Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-07-04
ROSlN EATERS.
Those Who Follow the Practice Must
Exercise Considerable Care.

Clay and rosin eaters are both
fairly common among the poor whites
IN my section of the state" said a yisi-
tor from south Georgia at one of the
hotels. THE clay eaters are miserable
degenerateS, who live in a condition of
poverty and wretchedness that is al
most lndescrible, and they claim to
believe there is some nourishment in
the earth that they swallow. At any
rate, they eat it to relieve actual hun
ger. | had occasion to make trip to
the Flint river some months ago." the
Georgian went on, "and in looking
over piece Oh turpentine land | got
away Off the main Travelled roads. One
day [ stumbled across a typical
family Of clay eaters, and I shall never
forget the picture OF abject squalor
they presented. They lived in a one
room log cabin on the bank of a lit
tie creek, and the household consisted
of husband and wife, grandmother and
half a dozen small children. They
shambled out one by one as l drove
up, and stood around listlessly while
| got some directions from the man.
All of them were as gaunt as scare
crows, and two or three of the chill
dren wore nothing but shirts made
out OF gunny sacks. Presently |
noticed the wife take down lump of
clay which was sticking against the
side of the house, roll up a pellet
about as big as a marble, and put it
into her mouth. l had seen the stuff
eaten before, so | was not surprised
but | questioned her a little and she
creek and was good for yellow jaun-
dice, besides keeping one from 'feelin'
hungry They always kept a lump
sticking against the house, and when
one of the family wanted a piece he
helped himself. In the rear of the
cabin was g small corn patch and an
unkepJ garden, containing 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 mere
| ly habit acquired by the white
| cracker settlers. who live in the
neighborhood of a turpentine still
| The rosin they use isn't the hard
| shiny rosin of commerce, but has
| been dipped out Of the cooking cal
| dron at an early stage of the process
| w hn or
! between the fingers like wax The
| backwoods rosin eater will bite off ar
| immense chunk and chew it placidly
until it disappears. The heat of the
mouth keeps it fairly soft, but if the
| chewing becomes too deliberate it is
| apt to set as they say. and cement
the victims jaws together in griI
of iron. On one occasion a big raw
boned backwoodsman, who used t.
| hang around a still | operated, came
rushing into my little office, clutchins
his face in both hands and making
horrible gurgling noise in his throat
What on earth is the mater" l asked
in alarm. is rosin's sot,' said another
cracker, who brought up the rear
was HOupluSSSu DIT hISt, Dut Audlly
grasped the fact that the man haC
been chewing monstrous slab o
rosin, and had Jhoughtlessly suspend
ed operations long enough to allow i
to solidify and clamp his teeth like
wise. We finally pried his mouth
open with a chisel and broke couple
of molars in the operation. Next da.
IL 1L
Orleans Times-Democrat.