The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1894-05-04
A DEGRADED PEOPLE.
The DESCENDANTS of Indian Shanks
In New York State.
Haif-ssvages Who Live Apart from Civ
nized People and SubsIst Wholly
Upon the Fruits of the


The little store at Slayback's settle
ment, in the wild region about the
headwaters of the Delaware river. in
Delaware and Sullivan counties has
among its customers some who are un-
dOubtedly the queerest lot that ever
had occasion to trade at anVboly's
store. says Delhi N " correspond
ent of the New York Sun. They are a
race entirely to themselves and live in
the wilderness far away from any other
human habitation. If their own habIta-
tions may be dignified with the name of
human, for they are the rudeSt of hutS.
built of old tree-truukS, brush. mud
and odds and ends of slabs and other
refuse lumber. None of these huts are
more than eight feet high, and chin
neys or windows are unknown To them
There are about two hundred of these
people. men. women and children. and
they are all related To one another-re-
lated in such d way that they are of an
extremely loT order of physical and
mental development. They are known
by three family names-thc Shanes
the Washes and the Macartys-
how they came by them no one knows.
There origin was peculiar.
More than a century ago. while a
good many Indians still tarried on
their old hunting and fishing grounds
in the upper Delaware wilderness. Il
family named shannon settled near
the headwaters of the Popacton branch
of the Delaware. They were father
mother and three 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 a ca bin in
that vicinity. Some time after that
her father was found dead with bull
let through his brain. Whs was his
murderer was never found out His
other two daughters joined their sister
at the Indians cabin. and for several
years the three women lived with the
hunter, leading the life of savages.
Each of the sisters had nine children
10y their Indian 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. begging and thieving about
the country. Their numerous progeny
intermarried and the present wretched
colony in the mountains beyond the
Slaybac6 settlement are descendants
of them to the third and fourth gener-
alton.
No one ever knew one of these peo-
pie to have money. They have no use
for money They are expert fisher
men, trappers and hunters They
bring fish. game, furs, nuts and berries
into the Slaybaclz store and trade them
= - IL.
their wants are few Tobacco. pork and
ammunition are the chief items in their
supplies They all chew and smoke. the
women and children as well as the men
and the stronger the tobacco the bet
ter it suits them They are not given
much to strong drink, but even under
the stimulation of alcohol they are dull
and suilen. \ peculiarly of these
half-savages is their indisPosition to
talk. Whether they are communica-
tive among themselves Is not known.
but with others they use no words be
yond what are necessary in their bust
ness dealings. There are many mutes
among the children of the present gen
Grafton and deformities are almost the
rule
The moment a stranger approaches
any OF the nuts OF TINS colony. every
man. woman or child who may be in
sight instantly scurries away and dis
appears, but presently unkempt heads
Will be seen cautiously appearing at
chinks and cracks in the ramshacIxle
novels and wild eyes will peer out at
the intruder There are no useful do
mestic animals to be seen anywhere
about. but many wolfish-looking dogs.
as wild and suspicious as their owners,
crowd and whine about the huts- The
complexion of this strange tribe Is uni
formly muddy yellow in color. 1t is
a singular fact that, Notwithstanding
the lack of moral sense and responsi-
bility among those degraded people.
they have apparently no inclination
for the commission of crime against
the community at large. as the records
of the courts for half a century show.
They live absolutely by and To them
selves and neither care for nor know
anything beyond the bare obtaining OF
a subsistence which at its best is but
scant.