The sun., 1890-11-23

The Strange Rcgioas nud Peculiar People
to he Visited by ~ New HniironL.


ing away ut the route OF the proposed Weser-
ly. Il. l.. and Jewett City. tonn.. railroad. They
passed Aunt Lutn Mainc's barn ana reached
Berah kenyon's house Ia tho Wilderness about
peDd!eton Hill SATURDAY.. The building OF the
railroad j. novel project, ], will cost 5000, 0OO
and Westerly and Jewett Cty capitalists are TO
pay for it. Westerly Is uu the shore uf the
ocean and the New York, Providence and
StoniL g,on Knilroad. and JewetL City on tho
Norwich and Worcester division OF the New
York and New England Railroad The road is to
ran along the wild border Of Connecticut and
Rhode Island aud open ur region almost us
primitive as is Arkansas. Half way between
Westerly und Jewstt City is Nvluntown. large
manufacturing village. which is about midway
between Norwich. Conn, and Providence. 1t IL
in the centre Of n wilderness clad with almost
impenetrab pine and scrub oak forests
and swamps, in which dwell II primitive race
who have no Sunday. few schoolhouses.
who burn charcoal. and steal for
living. No one who had not visited
tile queer border between the States
would believe that such a scraRgy
luud ard equally scraggy people could be
found III enlightened New England. The
country also is the home Of the long legged
jack rabbits that turn milky white In winter.
and are hunted with Il smarter dog than u
foxhound. A man may drive tor eight or ten
miles in that country anywhere and not see a
are no fences. The people drive Vehicles that
tack. "a foot wider than ordinary wagons.
low much i the land on sither sldo is worth. and
he slowly cocks his head deliberately thinks
Tor half u minute, and finally drawls:
dollar mile s ss Ms Of f peops
have thick name of fiayen hair little Albino
brown stream trickles down each SIDE Of their
mouth. They dwell in brown houses that are
little better than log huts.
All burn charcoal, and cart 1t in great, dish
Providence and Norwich. Their wits, are as
one for years on weights and measures. until
finally they were eompeed by lnW aLi to carry
can be procmred Of only one trm ] ia each To town
they visit Siill they hoodwink customer right
and LEFT. A hundred stories are told oii their
sharp dickering and reported. A Norwich Gus
toner said to Voluntown man one day:
want YOU to put sl% bushels Of coal in my
cellar; ~ you will lind the hosshead there all
right; t., Goyernorn love, re- replied Il the e.erimed
Ss SSEs sbous
and by the lient OF his lamp saw bis hogshead
Guess 10 kept his word this time, be nut:
tered and md returned ETY. up stniss; j.; Next morning
ess hsa sspsd to ns
the tricky vsnaer hsd turned ths noesheaa ar;
On s % oa1 mar
Sns dsg Boston nd in Connecticut
Ss drying t3FerSE tie :bs <
said 10 squad Of his city admirers: You Just
keep n wnch OF ne and see IN me have fun with
the sidewalk, and Initiating the cali Of the
Vender. yelled: Olive hat cal m oie oas!
SLOWLY, the charcoal man turned his face.
habituai and with the solemn look Of an owl,
answered.: "Haow much dye WANT
men all get drunk start heir $40 horses toward
home, lie down in the bottom Of their schoon-
please. { Oiten I'll" @ horses gei SCARED ana run run
sleensrs In me lo'ting carts. Banging aPd
darkness the teams career OIL ward. aud as they
take up tn whole road. and sometimes hotii
chance 10 encounter On the,highwny. One
can hear tho c!attcr OF an oncomi ing RUNAWAY
charc2al team . mile AVA and i he is wise he
but into the ad dining lots. II it is possible t.
do so. The charcoal men drive from sixteen
+" twenty miles TO market and start for home
AT \ sti!i %Srs ps"S;ar reorle who !nhab!t the
ssd 'hS lsfSa u are the hsr
vns shis by sefas sut TFsI her live %s
hs a H1s
that comes u their way though horse stealing
from rom s. to s. each. and Do SO a'' SPOT s"
ss ,Sss one Of the : robbers nses ons Stole
bale of cotton. others have stolen live st OK in
robes, aud blankets out OF wagons. Ii is only
rarely they commit burglary. A week or. SO
a Al n
sun; Their booty they sesrete In caves and
e4nSs ennase nSeEs oois ,so the woods and sell when
Every year in June the people of the region
have grand breakdown on a hree,zy knoll on
which H. on the border line ween the, lwn
States; The perfornlance is called tgo Last
n ar Ths rae and o ses
wreste. fight, drink rum, AMI ilnaliynil 9ecome
50 drunk they lall ON the .round. and spend
whiskey is nut on rnp ut the outset OF the
car0usal and no one goes hrme until the bar
Pond celebration are seen nowhere else in the
world, An animal that Is wrth $40 is "a rare
no .ss n ssch Fond hopse rah h".
ws I'M memPssI q ABB ahGs ssr:
The 'srisia Of tho beach Pond bout is an odd
with fine white Erilty sand, that old-timers
used pilt on thu rifles Win which they wnet.
thu lholr scyitH DeiOrH tlls phlenf tileS were
invented. So for lUu year- and uutil Huuarter
OF century ago the arn'ers OF The region
gathered at ths pond yearly in Jlina-Jnst
before The ,9p.n ng Of the, moving sea-
son-tu provid' themselves with quantity
81 the sund which they took home and worked
into ths snrfar" Of their home made rifles
NATURALLY. 80 manv farmers meel Ing there
II, eiela liitle "sperrils;" hence Was desel.
orcd tho hilnrmu, nature of the pigrimnge
No one goes TO !'rarh Pond for rife sand now
adays the ru.tnm IS maintained in order tina
the people o! the region may hav' an eNci,, @
for yearly frOilc.
tho people u Sng the benighted border by no
means ihs s Wow the raiIr2ad project with favor;
charcoal hunt Iack rabbits, fish. frolic drink
hon"-d Distilled ram trade horses. wear brown
h in"spun overall clothes, aud live as free and
Gntrannmle rs tie avis that hnot 10 ihe
deus Tor SIS. They eis,e IN freedom unit
tered. ahd rider SO urr. wLo ilns built him
!! nous" patterned after Solnmon's Iemple
whnse stniy was recently told in The SUN. is
their prophet. ' -
The railroad will touch the land described
sslong its outskirts, but the railroad company
docs not expect much traffic from the natives.
Its income will te deiiyed from taking paopc
aud goods to and from Voluntown. forthe mills
there have great deal OF shipping 10 do. Vni'
mniown Is now l6 miles from railroads and