The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1895-12-21

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Ssl 6moa6 rictureaques stream IA WoeeI
s(SNcw York q tlkS CattArau84D.
.x1f6ngh most OF its course Il u the
Gn1ary line between the cOunties q
Eric and Cnttaraugus. and Il b mot q
large Rtream, except when melting
snows or autumn rains have swelled
Il into torrent Rich farmss wooded
slopes. deep gorses whose lofty well.
form the high banks, as the natives call
them, and a tangled wilderness where
nature still runs riot, as she has from
the first; these mark the course OF the
Cattaraugus. The Indian mime II It.
self unsteady expressive, and recalls
the days when only red men occupied
its b0nlSs. There are still Indians
along it, and the reservation named for
it contains most of the few remaining
members of the Seneca tribe, once the
possessor OF oil the region from Lake
Erie to and beyond the Gcnesee.
The reservation begins near the vii
lage Of Gowanda, and just above there,
shut In by high hills. IL the widest and
most inaccessible spot in the whole re-
gion, the valley of Zoar. How or from
whom the place received it's biblical
name, or what il the resemblance be-
tween this secluded spot and the city
which, in the Old Testament story. fig
ures along with Sodom and Gomorrah,
are matters which not even the Oldest
inhnbitant Ii able to explain. Here
amnng the hills, where strange faces
IRE rarely seen, is concealed a remarks
BILE example of natures occasional VA
abnormalitics through heredity. Among
the few residents Of Zoar there are sew
eral families of claw-fngeretl persons.
They are not wild or hair-coveret, at
least not more SO than most of the folk
among the Cattaraugus, but nearly all
OF them have curious deformity OF
the fingers and toes which gives them
their name. They have lived here many
years, and, although their neighhors
are still inclined to look upon them
somewhat askance, they are no longer
regarded as especially wonderful, and
one might travel through the valley
dozen times without once hearing a
word about it's strange inhabitants.
In driving through the valley recent.
ly the writer came across an old farmer
loading hemlock bark by the road
side, and inquired for the clavv-fngered
residents.
''That Robbins tribe ?'' was the reply.
Eyes, I've knowed some of 'em for nigh
on forty years, cause was raised right
here. Yes, their hands is like claws.
Some of 'em. It's a mighty GURUS
thing, but faint nuthin' much to look
ut. Why, folks come all the way from
Buffalo (between 30 and 40 1niles)
to look at 'em, an you'd think by the
way they go on about it that they was
goin' to circus"
The old man shook his head ut the
unaccountable curiosity of the Buffalo
visitors, and turned again to his work.
Although tho residents of Zoar usual
~ refer to their strange neighbors as q
k~,S1o u "a =,
frequently employed in rural districts
| in speaking of any large family. They
are by no means looked upon as a sep.
nratc order of beings. Still there is q
strong social prejudice against them
Although this prejudice has not been
sufficient to prevent marriages with
other families in the neighborhood, 1,
has discouraged such marriages.. The
| consequence Is TINT there has been
much intcrmarrying in the family, and
this may have something to do with the
| per1etuation OF their deformity.
!! AS we'll as can be learned, the peculiar
/ dfgital formation of the claw-fngered
/ folks has existed in Zoar through -four
generations. In the early part of this
! century a man nan2ed Robbins settled
| in Zoar. He was remarlsable because
his fingers and toes were 80 bent tina,
| they resemblcd claws somewhat more
than they did human digits. In Other
respects there was nothing particularly
striking about his appearance. Iii.
| strange, c1aw-like hands and toes lse
came objects of considerable curiosity
but it does not appear that Robbins
| ever explained the origin of his de
| formity. OF course after it reappearel
in his descendants it became the gen
eral opinion that Robbins himself in
! heritcd it. Others believe that he wa.
the founder of the claw-fingerctl family
| and that he settled in this remote spo
| because of his disfigurement.-N.Y
| Sun.
| Severe Test on Ctsmi,ieIibns.
Among flowers the lily seems to b.
| the most severe test of wo1nan's lowell