News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-12-30
A STRANGE RACE.
OUTLAWS DWELLING ON THE BENNE-
WATER LAKES.
Their Origin unknOwn-Queer Habits and
CustOms-scen Mt their Midnight
Orgies.
IFrom the n. Y. Herald.1

(From the n, Y. Herald.l
KINGSTON, N. Y, Dec, 1886. -Abou
three miles west of Kingston commence
chain of five lakes known as tn
Bennewaters," the largest being abou
one mile long and three quarters of
mile broad. The scenery is of vii,
and romantic character, and, as tn
lakes are well stocked with fish, it ha
long been favorite resort of anglers a
well as tourists. For between one ant
two hundred years a curious tribe 0
people has dwelt upon the borders o
the lakes. Though they possess certain
patronymics. thu are not known b,
them, b;FSFa-c }descSbed under tn
general tenn of the Bennewaters.
No prescribed caste of India was eve
more thoroughly set apart from its fel
lows than are these people. Whence o
why they came has often been made (
matter of surmise, but has never ad
vanced beyond the region of speculation
In appearance they convey the impres
sion of being descended from the rec
man, having in the majority of cases
the high cheek bones, black hair anG
swarthy skin which are characteristic o
his race. They are moreover. never me-
in groups abreast, but always walk il
Indian file, and in this order may be met
any dav walking to and from theil
homes to Kingston. As opposed to this
theory, however, it may be mentioned
that in no case do their names betray
Indian origin. They have been so long
isolated that, though they undoubtedly
possess certain points of resemblance in
common, they would hardly be claimed
even as remote kindred by any known
tribe of Indians. In some respects they
more nearly resemble the gypsies, though
they are not nomadic, and many incline
to the belief that they are descendants
of some foreign gypsy tribe.
Like Indians and gypsies they show
a deep rooted and ineradi2able distaste
for active labor, and it is probably that
the comparative ease with which life
can be sustained in the neighborhood of
good fishing ground first attracted them
to the Bennewater lakes. They never
acquire property and possess no animals
except certain wolfish looking dogs. 1t
is rare to see "Bennewater " unattend-
ed by one of these i'll fed and hungry
looking beasts. Unlike the Indians, they
have no taste for fighting, ard during
the late war were notorious bounty
jumpers" deserting almost without ex-
ception as soon as they received the
bounty. This region and the Shawan-
gunk mountains became in consequence
a veritable city of refuge for deserters
and other criminals, and raids were per-
petually made at that time by the
on the "Bennewaters, p" who
it was well known freely offered sanctu-
ary to all offenders against the law,
even when not of their race. 1t will be
that on occasion of the
abduction of Charley Ross, in conse-
luence of its beng believed that he had
been taken across the river at Rondout
at midnight in q small boat, the whole
district of the Bennewater lakes was
suigiecv fg rTvfFSrsExzs iRlser-.
.on's detectives, in the belief that the
stolen child would Be found secreted
With these people. Although. the search,
Is. far as Charley Ross was concerned,
proved fruitless, evidences which led to
.he elucidation of other mysterious
crimes were discovered.
Though not communicative to stran-
gers they are not surly, neither are they
luarrelsome, except when they yield to
heir craving for Edrink. In summer
they devote themselves to berry gather
ing and the supplying of bait to the
anglers who visit the lakes. Their
knowledge of the arts and industries is
limited, being confined to the
making of coarse Baskets and mats of
straw and corn -husks, which they
peddle in this city and the neighborhood
with an importantly that is only equal
led by their persistency in begging.
Certain rude attempts are occasionally
made at wood carving, but thes, are
generally the results of instructions re-
5eived during a residence in penitenti-
aries. These visits are by no means IN
frequent, but are rarely for crimes of a
serious nature. A weakness for petty
larceny clings to the ''Bennewaters" for
life. When by chance any one of them
meets with an unusual amount of good
fortune he is not backward in sharing
the fruits of it with his fellows. On fine
evenings, when these occasions happen,
the whole fraternity gathers out of
doors round a large bonfire, when over
q feast of roasted corn and stolen chick
ems, washed doRu by liberal potations
Of the rawest whiskey, they present in
The early hours, with the effective set
ing of dark background of woods and
hills and the glow of the flaming fire a
highly picturesque and gypsy like scene.
These gatherings generally degenerate
into orgies of the worst description, the
scenes enacted being worthy of the wit
ness revel on Walpurgis Night.
The chief person at these feasts,
whose word then and on all other occa-
3ions is all powerful, is man of unusu-
ally large stature and weight and of
will, who represents in his
person all the law and government
which exists among them. The use of
soap and water appears unknown, while
heir dress is of the poorest description,
shoes and stockings being rarities, and
even to this day soldiers overcoats used
daring the. war~ia tsle last stage of
decay, may be seen. But despite their
rags and dirt they vie with the savage
in their love for gay Colors and for orna-
ments Of a tawdry and striking kind.
Taken collectively they are the re-
verse of well favored, though occasion
ally young girl may be met possessing
singular beauty, but this rarely lasts be-
yond youth.
Their houses, which are the most
miserable of shanties, arc almost entire
" devoid of furniture. They have no
stoves, and their whole mode of life is
as wretched and debased as can be found
within the limits Of the worlds civillza-
ion. The house consists usually of one
room, in which a whole family and visi
tors live and sleep.
Marriage, as an institution, is as little
as chastity, and the laws of
are utterly disregarded,
to which doubt ess can be attributed
their mental and physical inferiority
and their steady decrease in numbers.
They are entirely destitute of education
and tradition, and do not seem to have
the faintest idea of f'religion or morality.
Of the church and schoOlhOuse they are
ike ignorant, the only public instltu-
lions with which they arc familiar being
the asylum, the prison and the poor
house. When any of their number die
he is buried without service of any kind
near the lakes, the grave in every case
unmarked. and thus they
have lived and died for generations.
Christian communities would do we'll
to turn their attention to those pariahs
Of the Bennewater lakes, whose degraded
and miserable condition can hardly be
people In whom the moral
sense does not seem to exist, and who
are as completely heather as if the first