The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-10-31
4 ACLAW-FINGERED PEOPLE.
STRANGE DEFORNITY IN WEST
ERN NEW YORK.
Residents Of Zoar Who for Four Gen.
crations Have Developed Claw
Like Fingers and Toes.


boundary line between the counties OF
Erie and Cattaraugus, and it IS not
large stream except when melting
SHOWS or autumn rains have swalled 1t
into torrent. Rich farms. wooded
slopes, deep gorgcs whose lofty walls
firm the high banks, as the natives
call them, and tangled wilderness
where nature still runs lot, as she has
from the first these mark the course
Of the Cettaraugus. The Indian name
is itself nusicallT expressive, and re-
calls the days when only red men oc'
crpicl its banks. There are still In
ljaas along #, and the reservation
named for it contains most Of the few
remaining members Of the Seneca
tribe, once the posscssor OF all the re.
giou from Lake Eric to and beyond
the Gencsse.
The reservation begins near the vii.
iase OF Gowanaa, and just above there.
smut in by high hills, is the widest
and most inaccessible srot in the whole
region, the valley of zoar. Here
among the hills. where strange faces
are rarely seen, is concealed remark.
able example OF natures occasional
vagaries and the strange persistence
Of ebnormalities through heredltE.
Among the few residents Of Zoar there
are several families Of claw-Gngered
persons. They are not wild: but nearly
all OF them have curious Geformlty OF
the fingers and toes which gives them
their name. They have lived here many
wears, and Although their neignbors
are still inclined to look upon them
somewhat askanco, they are no longer
regarded az especially wonderful, and
on1 might travel through the valley
dozen times without once hearing
word about lis strange inhabitants.
n driving through the valley re.
Gently the writer came across an old
farmer loading hem!ock bark by the
ros,lsi,le, and inquired for the claw
fingered residents.
THAT Robbins tribe?" was the re.
pig. eyes, I've knowed some of EN-
for nigh Oh forty years, cause I was
raised right here. Yes, their hands
is like claws. Some of 'em. Its q
mighty cHr'us thing, but 'taint
nuthin muc; to look 1t. Why, folks
comes all the vay from Buffalo be-
tween thirty and forty miles to look
at EN-. an' you'd think by the way
they go Oh aboat it that they was
Goin' to u circus -
AS we'll rs can be learned, the pc
c;,liur ,1ieitsl formation OF the claw.
fingered 1oiks has existed in Zoac
through four generations. In the
early part Of the century naD
named Robbins settled in Zoar. He
vas remarkable because his fingers
ana toas were so bent that they re-
sembled claws somewhat more than
they did human digits. In other re-
spects there was nothing particularly
striking about his appearance. His
strange, claw-like hands and toes be-
came objects Of considerable curios-
ity, but it does not appear that Rob
bins ever explained the origin of his
dcccrmity. OF course, after it reap.
poared in Lis descendants it became
tho general opinion that Robbins
himself inherited it. Others believe
that lie was the founder OF the claw
fingered family, and that lie settled
in this remote spot because Of his
Disagreement.
Several children were born 10 Mr..
and Mrs. Robbins, and eli Of them had
the usual number Of fingers and toes
Of the usual size and appearance. IN
The succeeding generation, however.
.ne clew fingers reappeare1, and since
shcn they have been ioand or some
members Of every family that claims
descent from the mau who introduced
them into Zoar. 4 peculiar thing
about this strange family heritage is
taa5 it is impossible to tell where or
in what form il will appear. Some:
times It is Inherited from the father,
sometimes from the mother; some
tines il appears in eli the chi!'lren Of
Il family, at others only in oDe or two
out OF g large nlmber; sometimes
father and mother who have we'll
formed hands and feet will bring up a
family o: children aliofwhona are badly,
ardPerhaps vHriouslC, deSormed. Again
parents whose hands are 50 deforme':
as to he unsichtIy will have children
all with hands perfectly straight. o.
casiopalIy the defo:nity will appear
in persons hands ana not in his feet,
or vice versa. Sometimes it is IN his
right hand OF }ooS and not in his left;
and SO on till all the possible conb;-
nations are exhausted. The term
c!aw-hncerel certainly: would not fit
more than halS OF those with deformea
extremities. OF course none Of them
hus what could properly be called
ciaws.
The hanls OF these people OF Zoar
are. usually broad and short in the
palm, with stumpy fingers. The fin
GERS curve in, and the joints in most
Of them are either altogether lacking
Or arc greatly ont o: place. That Is.
the finger may La7e only one joint or
it may lave two close together. 1t IS
of course difficult to manage such
iiascrs, and one might suppose that
Two OF these zoar people ii shaa;ns
hands would be likely to get hopeless
! ly tangled ", though such thing
has DoS bacn known to occur. Hand
! are sometimes found among them IL
which the fingers are al joined to-
@sther il one broad stump. Occasion
ally u child is born having IN eddi-
! tio.lai soa or finger.
. sle fingered residents OF Zoar
have the reputation Of being soale-
wila5 queer, but this is very likel = due