The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-10-06
49, WILD FAMILY.
CURIOUS DISCOVERY MADE AMONG
THE BLUE RIDGE FASTNESSES.

A True Tale OF the Observation-Disclosures
Lebanon County. Pa.-A Pathetic Incl
dent-The Forsaken Cabin.
We all took station at a little distance from
the rickety structure called their home, and
awaited developments. Presently one Of the
female creatures ventured shyly to the open
ing styled the door, The other timidly leaned
forward upon her hands and knees and
stretched her head from the side. They
looked wild and rude, indeed, and as much
excited over our presence as il the steps of
civilized beings had never before been heard
by them. The one standing had eyes glisten-
ing black and rolling in quick, restless mo-
tion, fixed upon the group like two fiery
Goals She darted glances as il on the alert
for the least doubtful movement Of her visi-
tors. Her hair Of raven darkness stood ON
end, very like the jumbled mass of wheat
sheaf. Never such a luxury a comb had
been used upon it. Her mouth was thickset,
with strong, broad teeth showing promi-
nently between parted lips. Her complexion
sallow, with a neck tufted with large,
brown-coated golfers. The other Wild crea-
ture was somewhat of a different mold Her
hair was light and strangely matted, over
cast with a mixture of tints-brown, gray
and yellow-caused by the exposure to the
sun Her eyes were blue and deeply retired,
giving the expression of a haunted, fright
ened and saddened soul. These were sisters,
both clad in plain skirts Of coarse material
and rudely put together They had no pro-
lection for their head nor any for their feet
Their arms were bare and brown and hands
coarse veined, with finger nails protruding
like claws of wild beasts.
A COARSE WILD MAN.
As this mutual inspection Of awakened
curiosity and fright was exercised before the
hut, a strange, wild figure was observed lurk-
ing in the distance He trailed his course
toward US in quick zig-zag cuts from tree To
tree. By the evident emotion Of assurance
the two sisters expressed over his approach
We concluded this to be their brother of
whom we had heard Our guide beckoned to
him and the men went out to meet him II
required special tactics to bring him into con-
fience. He awaited his fate, standing in
brute stupidity. He was tall and heavily set
His face was fabby and sparsely covered
with whiskers His eyes bulged out in bull
dog dullness; his forehead retreated, as evinc-
ing the idiot, which he was. His hair was q
whirlwind of confusion and his skin, in every
part Of his exposed body, tinged with the
life color of the hardy mountaineer He bore
with him some tokens OF civilized contact,
for he had an old "fint-lock" over his shoul-
der and some game on a spit, which he was
about carrying home from his days exploit.
He was put together with an apology Of dress
not much unlike that Of old Rip when
awakening from his long sleep. We coaxed
him to his haunts, where we found that the
ladies had fully ingratiated themselves with
the wild sisters
Our captives were never quite at ease, and
only with repeated signs Of amity and good
will were we able to draw answers from them.
Their speech wns q vernacular quite their own,
and yet with enough Pennsylvania Dutch In
terspersed to understand the bearings Of their
answers. They spoke in doleful tones, with
eyes cast TO the ground, and their words came
like the slow droppings Of water from the
caves Of a roof. We described many Of the
most ordinary things in civilized life, but
they shook their heads and declared they had
never seen nor heard of them. We inquired
into their family history. They were able to
tell US their names but not their ages Ben
nivell was the name of the brother, who lifted
his eyes inquiringly to his sister as she men,
toned il. We judged his age to be about 80
years. Hannah was the name of the dark
female, aged about SIS years, and Mary ths
name of the light complexioned, aged about
A years There We're five members In the
family, the parents having died some years
ago.
TO THE OLD HOME.
was but short distance from the present
site, and concealed entirely behind a thick
growth Of large and small trees. II was the
simplest structure imaginable, rising to the
height Of a man, and in proportion about
fifteen by twelve feet. 1t had the shape of
an old-fashioned bakeoven, overgrown with
moses and thickets in wild profusion. It was
plastered on the inside with clay, which had
hardened with time like rock. There was no
Va with 81 ia
the dark caverned hut. save the front aper-
ture known as the door. Nor did we enter.
That was a sacred threshold to these untu-
tored and unchristianized beings. Hannahs
sense Of the holy would have been outraged
had ever any human foot ventured upon that
floor. Her parents died there and well does
she remember the dark days i'm their history
when they carried mother and their father
into the valley below. Even in the savage
breast can be found the beatings Of love and
the deep seated instinct Of reverence
In that hut lived the Laub family during
many winters. Since the day the aged par
ents We're carried out, dead, Benniven,
Hannah and Mary never entered again to
abide there. They declared to us their fear
that the spirits OF the dead might come hack
again. A strange tinge of the superstitious
entered into their nature. A rudely con-
structed barrel had somehow found its way
hither, into which they pressed the juice Of
Wild fruit to make a drink we style
vinegar. Upon its head WAS affixed an up
right stick, with apples fastened in the shape
OF a cross That" said Hannah, "is to keep
out the witches Dried bones of certain
portions of wild beasts, with good luck
feathers OF birds, and elongated skeletons Of
snakes and roots of rare plants were strung
upon their hickory whips as charms against
the evil spirits Of the mountain caverns, and
these Were the only adornments Of their pres
ent home
1t was intimated that thes., wild n<,,ple had
never before heard music After our re-
turn quaint plantation song soon filed the
roof OF their hut Never did the harmony OF
music fall 50 strangely upon ears as here
The soprano, alto, tenor and basso flowed out
upon those woods in weir,i-like tones In the