The St. Johns herald., 1893-12-28
A QUEER FAMILY.
Five Eccentric Men Who Lead
 Very Strange Lives.
They WIFI Not Permit a Woman to Cross Their Threshold - Their Money Is all Deposited in
 Strange Safe.


 Strange Safe.
 At the mouth of a coal bank in Nes- shamrock township, six miles from New Castle, Pa., stands a little two roomed cabin, built mainly of logs and Dlastered with mud. The roof is made of clapboards and the one door of the cabin is plank that swings on a pair of rude wooden hinges. Everything about the cabin has an air of antiquity, says the New York Advertiser.
 The occupants are miners and their appearance is in keeping with their surroundings. The father. John Lewis, is a widower, seventy-three years of age, a little stopped by his continuous work in the mine, but still enjoying good health. There is nothing about his appearance to indicate eccentricity, except his long beard. which reaches below his waist. While working he keeps it tied in knot. and on coming out of the coal bank his first attention is given to his beard. and he never ceases washing and scrubbing at it un- til it E. as white as snow. For over fifty odd years razor has never come upon his face and he regards his whisk- CTS as almost sacred
 Mr. Lewis has four sons. who are no less odd in appearance than himself. They are John and Edward and George and William. two sets of twins, aged about fifty years. None of the boys has ever shaved, and as they are almost exact c0unterparts it is next to inpos- n. an a.- a H. an family todistinguish them apart. This curi0us family i5 of Welsh extraction, bat the boys were an born in New Cas- Gle. Their mother dying shortly after the birth of George and William, Mr. Lewis bought the coal bank in Ncsshan- mock township, put up the cabin above described and removed tbither.
 For one year he had a h0usekeeper tale care of the children. but since that tilae no woman has ever crossed the threshold of his humble home.
 Nr. Lewis has an aversion to their society. and when he makes his month ly visi. io New Castle for supplies he buys at Che stores located on the out slzirts. and if pcreAauce he sees woman on the sidewalk he will take tlr middle of thc street The sons very seldom vis.t town. and when they do always in company with their father e. whose side they cling more closely than a ten-vcar-oid boy
 None of thc family is able to read or write and they are consequently very superstitious. They hare no faith in banks and although worth probably Gen fhousand Coliars. hoard their man4y- Tne ilicoa-- frons thsir coal hank is quickly ehanrei into gold, to D. deuoe itel ia tae.r safe. This safe-ac- carliug to ncielhorhooi gossip. would hal-ie the inrenuitv of the most expert hank robber. lt consists Of a stout iraa box three feet square. This box i placed at the bottom 0i a well twelve feet deep located underneath the cabin. The well B. filled with stone and from ga trap door a common gas pirc three inches ia diameter leads to the box. Deposits ia thc safe are made O. druupiug the coins down the gas pirr. Tle men never take anything oui end ga coin once dropped there is s-0pr-tI to bc ,altcd down for life.
 Th.re is said O. be three pounds of dvrauite .ecrctcd ia the well which can bc touched oT by a secret fuse at anv time in ease of an attack by rob- bers A knowledge of this fact has coubilcss kept the Lewis femily free from the notorious gang that has been committing Gcprcdatious in Lawrence county during Che last year. The fam iiy is not known Co have any relatives in che country and who will get the contents of the iron box and thcir real cstate is a matter of much speculation. They have no intimate friends, their d-aliurs with thc world being confined 60 .llli-g coal and in thi, connection it mi-ht he mentioned that five large does are used by the men in hauling the coal from the baak These dogs are treated as members of the family, saarinF the same roof and eating the same victuals. Futhcr and sons take week about at cooking. They do their own bakinr and washing and three poards of sugar. it is said, lasts them nearly a month. Every member of thc family is an invetcrate smoker. None of them is ever sick and they attribute their good health to the use of tobacco.
 Evolu1ion of the NegIIsc Shirt.