Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1909-09-02
FAITH IN LEGENDS
PART OF LIFE IN THE SOUTHERN
MOUNTAINS.
Supernatural There Is In the Atmos.
phere and Belief 10 Born with
the People-case Of the
Bewltched Cow.

Washington Irving would have de
lighted in the dreamy supernatural o
the southern mountains and lovers o
the legends of Sleepy Hollow coult
md the counterpart Of that regioI
, down In Tennessee. The supernatural
Is In the atmosphere. The inhabltants
OF the mountains live in 1t, not in
slayish fear but as q part of their
lives, from which they would not be
separated.
But they are very chary Of their
condolences in this respect with
strangers. You may ask one of them
about a charm, or rhant.'' or Gus
'om which he has religiously believed
IN all his life, and the only reply you
H'll get will be noncommittal They
say" or Come people believe it," but
never word Of acknowledgement that
r. pins his faith to 1t or has just
come from practicing the quaint Gus
ION you are curious about. It is only
after you have proven yourself" that
the mountaineer will talk freely with
you concerning those things which are
a very part oil his life. saNs
Who could help being superstitious
when touched by the solemn stiffness
Of the mountains? For the spell Of |
the everlasting hills Is upon them. |
TheY have been mystics from their
cradles. They believe in the old Bible
literally as9it-is'read' to them not a.
modern critics explain 1t away y.
The quiet life Of the mountains leads
them to think of and dwell upon the
spirit world and the great DEGREES OF
Providence more than people do IN
the cities All their lives and the lives
Of their forefsthers have been passed
in these wilds; the great world outside
The mountain Businesses is nothing to
hem; their minds must dwell upon
something beyond the humdrum Of
heir limited existence, and naturally
t seeks to peer into the mysterious
Unseen, Just as their better educated
'rothers of the city seek to delve into
he mysterious unknown of art or
cience. It is the romance Of their
Ives-the one bit of sentiment in a
reary rornd of duties. So they grasp :
t 1t, dev&'op 1t, weave 1t In and out &
{ their lives until 1t becomes part
I them.
1t is probably only in the deepness
the little explored Tennessee noun a
Tins that one will find the simple
lack art practiced In its original puri.
!. They pin their faith to "hants"
I'D spells and charms. They do not m
'lkr about Them any more than they to
ould relate their private affairs to w
stranger. But II you doubt their So
vful power they will, In q round. -
'Out manner, relate to you that ex- ~
rience Of Jake Long which hap ne
med down in the valley" not long la
o.. Down in the valley" is the DO. M
9 way Of intimating that a man re-
es in one Of the numerous coves. he
10 term "covite," for some reason ar
other, Is considered one Of oppro- ~,
I'm to be resented, although Uncle Wv
N thus Ofiicially designates them.
Iake's COW got bewitched, would not 0p'
ne home at night to be MIXED, and wa
en- hunted up and driven home ma
uld not give down" her milk. OF VIII
rise, the whole valley knew what yea
trouble was and who was to blame. lie
had not Ike Gibbs publicly de. res
red that he would get even" with Nh,
Q on account of some real or fan. n
grievance? 1t was patent to all -
Ike had bewitched the animal. "ur
0 Jake and his boys between them
a rough sketch of a man, by Y
ng faith supposed to be the like tenn
J Of Ike, with charcoal on a pine also
gle. This they took into the Der'
de and tackled up on a tree in NJ
{ of the COW and shot II to pieces
their guns. After that the errinR
came home regularly and gave
n haR Vntt1r vzytfltawI,, IL