The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1913-04-23
STRANGE FOLK Of
NEW YORK STATE
Rev. DIR. McCuaig Visits
"JacksOn-Whites."
CURIOUS MINGL|NG OF RACES
Has Odd Origin - Banished
People Form Strange
Municipality.
NOT FAR FROM NEW YORK CITY

While the Rev. DR.. j. A. Nc
Cuaig, who is conducting right
living" campaign in Kentucky, was
investigating conditions among the
people in the southeastern section
of New York as representative of
the National Christian League for
the Promotion of Purity, he visited
several villages in the neighbor-
hood of the Ramapo Mountains, on
the borderland between New York
and New Jersey, whose inhabitants,
the far-famed "Jackson-whites,'
have afforded material for many a
strange story.
To quote from DR.. McCuaig's
diary: within an hours ride of
New York City, on the main line of
the Erie railroad, well up in the
recesses of the Ramapo Mountains,
tiweiis u race OF people to which
attaches more romance, more mys-
terry, more weird, unwritten story
than has yet been gathered from
Darkest Africa or brought across
the continent from far-off trading
post or mining camp.
From the foot of the Ramapo
to the Hudson strange tales are
told of these people. in whose veins
runs the blood of many nations.
who in the midst of civilization re-
main uncivilized. who, pressed by
law. follow chiefly the dictates of
hunger and passion. To the GU
rious stranger who seeks the foot
paths to the hills, familiar with
primitive life in dugout apd cabin,
tho first great surprise comes In the
caDrioiops play of nature in form
and feature OF these mountain folk
the outward mark of the surging
tides of different bloods,
! "There Is the blaek-skinned. full
bodied negress with her small
white baby; there the little young
Indian plays with his clumsy, wool
ly-headed brother; there, against
the olive cheek of STRAIGHTFORWARD
woman rests the kinky white head
of her pink-eyed, pink-skinned al
bino, while his black and yellow
brothers and sisters play near by.
There, in one face is to be found
the impress of three continents, in
one voice the intonation of three
races, in one form a trinity Of
blights and blemishes.
For many years these hills have
drawn the curious. To these hills
Barnum came; to these hills, i'm
PEELED by more laborious curiosity
the professor of biology and the
professor of psychology and the pro-
fessor of sociology have come. To
these hills men still come, yet the
living pages of the mountain are an
unbound book.
And behind the strange writing
in face and limb, is deeper writ
ing, writing of moral obliquity, a
writing that already has been de-
ciphered in the life of the village at
the foot of the hills, and that unless
studied and directed, will, through
the years, become an increasing
menace with increasing genera
tons"
The origin of this strange people
is interesting When freedom was
proclaimed for the slaves, many
went to their masters asking what
they could do. and these We're di-
reeted to go up into the mountain
Businesses, where they could build
cabins and make charcoal, living
peaceably. easily and unmolested.
In the course of time. these
blacks, or "Jacksons," as they were
called. were joined by all manner
of delinquents. whites and Indians.
who. by committing offenses, cut
themselves off from free intercourse
with their fellowmen. and sought
refuge I'm the hills. The intermar-
riage OF these people has brought
about the strange mixture of races.
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