The New York herald., 1922-09-03


fern, a Jackson White of 81. who has
the respect of his wealthy and fash
ionable neighbors of tho Ramapo
Valley. He was farming a bit OF
land belonging to one of the valley
families and had none of the shyness
of his kinsnen back in the noun
tains He had been living there for
forty-eight years. he said. One OF
his sons, a gold .toothed young man
with great sweep of wavy black
hair. and the sons wife. also black
haired. lived with him The couples
| child, tmo-year- boy, was an al
bino. who squinted stupidity in the
sunshine. but romped happily with
his small dog Gyp In the dark of the
shaded kitchen
Old George Cbrown eyed) was
cheery this day in the company of
his visiting brother Bill, a genial
blue eyed gaffer, whose face above
the white beard was notified with
cancer scars Bill was proud to in
form us that he was one of Company
/. Forty-fifth Pennsylvania Regi-
ment in the civil war and had en-
listed at Bloomingdale, N. j. With
a bit OF blarney George was per-
suaded to talk about the mountain
folks Where did they come from?
/ Lots OF 'em was runaway black
men. slaves Some Injuns and some
white men who had to leave the
cities"
Where did they get their wom-
enr
We'll, some Of 'em got Irish and
some Injun and some black girls.
All that was long time ago. Old peo-
pie told me- i was born in these
mountains and old people had lived
here all their lives before. was born
I don't know much about il Old peo-
pie told me how to fix q bark bound
tree. though On the goth or 21st
of June cut II all around and the
tree won't die Don't ever bark
tree on any other day or you'll
kin IL"
Plainly the history of the Jackson
Whites is not to be revealed to the
casual visitor. Only q few persons
have had tho patience and sympa-
thetic understanding to live in con-
tact with this tricolored breed and
help and study them Miss Mack is
known and loved by all those Jack
son Whites in the mountains near
Suffern. N. Y. She conducts asechool
and settlement on the summit Of the
Houvenkopf. F. @. Speck, an an
thropologist, spent several years in
contact with them A collection OF
baskets and wooden ware, handicraft
| of the Jackson Whites was made by
him for the American Museum and
Is on exhibition there
Two Haunting Dreads-
II Is pretty generally agreed that
there are about 1,5oo OF these people,
and that by the tests of psychiatry
their average mental age is low.
Their only social organization is that
OF prehistoric mantle cooking fire
circle They have two haunting
breads. representatives OF the law
and rattlesnakea
They arc cunning distiIlers. but |
their Illegal cure for snakebite only |
serves to attract to them unweicome |
attention from the New York State |
troopers. Perhaps it Is this complex |
situation that causes the Jackson /
Whites to increase In primitive dis
comfort. unmindful OF the lure OF q |
civilization advertised by the refiec-
ton of New York's lights against the |
blue black skies of their long nights.
Since before the Revolutionary
war this consanguineous breed has
lived there in Rockland and Orange |
counties. New York, the mixture of /
red, black and whites. growing more |
involved with each generation. The |
Indians, who contributed their blood |
to the founding of this odd race, were |
Algonquins The negroes were run
away slaves. The whites were freed
men from the Dutch colonial pianta-
tionS, Hessians, A. w. o. L from
Iyipr CaoryasS arp,y l.s a. - ,..t,s.