
means 'quiverii1g land. an appropriate
title, for the least motion on the surface
causes the mud and water to CULVER. = y
The Ware county negroes do not exaR-
gerate when they tell of the good shoot
ing in this big swamp. The panthers, to
be surs, usually turn out to be- wildcats,
but they are savage enough with the dogs