The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-04-08
Explains Type of Mountaineers Who
Killed Court Officials and
Jurymen.
TRACES DESCENT OF PEOPLE
Produces Map With Dividing Line
Indicating intellectually in
the State.
By GEORGE CLINTON.

~
ments chief chemist, was born in In
diana. The doctor is very interested
IN all Hoosiers, but he is a little hard,
perhaps, on native Indianans who
We're born in the northern half of the
state. He puts them in a genius
class" below that of the Hoosiers who
were born nearer the Ohio river. The
doctor thinks, apparently, that the
northern Hoosiers are not dependable
entirely, because many of them run
to Chicago to live. The genuine Hoos-
Ter, he thinks, is to be found in south
ern Indiana only. The great chemist
not only has something to say about
Indiana folk, but he has a kindly and
admlrlng word to say about the men
OF the mountain region of the South
ern Appalachians, men of the type Of
the mountaineers who recently raided
a court house at Hillsville, Va, and
killed the judge and other officials and
two jurymen. The doctor doesn't de-
fend this sort of thing by any means,
but he is able to explain it.
DR.. Wiley has produced map of In
diana on which he illustrates soma nf
his views with respect to intellectual
ity in the state. About where the old
national road crosses from east to
west he has drawn a red line, and
across the territory lying south of this
line he has written in bold letters the
word "Genius." Across the north half
of the state appears the words Near
Geniuses." AS concession to two Of
his friends he has indicated what
might be called a lane extending
northward from the genius belt so as
to include Kin Hubbard, better known
as "Abe Martini" and George AIDE.
Of Fine Mountain Stock.
DR.. Wiley exhibited this map of his
own making the first time at a meet
Ing of the Indiana Society of Wash
Ington this week. He used it as ba-
sis for a most interesting talk which
he gave on the people of southern In
diana as he knew them thirty, forty
and fifty years ago. He pointed out
the southern half of the state was set
tied almost exclusively by mountain
GERS from the Carolinas, Virginia and
Tennessee. The men and women, he
said, were perfect specimens of ply
steal development. He traced to this
stock many of the great men Indiana
has turned out. The Indiana genius
began to appear, he said, when this
tine mountain stock began to mix with
the people from the east and north.
Doctor Wiley went over a list of
more than one hundred Indianans
who have distinguished themselves in
various fields of endeavor and pointed
out that each one of them descended
from this mountaineer stock. He said
1t was undoubtedly true that southern
Indiana had produced the best type of
man and woman that has yet appeared
in the United States. Abraham Lin
coin, he said, was Of this type. The
original southern Indiana man had q
dialect peculiarly his own. Many per-
sons, he said, had attempted to imi-
tate this dialect, but only one, Edward
Eggleston, had really succeeded. This
was because Eggleston was a native
Of that part Of the state. -
Good Words for Mountalneers.
The mountain regions of Virginia,
North Carolina, South Carolina and
Tennessee, Doctor Wiley said, are still
the homes of the rugged people of the
type that settled southern Indiana and
from which Indiana geniuses have
sprung. He asserted that these noun.
taineers of the Carolinas, Virginia and
Tennessee are misunderstood by most
persons. They are not degenerates,' -
he said. ION the contrary. they are
the best human specimens to be found
In this country today, and probably in
the world. They have their peculiari
ties, due to their environment. De.
tense. of their own family and of the
clan to which they belong is the first
thing that is taught them. They are
thoroughly honest, and all deeply re
ligious."
According to Doctor Wiley there are
great possibilities in this race Of noun
taineers. /. He referred to it as the
last remnant of the undefiled' in this
country, and pointed out that if in
some way education and culture could
be brought to these people, results
that would almost startle the world
would be produced. That such an out
come was possible, he said, was shown
by what had come out Of southern In
l. 4 Tor, 3n< ~, 4
of the east and north had touched the
! perfect ,speclmaa 6 humanity from the