Evening journal., 1912-10-14
COLONYOF HERMITS
is FOUND In JERSEY

eANae thNNA NloAloSes -NNn AoAh dAa
Philadelphia, within IS miles OF
which they live, that they do NOT
know there exists such a thing
as the art of reading, have no
code of morals or laws and never
have seen a railroad train, trolley or
automob lie, strange colony Of
mountain hermits, 10 miles from this
village, are about to get their first
taste OF educational enlightenment
through the efforts OF the New Jer-
sey State authorities There are
said to be 200 souls, all told, in the
seti ement of huts scattered over a
square mile of wilderness a ong the
Scrub Oak road. An initial invest
igation of the conditions surrounding
their life has convinced DR.. Calvin
N Kendall, State superintendent Of
Education, that they are probably the
lowest type OF white human beings
in the United States.
Natives here have known OF the ex-
istence of the colony for the last rs
years or more, and for that reason
have given it little thought Sum
mer visitors who became lost in the
mountains and stumbled upon the
uncanny settlement told the State
authorities OF their discovery. The
poverty-stricken hermits are to be
given an opportunity to share the
bounties OF Commonwealth OF
whose existence they seem absolute
~ ignorant.
Have no Religion or Morals.
So far as can be discovered, the
hermits have no religion, and APP
parently the marriage ceremony is
unknown. There is little trace Of
family names. Children go by such
titles as Hanks John" or "Jake's
Mary" There are few chiMren in
the colony. disease having carried off
man yof the younger generation and.
reduced the population from nearly
400 to half that number.
The Oldest of the hermits do not
know the history Of their colony.
They say their ancestors before them
lived IN these woods. and that is ap-
parently all they know and care
about their genealogy. Local tradi-
tion has it that the progenitors Of
the colony were a half-dozen desert
ers from the Colonial army who
dropped out when General George
Washington was in retreat across
New Jersey. These discontented sol
diers fled to the mountains, where
they existed by hunting and fishing
Bearing out this story is the fact that
years ago one of the colony came to
this town and traded an old musket
for some merchandise. The weapon
is now in a museum at Newton, and
has been recognized as a genuine
Revolutionary hrearm.
Flee From Strangers.
II Is difficult to get the hermits TO
talk about any matter regarding
themselves. They do not like stang
ers and many OF them flee at the APP
proach OF outsiders. When one Is
finally inveigled into conversation,
others will stand peering at the
stranger from behind trees or bushes
or from the darkness of their huts.
These huts are even more crude
than the old-fashioned log cabin
The manhood of the colony seems TO
have steadily deterioriated IN all the
arts Of civilization as known In Co.
lonial days. The shacks are the
crudest shelters, made Of logs and
brush, with straw or thatched roofs
One opening does for door and vim
dow Natives say the hermits hiber-
nate for days at a time in cold
weather So slSillfully are the huts
hidden that one can drive along the
Scrub Oak road which there is little
more than bride path, without
noticing a single shack Apparently
the fear Of detection that made the
deserters from Washington's army
seek this hidden retreat in the noun
tain wilderness has descended to
their progeny
The hermits are said stock close
to their colony. Rarely are they seen
IN any Of the surrounding towns.
They have no money, but occasion
ally will trade furs for merchandise.
Their poverty, in fact, is said to be
almost beyond belief. The common
attire for men, women and children
is a one-piece suit, usually made Of
gunny sacking. but sometimes Of cal
leo. They have no shoes nor hats;
filth reigns in their huts, with the
result that many arc in with loath-
some diseases, and the death rate is
high.
Live on Fish and Game.
From what can be learned, fish,
game and produce from the most
poorly cultivated clearings sustain
the cOlony's life. Agriculture viii
he one of the first things the State
will seek to teach the men OF the
colony. The task viii be a hard one.
however as interest in life beyond
their actual existence seems to have
died from the hearts Of the colonists
long ago. =
Not person now living in the col
ony has seen railroad train, al
though a line OF the New York, Sus-
quehanna and Western is within 10
miles OF their huts They gazed with
awe upon the team and horses with
which a recent investigator drove TO
their settlement The visitor later
expressed satisfaction that he had
not made the trip in his automobile,
as he said he believed the sight OF
the car would frightened them into
thinking him a visitor from another
world and would have made an inter
view with them impossible.
Don't overlook the Wanti-they
are little, but they weld a mighty in
flucnce ID are brimful OF oppor-
tunities that point TO many econo-
/ mies-Adv.