The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-04-27
A PATRIARCHAL COMMUNITY.
a Settlement IHoIated from the Rest of
Humanity-R Romantic Story Related
by the Chief of the L6nely village.

One of the most extraordinary and ro-
mantle narrations possible is that told in
the current number of Tile Overland Month
b, relating TO a strange community that
had lived for more than century in the
forests of New York without ATTY commu-
nicarion, direct or indirect, with the out
side world. The writer tells the story as
follows:
Anterior, and up to about the year 1925.
the region of country bordering on New
York and Pennsy ylvania, from the Hudson
river to LaAe Erie, was little better than
a solitude, dJtted here and there with villa
gs. Its prosperity was greatly retarded
by the difficulty of communicating with
New YoIk and other cities. as marts of
produce, and whence 10 draw supplies
To develop the resources and lay open the
hidden wealth of this almost inaccessible
region, the Legislature of the State ot New
York, at its annual session of 1925, on
the Recommendation of De Witt Clinton
then Governor of that State, and, next
TO Henry Clay, the pioneer of American
''InterRsl lmprovemenIs'-pa passed an act
'thorizing the survey of a route for agreat
Stale road along the southern border of
the State, from the North river to Lake
Erie. Judge Jabez ID. Hammond, Of
Otsego county, Alfred 5. ConklIng, after
ward United States District Judge, and
Nathaniel Richie, of SLalem-subse
queutly Lieutenant Guveruor-were ap-
pointed State Board of Commissioners
for that purpose. To select aud locate the
most eligible route and to ascertain the
most feasible eastern terminus for such
roal, three companies were organized un-
der The supervision Of these Commission
ers; the principal one starting from New
burg. and pursuing a route now nearly
Identical with that of The New York and
Erie Railroad-the offspring Of that pio-
neer exploration. This party, of which
the writer was one, consisted of seventeen
persOns-engineers, surveyors, flag and
chain>bearers, commissioners, elc. under
the guidance of Joseph Henry, Esq now,
aud for many years past, the worthy Sec
retary Of the Smi hsonIan Institution, in
the city of Washington. Must OF the
party were from cities, and had Joined The
company more from love of excitement
curiary b nefit
\ Afier a few days surveying through the
settled country, we struck into the path
less woods, and met almost daily there's
after with adventures which gave a zest
to our labors and dIssipated all regret at
our undertaking Our endeavors to Sc
lect the most level route led US still deeper
INTO the dark and apparently untrodden
forest comprising thai part of Sullivan
county, New York, bordering on Penn>
s. wanna and, for days, no sign of civiIi>
cation had been visible, but where the
immense size of the trees, the absence of
track or trail, the deep sof,ness of the
ground suewn with accommodations of
years, perhaps centuries of decayed leaves
and Undiscovered limbs, proclaimed
prlmeval forest, and assured US of our
entire isolation from all mankind. One
afternoon shrill whistle from the guide
arrested our progress, and a sound ahead
-unmislakably the accent of human
volce-brUke the stiffness of the solitude
and put US ON the qua viUe of excitement
and anticipation. What could 1t mean!
For eight da4ys we had been penetrating
thls wno A~s>-lati"n. which we had been
assured was an uninhabited wilderness.
Listening moment, we approached the
place whence the sound came, and there
stood before US, erect and unabashed,
human figure, apparently six feet In
height, with clear, gray eyes, clean cut
features Of the S xon type; skin dark,
appr yaching swarthiness long, straight
a h.,a II
pearances, an entire stranger to razor
with head covering of plated straw and
a shirt of deer skin belted 10 The waist,
exhibiting a well proporIioned aud manly
form, ana, TO our surprise, clearly not an
IndIan-the only indication about him of
savage or Indian life being shoes of un-
tanned deer skin bound to the feet with
strings of The same material. Such was
the appai ition, whose response, on being
accosted in the English language, seemed
jargon Of broken English, German and
Indian, as he informed US that here was
his home, and that he lived only three
miles distant, where there was settle
ment, TO which he invited us. Following
his guidance, we found, to our surprise.
a colony of some forty or fifty persons-
men, women and children-comp1ising a
society, or community, that had not been
included IN any census, and who for
period of more than half century had
been, and still were, wholly unknown to
the surrounding settlements.
The panora ma before US was in every
respect strange and peculiar an oasis of
some sixty or seventy acres of cleared
land, on which were growing corn, beans,
potatoes and other vegetables, and near
the centre Of which were eight or ten rude
log huts A couple of tame buffaloes and
few horses and COWS, together with some
fowls and pigs, impaired to the place
somewhat civilized appearance, and di-
vested it of any aspect of barbarism.
Frsm these rude huts there issued, with