Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-17
HOOVER TO RECEIVE
PAIR OF 'POSSUMS
Mountain Youth Reckons
President Was Much Taken
by Previous Visit.
Continued From First Page.)


one of the critters squirmed his way
loose through the chicken-wire over the
top Of the box.
Rays real name is William Mckinley
Burracker, but 1t takes too long to say
all that. Ray is the oldest son of
George Burracker. clear-eyed. sun
tends cattle during week days and "doeS
preaching" on the Lords day. George
doesn't aim to take the title of "Rever-
end" but he knows his Bible and hymn
book as well as he does his potatoes and
cows, and naturally his services are
much in demand up in the mountains.
Sometimes Mr.. Burracker holds
prayer meetings at his weather-beaten
log cabin $500 feet above the Rapidan.
The cabin Is a three-room affair, with a
rough-hewn timber porch in front, and
q sort Of half-Story under the pitched
roof, reached by an outside stairway.
The BurrackerS have eight children in
all-ranging from girl in her teens,
who SHE'D at coming out of the kitchen
to meet reporter, to a tiny daughter
just able to toddle around in pursuit of
the chickens.
Eva May, or did," as she prefers
TO be called, IS the most talkative of
the lot, although none of the younger
children is bashful before strangers.
All are barefooted. The boys wear over
alls and the girls ankle-long cotton
dresses.
That Short Dress Causes Trouble.
General store reports have it that
when some one gave one of the girls
a silk dress, fashionably short, PA"
Burracker tore it up because he didn't
think 1t was decent
All the youngsters take an active part
in their "pappy's" prayer meetings. and
their singing is one Of the features of
the quaint. religious services each Sum
day in an isolated Baptist Church near
the foot of the mountain. Ray sang q
solo for the President last Sunday,
choosing for this special addition 81
Will Meet You Up There in the Morn
ing" and more than likely he and
brother George would do a duet for
Mr.. Hoover this Sunday, at the slight
est suggestion.
Pa Burracker is right smart con-
cerned at the report that Ray gave
President Hoover the impression he had
to climb hickory tree to pay a bet
when AL Smith lost.
Thar amt no truth to that" Mr.
Burracker avowed today. I'm the first
place, 1t want no hickory tree, any,
way. I clumb an oak tree, and done
it because was so tickled Hoover got
elected"
Did you really climb an oak tree?"
the reporter inquired, obviously.
Say, I reckon I Skinned up that
tree quicker'n squirrel" he replied.
II can show you the tree. right back O.
my place, If you don't believe it,
Same Tree Stands There.
Sure enough, the very tree referred
to stands there to this day, just as it
did the day Mr.. Burracker ''clumb" it.
Those curious to see the historic Bur-
racker oak had better get themselves
hardened to mountain horses and
mountain trails, before attempting the
pilgrimage. The only road" connect
ing the Burracker home with this place
Is a 10-mile stretch of steep and tor
tuouS going, hazardous even for expe-
rienced mountain horses. Even then
The Stars correspondent could not
have found the Burracker cabin without
the aid OF grizzled Bob Graves, 74-year-
old mountaineer, who owns 5000 acres
of Big Stone Mountain, and who helped
President Hoover select the site for his
lodge. Bob is the best-known and best
loved man in the Blue Ridge, Judging
from what the folks around this section
say about him, and he knows every
bowlder and every watercourse in the
mountains.
Bob furnished a horse for the re-