Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-03-25
STRANGE COMMUNITY,
ALLEGED to- EXIST lN BARBOUR COUNTY
NEAR PHIIPPL
sad n be- Descendants o. an At-1an hng-la-
t-sral News @, he Sas-Accdsns and IL
adsls O.. West Virginia Life.

The Cincinnati Commercial Gazette Of
Saturday had a two-coiumn letter, dated
Phihppi Barbour county, purporting to
give the history, manners snd supsrstitions
\ OF O community OF peculiar people IN Ty-
CART Valley, near the county s=at From
| this letter the following JIG taken:
"But the most interesting study tor the
/ curious IS a colony OF strange people who
/ live huddlei together IN O rich little valley
some two miles across the bills from Phil
ippi. The Guinness are not popular cih-
z-ns though The dislike does rot take an
active form AID they came and 60 With
little attention from the people, except
that necessary 70 prevent movable property
from disappearing while they are about
Only the Oldest inhabIlant remembers
When the fret family Of Guineas came here.
The man was stalwar fellow, almost a
gisn. IN stature, his complexion that color
which Che ladies jenomi1ate terra Gotta.
With him were bis wife, masculine Great
ure, and several angular chiidreR.
"Iater three or ilur Other families, each
with a generous contingent of children. af-
rived. and the little settlement ci percap7
I thirty souls began h. singular life.
I "Withouta siuge known exception in
/ three score years that have elapsed b. CO
I the pioneer Guinea, Tobias Norris, arrived
/ in Barbour county, not q single member OF
the tribe has married outside the fold, and
I the I've hundred who now dwell in this
/ land of plenty, sre as much q distinct peo-
/ pie az those who sixty years ago built
I their first cabin here
There is absolu ely no history that
/ tells from whence they came, but tradition
Idispansoi by srinklsd ola dame says the
I or.iual settlers came from one OF The
/ northern counties of Virginia but that as
q race they are direct descendants o. an
African king Their Virginia MASTER freed
them because oi great service Their chief
nan rendered him ia iorsteiiiug disaster
and showing h0w iis cons quences might
be avoided
The writer claims TO have interviewed
I the Guinea Se,rs-' Who laid her Amer
iean name was Hannah but her African
title is ''Uagatildo, the Queens God Gift. "
She proiessed 20 Re sble 10 read the future,
ard there is pretty fair evidence that she
'oretold the gar, and said IFS create lead
en- would come from the West 10 is also
asserted by numk ey of repatable citizens
of Philppi that p dozen years $50 she fore
told the building of a railroad up the vol
iey. a prophecy that was laughed at rs the
vfrie.t f5olishucss Yet the read was com
pleted slmOss the exact day named. From
a -m3u wooden box roughly carved
With heads of unknown creatures and
bod ss of impossible animals, the wripkled
relic of another day brought ont a scOre OF.
gruesome objects There was bit Of
snakeskn To- cure disorders OF the stOm-
ch, a singl external application being all
that is necessary; @ rough stone thst cures
skin diseases and humors "a the blood a
muddy lqaid in q horn BEETLE insurcs
long life 10 taken Gt certain times IN the
moon. there were bits Of wood and metal,
shrei- of cloth end The dried iniestine5 OF
the fret King OF the Guiueas, and a small
piece OF the hesrt of lion that once saved
a King from death az the hands OF an
ereuy. There were other CHAINS and
amrlsts fer bringing lovers together, de-
-trosiug The pow.- Of witches, seitug at
naught the machilaCo1s OF sn enemy, AID
for lusuriug wealth.
T1is interesting dame told the writer q
Tisrd tale. Sac had no means Of fixing
iataa, but said that ages before, her an
cest0rs were the ruling house OF a rich
kingdom In Central Africa. They were
enlightened beyond th ir neiehbors, had
some primitive arts and n knowledge CT
sstlolosv that gave them great power over
surrounding kingdoms. They Teie poe
sessed of vast quantities Of precious metals,
ivorg, and valuable Gil. which they alone
knew how 10 prepare. This oil was fret
made for them by a god, who en-
Joined them To- keep its ingredients
a secret il any one not OF the royal
house was taught how TO make
&c woe would beall the kingdom
and 30 would De destroyed For genera
tious prosperity made tie kingdom power
.ul But enc dey a reckless son of the
ga ing king hecime euamOred OF maiden
of Size conn mon people, and. all else failing
bee Offered 90 teach her the secret of the
divice Oh 10 exchange for virtue The
maiden yia'dei, END that very night slave
traders oveT3n the principal kingdom,
carried OFF its best people including the
King and an his family. Many died on
Cue march Co tba sea; more iu tie noi8ome
holds of slave ships The King and part
of bic family re.ca,d America and became
the property ola Virginia c1loaist. They
hsd remained on one plantation, growing
from one amily 10 four or five, when they
secured thsir freedom. TIE captive
King, according to warning, had lost the
power % make ihe sacred oil, hut the
power of prophecy possessed by the Oldest
daughter of the King remained, aud de-
scsnded with each generation. Some lit
| tie time before their liberation, the girl
at chat time having the power Of toretell-
ing the iCtare, warned her master no. 10
undertake a certain ocean trip he had IN
| contemplation. and protected so earnestly
tia. be yielded Tie vessel on which he
vac 90 have sailed was never again heard
Of ard IN gratitude be freed all the de-
s-eudants of The dsrosed King, snd gave
the heads of the 1--WE families twenty. five
scges each ON this very spot. Some day
we shall sll 20 back TO Africa, - she de
clared, and sgaio become rulers Of a rich
empire
MISCELLANEOUS STATE NEWS.