The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-12
AMONG THE MELUNGEONS.
A Peculiar People Who Live in Upper
East Tennessee.

A2tecs ana the SpanlarCS-Strange
Manners and Ways of Living of a
Transplanted Race - Remains of
Walled Cities Found.
R. L. Bowie in Pittsburg Dispatch
Chattanooga, July 27.-Several years
ago, while travelling through Upper East
Tennessee, incidentally heard Of pecu-
liar race of people living in the mountain
section of country embraced within the
limits of Hancock county Having heard
enough to awaken my curiosity. I de-
termined to investigate for myself their
history, habits and race features, as
could find no written mention of them in
any magazine, newspaper or historical
work of the state.
In pursuance of my object made sew
sral trips through their country and
made a study of their habits of life and
physical traits of character, cleaning
what l could from them, of their tradi-
tions and history, and believe that have
now sufficient evidence to clearly estab-
l1sh who these people really are, and to
what race they originally belonged, trac-
ing them unerringly to the present time
In this have been greatly aided by the
kindly suggestions and valuable informa-
tion received through the historical re-
searches of DR.. Bachman, which he very
kindly placed al my disposal. I will now
only attempt brief sketch showing who
these people are, which has been q ques-
ton much discussed, and about which
many theories have been advanced,
PHYSICAL IRREGULARITIES OF THE RACE.
While following up and linking together
the evidence, which showed clearly that
theirs was even yet distictive, original
race from ours, visited the anthropolo-
gical building at the worlds fair, and
there obtained conclusive evidence that
was not mistaken in the theory which l
had believed the correct one.
Locally, these people are known as the
"Melungeons." They are generally of
fine appearance, being tall and unusually
well formed, with straight black or
reddish-hued brown hair, black or brown
eyes, always keen and piercing in their
glances, high cheek bones, square-cut
Jaws and of an erect--even proud--car-
riage, some of their women being remark
able for their beauty. They are intelli-
gent, but very reticient, and also
reserved in manner; partiularly so
when Intercepted as to their his
tory. They are friendly with their
fairer-skinned neighbOrs, and in some
instances, have intermarried with them,
but as a rule, they choose husbands or
wives among themselves, They are
strictly honest, yet distrustfUl to some
extent of advances coming from stran-
gers. They are firm friends, but implac-
able and even treacheroUS enemies.
They live mostly in small frame or log
houses, farm little, hunt and fish and
take life easy.
They have but little money, and seem
to care but little for it. They go nearly
always armed with rifle or shotgun,
whether to trade at some neighboring
town or to visit neighbor.
TRUE DESCENDANTS OF THE AzTECs.
Of
members-can read and write fairly well
enough for the ordinary transactions oc-
curing in such a primitive community.
They have and enjoy all the rights of
citizenship, yet they live and move, a
distinct and separate body from those
around them, preserving their individu-
atty and racial distinction
who are these people2" has been
asked thousands of times doubtless by
some passing traveller, who quickly noted
their Cleancut, distinctive race features,
speech and bearing. The answer made
invariably is, "Melungeons. - Our fathers
who settled here along about 1890 to 1900
found them here, with another small set
Element near Nashville's present site.'
This is all you can obtain in the way of
information by casusal inquiry.
But investigation proves these people
to be-true descendants of the Aztecs with
the blood of princes, warriors and great
chieftains in their veins, probably mixed
with the blood of Spain and Portugal, as
will endeavor to show later. and in Civ
ing you the proofs you must follow me in
an apparently aimless 'ramble'-or what
at first will seem such to you-up among
the cloud-crowned mountains, the dark,
shadowy caves, where the sun peeps only
at noon to tighten the gloom and gid the
shadows with its golden light for an hour;
beneath frowning, topping cliffs, pass up
the deep and greusome gorges, wrapped
IN shadow and mystery beneath the giant
hrs; listen to the Splashing, leaping
waters of the fast flowing brooklet, as it
winds its sinuous way over, around and
under the moss-covered rocks, or huge
fragments hurled from the beetling cli1s
aDove; through beds of ferns-only such
ferns as can here be found-and sweet
smelling woodland flowers climb with
me to the topmost peaks, where the
thunder heads" gather their forces for
the coming storm, and the eagles build
tteir nests,
WONDERS FOUND IN CAVE.
Following me in the dusky light of wan
ing day, that distant spiral column of
smoke denotiug the lowly roof, beneath
which I shall find shelter for the night
and enjoy with me the free hospitality of
my host Nuno, and his wife Luizan, with
little Nonah and Cocalla and Juan peep
Ing from the cracks between the logs,
with bright, wondering eyes at their
stranger guest, and mark well these
names, all found in the same family;
three Spanish or Portuguese sounding,
and two Indian or Azlec; for in this is
one Of the direct evidences offered as to
who are these people" l will further
snow you what we picked up on our way
70 Nuuo's home.
On the top of one mountain we found
me blackened rocks, fragments fused.
fragments disintegrated and crumbled
aust made by signal fires Down in that
aark cave we found stone hammers, stone
bowls half formed upon the rock of which
u is still a part. Within the shadows of
mat gloomy gorge we found arrow heads
OF hint. We passed into a cave. 1t opened
mo a large cavern, through which Tiny
orooklet towed and thence out into the
gorge which we had just left. In this
ave is a. broken copper medal, an iron
Implement too badly eaten by rust to be
LecogniIed as to its name or use, small
uag composed of woven grass, o broken
piece of pottery: bowl-with how
"Tange2-the Maltese cross upon il
me potter yshowed threads of grass
Taxed IN, the clay, that il might be
ourOuger in its structlIre a broken dag