The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1901-06-29
Odd Mountain Race.
From the Chicago Record.

The most peculiar people among the
mountaineers of Tennessee are the Malun-
geons. They are copper colored, with
high cheek bones, straight noses, black
hair, rather coarse, black eyes, and have
more intelligence than the ordinary noun
taineers
Their color and their customs have
Malungeous number between 400 and
500. They live on Black Kater creek,
in Hancock county, and they have been
in that section more than 100 years. The
records Of Hancock county show that their
ancestors came to Powell valley as early
as 1889, when they took up lands on
Black Water. Tradition says they held
aloof from the white settlers and spoke
strange language, which none of the pio-
neers understood Some of them could
speak broken English, and by this means
communicated with the white merchants
to the extent of buying arms and ammu-
milton and other supplies which they could
not procure in the valleys of their noun
tain homes.
Before the war the Malungeons had
hard time in obtaining the right to vote
and to send their children to the public
schools. The white citizens declared that
they were negroes, and the matter was
finally carried into the courts. 1t devel-
oped that the ancestors of these people
emigrated to America about 160 years ago
from the interior of Portugal, and had
spent some time in South Carolina before
going to Tennessee. They declared on
the witness stand that there was not drop
of negro blood in their veins, and after
long and tedious litigation they were al,
lowed to vote and send their children to
school,
When the war broke out in 1861, the
Malungeons espoused the cause of the
Union After the war closed and the
Malungeons returned to their old pursuits
they found that the government was inter
fering with one of their chief industries
making whisky. They had been distillers
back in South Carolina, and some of the
earliest stills in Tennessee were brought by
their ancestors over the mountains from
their original settlement. They killed
revenue officers, just as the other noun
taineers did, for disturbing their stills. OF
late years, however, the revenue men have
been no persistent in their work of destroy
ing the illicit traffic that the Malungeons
have sold but little whisky openly. They
still make moonshine whisky, but they
have adopted the artful, dodging tactics of
the other moonshiners of the Tennessee
and Kentucky mountains, and it is rare
that one Of the race is caught. So
far as known not one of the Malungeons
has ever ridden on a train
Their deep, religious nature is the most
striking of all their characteristics. Du
ring their meetings they will sing and shout
until almost beside themselves with reli-
gious fervor. One of the patriarchs of
the Malungeons was Uncle Yard Collins.
Many years ago noted bishop was travel
ing through the Black Water district. He
accidentally came to Uncle Yards house
and asked to stay overnight with him,
privilege readily granted. When he told
the old man he was preacher, the patri-
arch said he would like to hear him preach.
The bishop inquired where the congrega
tion would come from For answer his
host took long dinner horn from the rack
and, going outdoors, blew several shrill
blasts. Within an hour 100 people had
assembled and showed great interest in the
sermon.
The Malungeons were Wings before the
war, and since then have voted the Repub-
lican ticket. Their customs have not
changed in 200 years. They still live in
one roomed log cabins and use the old
fashioned, long barreled rife, which hangs
over every door. They are warm hearted
and hospitable, and, it is claimed, make
the purest mountain brandy to be found.
The family names are Gibson, Mullins, Col
Inns, Wilkins and few others.