Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1906-11-27
INDIAN CHILDLIFE
IDstruCtiVeIy Pictured in 4 Story of
Early Days---Unique Customs
Described

kftdt aufhhce III CIVILIZATION Tor the
Indians, when compared to their for
merly going naked or only one third
clad At the time referred tn our
white people, such as are leaders in 50.
ciety, had not learned that in order to
be healthy, comfortable. and comely
it was necessary for babies to wear ex.
tremely long, girls extremely short aud
ladies extremely low dresses
have been carefully watching the
advance of such said to be stylish, GUS
tome until have reached the conclu-
sion that if fscrimping continues at the
same rate that it has for the last fifty
years, that another fifty will lower us
to the one third costume Of the Indian
of seventy years ago. ] wish to say
that | am of the same mind, with re-
gard to dress, that was fifty years ago
II is the duty Of every person to Keep
Themselves dressed in the most comely.
comfortable and beautiful manner pos
sible with their honest income. As to
foot dressing, | never had pair of shoes
until Iwa' in my teens. | was bare
foot until about five years old and after
that had one pair of moccasins, and
only one, each winter, until | was about
fourteen years old, then father had an
uncle of mine to make me pair of
shoes out ofvery rough leather, which
was far from being comfortable as In
dian moccasins. At the age Of seven
teen made myself pair of shoes and
soon after made my father a pair, which
as / remember, we're the first shoes
ever saw him wear
Many Of my most treasured recollec-
tions and impressions were fixed upon
my mind while we lived among the
Indians. well remember that soon
after returning from the camp meeting
referred to- that mother would talk to
the larger children of God, of Christ
and of heaven. while would stand al
her knees and gaze at the tears that
would flow from her eyes. Then she
would sing that blessed old hymn;
"Ohl how happy are they, who their
Saviour obey"
, After the Indians were moved from
! Cherokee County, North Carolina, we
. moved to Gilmore County, Georgia and
, settled in another Indian town which
> had been vacated. There father witt
> the help of his boys, began raising corr
and tobacco. After selling most of hil
crop he would sell his improvements to
t some other white family and go to an
] other Indian cabin, add some buildings
r clear up more of the forests, then sell
: and move again 1t was in and abou
e those beautiful streams that still bea
e their Indian names that I caught my
r first fish and killed my first squirrel.
o AT length we reached the old Fedora
E Road. This road, in those days, wa
It used by hog drivers from Tennessee anC
e Kentucky to Southern markets from
the first Of November until the middl
0 of December and it was seldom tina
l the yells of drivers could not be hear,
t in one direction or the other. From
a those Tennesseans and Kentuckians
d heard the toughest language of my lif
!, They seemed to take pride in tellin
e the biggest story and using the blackes
It language But now the men that ca
, play the slickest trick in politics genel
'e ally is regarded by their party as tn
g right man to lead. Well. as | was say
ing, learned much from the-small In
IN dian boys about hunting birds, mic
l and ground squirrels aud shooting theI
I with the bow and blowgun. It was al
ID ways a mystery to me as to how ma
!, or large boy could blow an AFRO,
y through a rabbit forty rods away wit
le the mere force of his lungs, yet it hi
IS been done many times AS | remembC
Sc every place where we lived during tn
to first ten years of my life had at leal
I'd one Indian cabin with puncheOn hoor
ls which wu bss,l all over with tn