New-York tribune., 1921-06-12

n L Of learning and citizens Of culture,
/ towers range of mountains which shell
~ an assortment of humans who, according
voss;p In adjacent villages, are "wiIder
ii N any people tn Tennessee mountains ev'r
sstsr'd en worse ZEN tn scum Of tn earth
ssan it Gums ter morals ZEN stealin'"
| Tho mountains In question are the Ramapos.
/ rAs people, mixture of Indian, negro, AIbino
and white blood, are called Jackies--a noun
,n term for Jackson Whites. These Jackies
are class of naountaineers who unconsciously
|lhse entered into the "back to Nature idea
r;tb the fullest enthusiasm-their whole sus-
I ersnce being from the gleanings Of the field
nd forest. Civilized man with his truant
1sacer, churches, marriage licenses, ZEN other
,ssky things is as popular as revenue agent
18th Tennessee mountain moonshiner.
Read the following from a Roclland County
history:
\ "0f this population (Ramapc mountaineers)
|lales are told of promiscuous association Of
HE sexes, Of ignorance SO dense that on at
Hast two occasions women over twenty-one
hears Of age confessed on the witness stand
|ihat they had never heard or knew the mean
|lng Of the word God and they knew no differ
|sgce between the words mine and thine when
|lsppEed to property of non-residents
II generation passing away recognized this
I,sme (Ladentown--a mountainside village)
is q section where ignorance, lawlessness and
lSaessness held full sway; where every
5sne known on the calendar was committed,
lnd where, if stranger inadvertently en-
ged, it behooved him well to leave all hope
I shind . A Ladentowner denoted a
mial pariah."
At present there are two mountaineers,
kOman Of thirty-fve and a man about forty,
Rn the Rocbland County jail, at New City, OH
T 4arge Of attempted murder. One Sunday in
February District Attorney Lexow, of Suf-
! srn, was notified that an old mountaineer had
een brought down into the valley near his
one at ST. Johns, and that the fellow would
probably die as a result Of wounds recently
sceived.
! 1t was showing hard that day, but the Dis
E act Attorney set out for st. Johns. On the
ltskirts Of the place he arrived at an Epis-
I 5pal mission, conducted by DIR. Burton Lee,
/ no does missionary work among the Jackies
II that section. Mr.. Lexow learned there of
mountain woman who had decided that her
| husband of sixty or over was too old. She had
sAen younger man and she and the young
ne had attempted to do away with the hus-
T and.
j After four-hour trudge through the snow
ias District Attorney and his party arrived at
he home of the nlountaineers
when told this mountain woman that l
ITould ndict her for murder in the first degree
II her husband died." said Mr.. Lexow, "she
lshowed no more concern than would metro
|lpOitan newspaper reader at headline stating
Another Man Is Found With Two Wives"
| Through DIR. Lees knowledge Of mountaineer
isbits the District Attorney secured written
l@nfessons from both the woman and the man
That they had decided to do away with hus-
hand No. because he was too old. This IS
las only instance I have been able to find where
hs law has gone into the mountains after
aountaineer.
At Suffern, Tuxedo Park, Ladentown, john
antown, Sterlington and nearby hamlets,
shere many Of Americas socially prominent
antilles own large estates, many people OF
cred information concerning the Jackies. The
surprising feature was that all information
Iaad been obtained from ''sonle one met" who
aad visited the shacks Of the mountaineers.
'Tst hand information was hard to secure.
After spending the good part Of morning
stening to tales from people who chad never
sted the Jackies," the writer must admit
aat as he trailed path that zigzagged
nile to gain an elevation Of 500 feet, he
secomed the words of his "civilized' Jackie
nae:
|Y Those fellers ne'r seen th' real Jackies. a
SKIES coward ZEN I'm hopin' tn all won't
SA emselyes in tn cabins when we git th'r."
half hour later we approached little clear