Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-09-23
MYSTERIOUS WHITE RACES.
Strange Tribes Supposed to Live In
Remote Parts of the Tropics.

There always has existed a curious
fascination for the civilized world in
the idea that in remote parts of the
tropics. amid the dark skinned races,
there exists mysterious isolated white
tribes bearing a strong resemblance to
the civilized branches of the Caucasian
races.
The early adventurers in Central and
South America brought home many
tales of extraordinary cities beyond
the mountains, and vague stories afloat
in South Africa forty years or so ago
furnishes Rider Haggard with a theme
for one of his best known novels.
Similar legends are met in almost
all the less explored parts of the globe,
and they have always certain features
in common. The isolated white peo-
pies almost invariably inhabit a noun
| famous region in a vague interior,
always lust beyond" they hold aloof
from the surrounding races; they are
seldom seen, and yet are definitely
stated to be more civilized and better
educated tnan tne darker ndSSeS,
whom they avoid.
Who they are and whence they came
no one knows; native fables afford no
explanation. Once it was thought that
forgotten white explorers might have
built up unknown Kingdoms in the
wild places of the earth, but upon eX-
animation these theories vanish as
rapidly as do the white tribes them
selves, and the ultimate explanation is
almost prOsaic.
Yet so strong a hold has the idea
gained that even in the beginning of
the twentieth century the possibility Of
| the existence of genuine white races
is not altogether scoffed at. 1t is less
than seven years ago that an American
officer engaged in the operations
against the MoOrs in the Philippines
collected apparently substantial evil
dence relating to a mysterious white
race i'm the island of Mindanao. The
mountainous district in the center of
| this island has never been explored
and even the coast is not we'll known.
But along the seaboard many stories
are told of the fierce white people who
| have their home in the forest-clad
| mountains of the interior Eyewit-
ncsses depose to having seen strange,
fair complexioncd girl who fled to-
| ward the hills as soon as she was ad-
dressed. other men and women of
| light compleXoned race are said to
have been seen by more venturesome
natives who were bold enough to ap-
proach the wild mountain district.
| The American officer was so impress
ed that he determined to conduct an
exploring party across the center of the
| island. But apparently the mysterious
white folk had vanished, for the world
has as yet heard nothing of his search
being crowned with success.
Arabia, however, can with more rea-
son boast of a white tribe. For years
stories of such a race have been told
in the Persian Gulf and an American
missionary stationed at Muscat allud-
ed some years ago to coffee house
| babble i'm Eastern Oman concerning
mysterious race of light cOmpleXioned
people. who live somewhere in the
mountains, shun strangers and speak
a language all their own.
Various theories have been pro-
pounded to explain the fable. but prob
ably the explanation is to be found in
the narrative of a journey made in
| Oman i'm 1876 by Col. S. B. Miles,
| British officer. Col. Miles, in the
course of his travels nearly thirty five
years ago. came across IA town named
| Shrraizi i'm the heart of the Green
mountains. This strange place was
perched like an eagles nest on the top
of a great cliff and was inhabited by
people Of lighter skin than the rest of
the tribes of the interior. They rarely
descended To the plains and refused to
mix or intermarry with the Arabs.
Col Miles found they were descend
| ants of portion of the Persian army