La Junta tribune., 1912-03-16
WAR TIME REMIhiscENcE OF
MISSOURI "oAWGs."

| wish you would publish the Mis-
souri, Dog Song which has been re-
Gently adopted by the Democratic
State Convention as their campaign
song. This popular melody Is becom.
ing quite famous and will make heap
OF fun for the boys In the coming
presidential campaign.
| don't blame Governor Hadley.
however. for trying to sidetrack this
song. for 1t Is not calculated to ex-
cite admiration among people outside
OF chat statee. for few people of cdu-
Saiipn or culture would admire or
tolerate such song or allow II to
be sung In their back yard. But the
Governor will fail In his attempt TO
switch IL off. because that song
fairly and accurately pictures and de
scribes a certain class OF Missourians
living In the small towns aud coun-
try places OF the southern and south
eastern portion OF that state.
In justice to old Missouri ought
to say that this song does not repre-.
sent the people In tho middle or north
ern part Of that state. although Il
does . portion Of them. sDsat .
year n eoutAesu Missouri - . spe1Ass
auetae ~ Civil ~. jsst fiety ysass
aeo this year. Or Aea6euartees
were u Piloa Knob nose Of The time.
With other so,ltsss we caaps1. scost
- and skirnished ali over southern
and southeastern Missouh that year
and We met scores OF this class of
people They were the natvse of
the soil. They could neither reed or
writs.A and were lazy and Incompetent.
; they believed tho Judgment day waS
1t hand: that the world was fiat and
that the devil had . tail.
Southern Missouri vas then tim.
bered thickly with giant trees. thick
underbrush and the soil poor and
yravelly In most places. The farms
were from three d ten miles apart In
what the natives called the clearinGs.
These were their only ranches aud
were Usually from one-hAlf TO five
acres In extent. were always plantesi
In corn which was the only crop they
raised ~ far - any one could see.
There was considerable game In thees
woods and the men spent most OF the
time hunting. drinking whiskey and
fighting one another when there
we're no Yankee soldiers 10 fight
They were not enlisted - Confed.
crate soldiers and the southern con.
fedsrscy did not recognize them. We
called them ''EucrrI'ias" or bush.
whackers." on account Of . bad hsb-
Il they had acquired Of shooting Yam.
kse soldiers from the brush. The On.
~ pay they GOT vas the pluDdcr.
The women and children cultivated
the corn on their little ranches and
| did all the Other work about the
hous.. The houses were mostly tox
cabins with only on" door and only
one window. Their families were all
large and on the same no~ and In
tho same yard you might see cats.
dogs. pigs and babies all playing to-
geth'r.
Every one OF there ranch"rs or
fhunters kept a pack os dogs OF every
q onc ivablo brc d aud ,ariciy--doss.
hounds. pups and "fci.;s' were in
Evidence. ! counted fiitcsn dogs ni
>ne OF these places and made n note
4 Il In my diA,y. These Missourtsns
bvrd their dogs dearly. Their minds
Ind thoughts seemed TO run to doss
aA Il vas curr 'ntly reported that
- 1eee vsse ~ ftsst wath ~ -
bod they could procure. II the dogs
Fouid not cat thu food. they offered
TO the hoes. and u the hogs would
ot ct Il they fed Il 70 the csAi.
rsa or cat II themselves. Tho food
kas generally corn brcAd. and same
bAot In the woods.
rems@ber once going On . scout
eitA about one hundre1 other col.
tses uAdef connaaA q . captain.
y armed asd equipped with four
nvt ratieas. We trsvsjsd sn day
noag tA1ek unbsfs asl sasil hills.
49, 4 ~s~aa~h A. 49, aHn6anenn