Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-09-10
THE POOL TRIBE.
Queer Mountain Race That Live in
Pennsylvania.
From ne Ne'o YORK. sun.

.nge. comprise almost the whole OF Du-
esll township, Bradford county, in the
Thtnern tier OF Pennsylvania. To the
r,tounding country this double eleya-
is known as Huckleberry Mountain,
IAE 'ol Hill, the first name from the luxu-
:. growth OF this popular fruit. which
,'rs sides and summit OF the mountain.
TRI appellstion Pool Hill it takes from
nondescript people who populate It's
Ad sides IKE prairie dogs, better known
., the pool tribe"
1.-THE origin OF these people Is unknown.
current tradition saws that early IN the
rutur. "a man named an der Pool, a
Dutch sailor, left HE life on the brlny,
3ud travelling up the susquehanna rlNer,
nuilt himself "A cabin near the base ot
Huckel1errv Mountain. The same tradi-
tlop or. dts lin with marrying an Indian
woman, However that may have been,
he left 3 bakers dozen or more OF children
with characteristics As varied as
heir comnie1i0ns. In one thing
Dnlv were they congenial; that
was an inherent dislike OF work.
This trait Is hereditary, and few Of the
descendants have ever been known 10 10
a weeks continuous work, unless hard
pressed. The tribe now number some 300
10 200 people. To pedigree they are cos
mopolitan, and the kinky hair and thick
lips OF some of the number would lead TO
tue belief that II the underground rail-
road. which ran through this section. did
not have a terminus here it a. least had a
way station.
Fugitiyes from justice and other vaZa-
bonds were attracted 10 the settlement,
and helped 10 give it the lawless name IL
had to the outside world. few OF Orlgl-
nal Van der Pool stock settled down into
honest but easy-going farmers, and some
half dozen or more have accumulated
some property. But they were handi-
capped wita the name OF Pool, and on.
side of their immediate nei1h6ors have
Slways carried the opprobrlum OF belong
ing to the "POol tribe tor all are called
pools" whether they bear the name or
not.
Hunting, fishing, and picking buckle
berries are the mainstays OF majority
OF the tribe. In late years the disappear
ance OF game. even of the smaller Varie-
ties. has at times driven some OF them 70
work for a few days at time Tor the
neighboring farmers. This contingency,
however, rarely arises save in the spring
before berries ripen. Now and then
male Pool. with bundle OF hoop poles or
whip stocks. or a female with a basket Of
sassafras root or slippery elm bark, may
be seen on the streets Of neighboring
towns. Chickens and turkeys roOst very
high, as q rule, in the vicinity Of Pool
Hill. and smoke houses are double-locked
and watched with shotguns during the
ham-curing season.
The circus comes up fully to the Pools
idea Of heaven, and the ringmaster's
whip is about the only thing besides the
pangs OF hunger which will drive the
rank and file OF them 70 work. A hun
dred or more have been known to walk
fifteen or twenty miles to sec q ci-cus
come into town. A general hilarious
drunk, followed with field fight, either
with the show attaches or the police, IS
always down on their programme. The
shooting Of a couple Of them by a police
man two or three years ago rather put
dampener on their festivities at the coun-
" seat, bait the natives still keep a
weather eye open when the Pools come to
town
Huckleherries are their great crop.
They are TO the Pools what summer
bOarders are TO the Jersey farmer. When
the berries rlpen they camp out among
the bushes and stay out TIL frost comes.
When a Pool gets a bushel OF berries
picked he starts for Towanda and sells
them, buys few pounds Of corn meal,
piece Of salt pork, and jug OF "cOf1n
vsrnish" whisky, and then gets back 10
the mountains.
Farmers from the surrounding country,
TO distance OF twenty or thirty miles,
have a custom each year of visiting the
mountain at the conclusion OF haying. A
big lumber wagon is filed with hay, bask-
cts and pals, and sufficient provender for
a two days stay. Then all hands start for
the mountain. 1t is a "treat" which
every right-minded farmer is expected 10
give his helpers, and they managed TO get
considerable fun out Of it, and rarely 90
home with less than two or three bushels
Of berries. The hill swarms with rattle
snakes. To be prepared for possible
bite, the berry-seeking granger carries
two or three quarts Of whisky. The willy
ruralist doesn't pick many berries, how
ever. He starts out from camp with a
quart bottle Of the LIQUID and a half bnshel
measure. He will not have to travel
more Than 100 yards before something like
the following dialogue may be heard:
''Lo, mistah, is yo' got anythin' to
drink?''
81 dunno. Pool, Purity dryY'
SPIN mos dead ioh suthin'. SayP
'Wal.'
"Pn done give yo' TO- qua'ts O. huckne-
berries foh q sniiter."
"All right, Pool. Produce"
The fruit is produced, and for minute
the Pool sees heaven as he shuts his eyes
and eleyates the bottle. A quart Of 40
cent whisky VIII buy more berries than
81 in money.
There is one thing peculiar about these
people. They never get bitten by the
Rattlesnakes. Male and female, little
and big, they bang around over the rocks
and through the bushes, generally bare
footed and never wearing stockings and
no one ever heard OF one Of them being
poisoned by snakebite.
/ camped two nights on the mountain O
few weeGs ago, and took a stroll up
among the rocks, keeping an eye out for
rattlesnakes. All at once / heard a call;
''Say, Mistah."
II was bent old man, with white hair,
and weather-beaten, old-copper COM
plexion. He was half sitting, half lying
on the fiat surface Of big boulder. sun
ming himself. In his hand he held heavy
stick, with two short prongs at the end.
"Hell0,n said | "what do you want?"
"Whah'e yo' goin'W
Hooking for a rattlesnake and Pool. I"
j answered.
oval, Pm one on 'em, an reckon yO'
won't have 20 20 mon mile TO find tn
other. Has yO' got anythin' to drinkYv
] had pocket flask Of snake-bite an
nihilator with me. Pulling IL out ! said /:
"pll give YOU a drink il you will show me
a rattleenake."
"l'll haf 10 70 yo', mistah," he said AS
be climbed down from the rock and led
the way up among the rocks AT pnce
which left me treatnless. Twice on the