Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-10-21
KENTUCKY,s BAD ROADS.
RESPONSIBLE For the Ignorance ana Crime
Common Among the Mountaineers.

RESPONSIBLE For the Ignorance ana Crime
Common Among the Mountaineers.
Recently reporter interviewed many
of the prominent citizens of the noun
famous counties of kentucky as to the
reason for the prevalence OF feuds and
the resultant murders and other crimes
50 common in that section. Among
others Hayden Brock, young noun
taineer, who lives in Laurel county, aud
has been a student at the state college
In Lexington for three years, was asked
what, in his opinion, caused mountain
feuds. He hesitated before answering,
but he finally said:
bad roads. You see, our roads are
so bad that a four horse team can haul
only $500 pounds of goods from Lon
don to Manchester. This can be done
only during the summer and fall months.
In the winter and spring it is impossi-
BILE to haul empty wagons over this
road, and the mail has to be carried on
pack mules. We are therefore shut off
from the world during at least five
months In the year, and when we do
have communication 1t Is so slow and
costly that many of our people have
never seen railroad train and know
nothing about cities. These bad roads
prevent our children from going to
school during the winter months, and
the result is that we have a great deal
of illiteracy. The mails are few and
necessarily slow, so that we are entirely
out of touch with the world and all
that is going on in it, Freights are also
very high 1t costs 30 cents per 100
pounds to haul freight from London to
Manchester, and to Hyden, the county
seat of Letcher county, it costs IS cents
per 100
Sowing to the poor roads very little
work can be done in the winter, and the
enforced ldleness breeds ignorance and
crime. Many of our people spend their
dreary days and nights in making and
drinking moOnshine whisky, and this Of
ten results in shootings and killings,
and often starts feuds. If we had better
roads, we would have more and better
schools, there would be fewer illterates,
and our people would have something
else to think about besides shooting and
killing. We have many bright young
people here in the mountains, but they
have no opportunities, and the bad roads
keep them at home. so they usually drift
into feuds and often become outlaws.
Bad roads are the hane of the mountains,
and they cause all the feuds'
When Mark Twain Felt Embarrassed.
When Mark Twain was first introduced
to General Grant the latter shook hands
in a perfunctory manner and immediate ly
relapsed TITO his customary attitude Of
retcence. There was anawkward pause ::
| it grew longer and longer as the humor-
ist tried to think of something bright to
say. Finally. as if in sheer desperation,
/ Twain looked up with an assumed air of
great timdity, and said "Mr. President,
| II feel a little bit embarrassed. Do
you?" The president could not help
smiling, and Mark took advantage of the
chance the incident presented TO give
place too theirs Ten years later, when
statesman and humorist met again, Cen
eral Grant, with twinkle in his eye,
said, before Twain had the chance to
utter a word "Mr. Clemens, | don't
feel at all embarrassed. Do yOu?'-Oc-
tober Ladies' Home Journal.
| Carl Fish of West Haven hired q etra n