The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-20
FEWER ALBINO PITTSLEYS.
THE STRANGE CHARACTERIsTIO OF
n MASSIo FAMILY.

Pink Eyes and white Hair Believed to
De Inheritances Brought by Deport-
ed Exiles from Acadie-Disappear-
Ing Since IntermnrriaEes Ceased.
FREETowN, Mass, Aug. 12.-The disap-
pearance OF the pink-eyed Pittsleys is fast
being accomplished. and It is probably only a
question OF few years when the albinos Of
Massachusetts will live only in tradition.
Not dozen Of the white haired, pink eyed
people can now be found In the region where
more than fifty lived at one time a quarter
of century ago. So few are they that the
younger generation about here includes many
children who have not yet seen nm abino
where alhtros were familiar sights to their
fathers and mothers. Some people may see
In this only another evidence OF the law Of
supply and demand. Fer many years the at
Effectiveness Of albinos In dime museums and
circuses has been diminishing. and the births
OF the queer little babies have also become
fewer This is theory which Is vehementy
denied by the albinos themselves They are
altogether too shy and naughty to permit
themselves to be hired out to show folks
Indeed. they haughtily deny any suggestion
that Barnum and his contemporaries ever
were able to induce any of their pink eyed,
white headed ancestors to figure in side
shows, although tradition has nurtured the
belief that this region formerly furnished all
the albinoB used by museums and circuses for
exhibition purposes.
The more probable theory 10 that the dis
appearance Of the abinos is due solely to the
falling Off Of intermarriages among the Pitts
leys and Reynoldses and to their observance
Of the laws OF consanguinity. The women
while more reserved and clannish than the
men, even, have without design or fore
thought brought this about by marrying into
families with which the Pittsleys had never
been allied. These later marriages have
taken them out OF the unhealthful methods
Of life that existed among them, and have
probably resulted in the restoration OF the
pigment In their blood to such an amount
that the family characteristic does Aot ap-
pear in the children Of such marriages. It
may be due to this. or, II you believe the
Ptttsleys. 1t is only that the hand Of fate
has been lifted from them.
The story Of the albinos begins more than
century and a half ago II was about then
that traces Of them appeared in the records
OF the county and town In such a fashion
that there Is no doubt about the length OF
the albino line. Members of the Pierce fami-
ly OF Freetown, who have been connected
with the administration Of town affairs since
the foundation OF the settlement. have taken
SUFFICIENT interest In the albino cases to keep
some track OF their appearances in the To-
cality. The albinos began with the tragedy
OF Acade. When the English deported
Evangeline and her friends, not only Loui-
siana but other settlements also along the
Atlantic coast received their quota OF the
extles. Freetown was one OF these places
1t had been unable to supply it's quota of
soldiers to the army, and at Freetown ac-
cordingly the English left fifteen men and
some women
The miserable ones who were landed in
Freetown without means Of sustenance went
into the woods In their wretchedness and
built huts and cabins for shelter Some Of
the descendants Of the Acadians are still lv-
Ing about Freetown, and are highly respected
and In comfortable circumstances. Just which
OF the fifteen Acadians became the ancestors
OF the alhinos, the records do not show but
the name on the town and county records is
given varlously as Pittsley. Piggsley, and
even Hoggsley. They are generally known
as "Jucket folks" and this is traced back
to an Acadlan with the name of Jacquet,
WHICH was corrupted into Jucket. None Of
the name Of "Jucket" has been living for
ten years. but while any of the name did
live II was in miserable cabins and huts in
out-of-the-way places In the woods The
name Jucket was accordingly applied to such
rude hahitations wherever found And they
were almost always found occupied by al
hinos or white-headed Pittsleys Early IN
the eighteenth century Robert Pittsley
made his appearance In the records ms an al
hino. He was first heard OF In 1881 and
was connected IN some way with the Acadian
Jacquets.
The Pittsleys were c,annish, and the ap
pearance Of each baby with the pink-colored
eyes attracted much attention to them
that they acquired habit OF moving fire.
quently from one lonely location to some
other equally remote. where a carelessly
erected shelter with one room protected the
largest families. Sometimes as many as
thirteen adults and children occupied one
room, with loft on top. reached by lad
der
The Pittsleys resented the curiosity arous-
ed by their appearance IN villages, and reso-
lutely burrowed deeper and deeper into the
woods, while the children grew up like little
savages and led gypsy existence, until every
horse trading yarn or story OF a swap In the
The morality Of the woman has always been
above reproach, and the marriage tie always
held in almost fanatical esteem.
Medical authority holds the cause Of
alblalsm to be the absence Of pigment IN
the body and that Il may be hereditary
About 100 albnos have been born since Rob
ert Pittsley. and the characteristic seems
to be transmitted through the male and the
female line. In one case, there were six al
biro children In Pittsley family, one only
being a girl She married and had three
pink eyed babies. in her own family. One
Of these has married into a family OF en-
tirely different social position. She Is a
really beautiful woman, with rich ruby red
eyes marked WIN the peculiar vibrations
seen in the eyes of albinos. Her hair ia
exquisite. Her husbands name is that Of
one Of the most famous historical rulers
Of the Massachusetts colony. None OF her
children has yet appeared with the aTbno
features.
others of the Same generation have left
their old haunts They have spread them
selves over new territory in the state and
In Rhode Island. and have married other
than Pittsleys or Reynoldses, the latter be-
Ing the only family with which for a long
time they had any tender relations. No new
ablnos have been heard Of among the chill
dren OF these marriages. and II II now be-
lieved by those who have taken an interest
m the peculiar people that the strain may
die out rapidly.
Ono Of the characteristics that make an
alhino so marked ia the exquisite white
hair which preserves its sickness through
all neglect. Where cared for properly. It
is soft as swans down, and distinctly dit
ferent from the hefrIzzed exhibit OF the
side show. The popularity Of the red eyes
ia great, Apparently, they are unable to
sustain the light, and, furthermore. the al
blno desires to conceal the difference be-
tween his eyes and those OF ordinary peo-