The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-02-02

A Degraded Race Hidden Away In . wild
Part OF This state.

1
! DELHI. n. Y. Feb. 1.-The little store al
siayback's settleme Mt lin the wild region about
tho hesdwaters OF the Delaware River. in th s
county and Sullivan county. has among it's
customer, some who are undoubtedly the
| queerest lot that ever had occasion to trade at
anybody's store. They are race entirely to
themselves. and live in the wilderness far
away from any other b umau ha bitatIon II tn OF :
own habitations may be digniied with the
name Of human. for they arc the rudest
| Of huts. built OF old tree trunks.
brush mud. and odds and ends OF slabs. and
other refuse lumber. None OF these huts is
more than eight feet high. and chimneys or
windows are unknown to them. There are
| about 200 OF these people. men. women. and
children and they are all related to one an
other-related In such q way that they are
ofan extremely low order OF phys steal and m en-
tai development They are known by three
family names. the Shanes. the Washes. and
the Macartys, but how they came by no one
knows. Their origin was peculiar.
More than century ago. while good many
Indians still tarried on their old hunting and
fishing grounds in the upper Delaware wilder
ness. family named Shannon settled near tho
headwaters OF the Popacton branch OF the Del
aware. They were father mother. and thrco
daughters. The mother died soon after they
came into the region. The eldest daughter
left home and lived with an Indian hunter
known as Shanks, who had cabin in that vi
clnity. Some time after that her father was
found dead with bullet through his brain.
Who was his murderer was never found out
His other two daughters Joined their sis
ter at the Indians cabin. and for sew
erai years the three women lived with the
Ss had nine ns eb1en nnS a ssr on
lord. and when he left the region and went to
canada. never to return they remained and
there are people living in Delaware county to-
day who remember them as old women. beg
ging and thieying about tho country; Thor
emit wretched colony in the mountains beyond
the Slayback settlement are descendants OF
No one ever knew one OF these people 10 have
money They have no use for money. They
They BRING iisS' game. iurs. nuts. and berries
in to the Slayback store. and trade them for
such things as they require. and their wants
are few. Tobacco PORK. and ANN unitlon are
the chief items in their supplies, They all
chew and smoke. the women and children as
the better 1t suits them. They are not given
much to strong drink. but even underline slim
regularity OF these half savages is their indis.
position TO talk: Whether they are con- muni-
with others they use no words beyond what
are necessary In their business dealings;
the eI PRESENT ss sensrSton and defofmttes are
almost the rule; ldioey and hidrocephalus
thsy dspose OF Sop Dead ssd but ST
good the authority is the writer does not
know. that they burn their dead
The moment stranger approaches any OF
the huts OF this colony every man woman, or
child who may be in sight Instantly scurries
away and disappears, but presently unkemDt
heads will be seen cautiously appearing at
chinks and cracks in the ram shackle novels,
and wild eyes will peer out at the intruder
There are no useful domestic animals to bs
seen anywhere about. but many wolhsh- look
ing dogs. as wild and suspicious as their
owners. crowd and whine about tho huEA
The complexion OF this strange tribe
is uniformly a muddy yellow Ia color
IL Is a singular fact that notWithst standing the
lack Of moral sense and responsibility among
those degraded people they have apparently
no inclination for tho commission 81 crime
against the community at large. as the records
Of the courts for half century show. They
live absolutely by and 20 thems selves and
bare obtaining OF subsistence which at its
best is but scant.