Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-05-08
ROSIN EATERS.
Those Who Follow the Practice Must
Exercise Considerable Care.

Those Who Follow the Practice Must
Exercise Considerable Care.
From the New Orleans Times-Democrat.
CLAY and resin eaters are both fairly
common among the poor whites in my sec
tom of the state said a visitor from
south Georgia, at one OF hotels. THE
clay eaters are miserable degenerates, who
live in a condition Of poverty and wretch
edness that is almost indescribabie, and
they claim to believe there is some nour-
ishment In the earth that they swallow.
At any rate, they eat 1t to relieve actual
hunger. 1 had occasion to make a trip to
the Flint river some months ago." the
Georgian went on, land In looking over
piece OF turpentine land l got away off
the main Travelled roads. One day l STUN
bled across typical family Of clay eat
ers and l shall never forget the picture
of abiect squalor they presented. They
lived In a one-room log cabin on the bank
OF a little creek, and the household con-
sisted Of husband and wife, grandmother
and half a dozen small children. They
shambled out one by one as l drove up.
and stood around nstlessly while 1 got
some directions from the man. All OF them
were as gaunt as scarecroWs. and two or
three Of the children wore nothing but
shirts made out of gunny sacks. Present
ly 1 noticed the wife take down lump of
clay which was sticking against the side
OF the house, roll up a pellet about big
as a marble, and put it into her mouth l
had seen the stuff eaten before, SO l was
not surprised, but / questioned her little
and she told me it came from bed down
the creek and was good for yellow jaun-
dice, besides keeping one from feelin
hongry.' They always kept a lump stick
ing against the house. and when one of
the family wanted piece he helped him
self In the rear of the cabin was small
corn patch and an unkempt garden, con-
tanning a few sweet potatoes. How the
eight or nine people Of the household kept
alive was a mystery. but you will find
many families Of the same type all through
that district. ROsin eating doesn't imply
such degradation. 1t isn't taken to alleviate
hunger. but Is merely q habit acquired by
the white cracker settlers, who live in the
neighbOrhood Of turpentine still. The
rosin they use isn't the hard, shiny rosin
OF commerce. but has been dipped out of
the cooking csldron at an early stage Of
the process. and when it cools it can be
kneaded between the fingers like wax.
The backwoods rosin eater will bite off an
1t disappears. The heat Of the mouth
keeps it fairly soft. but if the chewing be-
comes too deliberate 1t Is apt to set as
they say, and cement the victims jaws to-
gether in grip of iron. On one occasion
a big rawboned backwoodsman, who used
to hang around still I operated, came
rushing into my little office, clutching his
face In both hands and making horrible
gurgling noise in his throat. What on
earth Is the natter I asked in alarm.
His rosin's sot.' said another cracker, who
brought up the rear. 1 was nonplussed at
first. but finally grasped the fact that the
man had been chewing a monstrous slab
Of rosin. and had thoughtlessly suspended
operations long enough to allow it to So
lidify and clamp his teeth like vise We
finally pried his mouth open with chisel
and broke a couple of mOlars in the opera
ton. Next day / saw him chewing again.