Anadarko daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 1901-190?, 1901-11-09
Pitcairn Islanders
Hea I'd From.

II was nearly three years since any ,
thing definite had been heard OF the
queerest community In the world-the
inhabitants of the little dot OF land In
the Southern Pacific known to fame as
pitcairn island" but now the captain
of II. M. s. Icarus has paid them call,
and he says that apparently things are
going we'll with the descendants Of the
good ship Bounty's mutineers.
They live ZOO miles from the near
est point OF land and have intermarried
and reintermarried until every one Is
every one else's cousin. to say the
least, and yet they object strenuously
TO any new settlers in their island.
They have no medicine and yet they
are healthy-possibly because they
have no liquor of any sort and no to-
bacco.
Conflicting reports had come recent
ly from Tahiti. Pitcairn's nearest
neighbor. one Of which said that these
exclusive islanders were rapidly de-
generating, while according to the 9TH
er the Pitcairn folk were so far from
degenerating that they had grown tired
OF being merely picturesque and want
ed to be commercial community.
Captain Knowing, the latest visitor,
says the latter report is true. There
are only twenty-nine workingmen on
the island. but they have just finished
building a new model school, and now
are alternately occupied with putting
up a church, laying the timbers OF a
new whaling vessel and making a road
to their little harbor. Their great am
bition, however, is to establish regular
trade relations with the points nearest
them.
Yankee enterprise has stepped in to
help the island folk out. The British
consul at Tahiti has Just reported that
service is to be established during
the next few months "by vessels sail
ing under the American flag"
Fortunately for Pitcairn. the able
Mr.. Mccoy. who is now president of
the community of 142 souls, seems to
be made of good stuff and until he dies
affairs In the island probably Will go
well. Some time ago President Mccoy
was Obliged to be away from the island
for nearly year, and during that time
things went rather badly-a murder
occurred. the first one since the Is
lands settlement-but when the pres
ident returned 1t took him only short
time to set matters right. To Illus
trate the pluck of the man, the Pit
cairn folk tell how he went on board
burning ship and himself piloted her to
Mangareva, in the Gambler island, a
thousand miles away. and beached her
there. rather than to allow her cap
tain to run her ashore on Pitcairn Is
land, as he had intended to do.
With such a man for their president
II Is not surprising that there Is re-
markably good discipline In the Is
land, especially as Mccoy is well back
ed up by the other members OF the fun
ny little parliament" OF seven. elected
by the people. All the male adults
have to give half their days work to
public enterprises. They get up at
In the morning, have breakfast, and
work until 2 in the afternoon. which is
dinner time After dinner every mans
time is his own, and he spends 1t in
gardening, repairing his boats or
shooting wild goats for food. The
women, besides doing the housework.
smooth and paint cocoanuts in an odd
way. or make different plated things