The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1910-12-29

their disputes with the shotgun and
live strictly according to the laws of
nature.
These people don't even know
that there is a federal government
These people have never seen the
American flag"
The houses are built of logs with
no windows. They are bare of fur
niture except beds. The rooms have
no utensils, There are no house.
keeping facilities and there is never
clothing to go around
Some of the children are obliged
to remain at home during the four
months that school is in session while
the others wear the family clothing
The only food of the people is salt
pork and cornbread.
The habit of using snuff and to-
bacce is taught to the children as
soon as they are born"
The sole occupation of the men
and women is Farming"
The currency of tho country is
produce"
There are no medical men within
hundreds of miles and the people are
the prey of herb doctors, quacks and
charlatans, who sacrifice life that
would put them in the penitentiary
in civilized nation .
A popularity of the mountaineers
is that if they think any one is going
to die they hasten their death by TAX
ing them out to the creek and baptiz-
ing them
In reply to these DR.. J.. B. Ewing,
secretary of the Mitchell County Medi-
cal Society, has written the Charlotte
Observer letter in which he says,
among many other things:
Neither is it necessary to ride hun
dreds of miles to get physician The
little woman has made her home at
Ledger, N. c., one of the prettiest VII
lagos in the mountains, where@there
is a circulating library of 5000 volu-
mes owned by Mitchell county. Every
house has windows in it and is not
entirely destitute of paint, and to my
certain knowledge, there is not log
house in the village except one built
by Professor Wing of Boston, and /
also know that there are at least five
licensed physicians within radius of
eight miles of her home Neither are
our physicians "herbs doctors, quacks
of charlatans." but instead we have
one graduate of the Jefferson Medi-
cal College of Philadelphia, one gra-
duate of the University of Pennsyl-
vania, several of the p. & S., of Bal
timore, several OF the North Carolina
Medical, and two graduates of the
University of Tennessee. The little
woman forgot to mention the fact that
she was indicated for practicing medi-
cine without license and the case was
nolle-prossed on her promise to quit
the practice and to confine her activi-
ties to her profession of nurse.
Neither is it the practice Of physicians
In his section to "baptise and drop the
door key down the patient Z: back TO
stop hefnorrhage.
Any one would infer that she had
been dsVoting her entire time, to, char
ity work: The opposite is true. She
has charged roundly for her work. &
will name names and pricess3 Mr.. e.
A. English of Spruce Pine lives in q
house that has windows in it, also car
pets on the floor, and if strict search
was made piano could be found and
possibly a bathtub. He employed this
charitable little woman, and to use
his own words, "She gave me three
doses Of baking powdee and charg-
ed me $40" Mr. Taylor Philips OF
Spruce Pine also lives in house with
windows, etc. Three visits to his
daughter-bill $14. Both of the above
bills were paid in cash and not in
produce.
But, seriously, such stuff as this lit
tie woman is retailing up North is
common. People from other sections
come in here with kodaks and hunt up
the most dilapidated building they can
find snap their kodak, develop the
picture and show it to people away
from here as fair sample of life and
conditions in the mountains of North
Carolina. The mountain people of
Yancey and Mitchell counties are
AMERICANS to the manor born. Nine
out of ten are eligible to membership
in the Daughters of the American Rev
olution. 1t may not be true that all
our mountain streams run with but
ter and honey or that all the leaves
on the trees are buckwheat cakes, but
it is true that we have a glorious coun
try, a brave, virtuous and honest peo-
pie; and l thank God that my lot has
been cast among them.
donw' otle.d ,rdlu hrdlut .rtr rtrtrrtrrta
DR.. Ewing has fully covered the af-
fair and nothing more need be said.
Being ION the ground he can speak
with authority. But the Spartanburg
Herald queries the whole story. 1t
says:
'eWe call attention to this contro--
versy because many Spartanburg peo-
pie who have visited Alta Pass and
Spruce Pine know Miss Holman, if not
personally, by reputation, and many
have the highest regard for her and
believe her very remarkable young |
woman who has accomplished much |
good in herswork among the mountain |
people. She has always been credited
With the deepest interest and sympathy !
for cher people, as she terms them. |
and they in turn have great faith in |