Cave Dwellers Still Exist

1914

Are Undersized, Animal-Like Creatures of Atlas Mountains

New York, Jan. 19. — S. F. E. Johnson, who has been exploring and sketching in Tunisia for the Geographic Magazine, looked over the troglodytes, or cave dwellers, of the Atlas Mountains, and noted that they were abandoning their altitudinous burrows because of the cold and, perhaps, because of their increasing inability to stand exposure.

They are mostly undersized, animal-like creatures, and many of them are deformed through intermarriage. They had migrated in numbers to the valleys, but could not accustom themselves to sleeping indoors. Their burrowing tendency clung to them, and they made holes when they could not find them.

Johnson said the impression that there were only about 500 troglodytes in Tunisia had been dispelled. He estimated that there were at least 5,000 of them. Their intelligence was limited, and they had a strong dislike for music in any form — vocal, instrumental or bass drum.

Johnson brings back maps of the Roman roads of Tunisia, constructed more than 100 years B. C., which, he says, are as good today as when they were built; and serve as a model for modern road makers.

Intermarriage in 1909, Black and White Together Poses Problems

WHITE AND BLACK.

Not Permitted to Mix In South Dakota —Go to Sioux City to Evade the Law.

Sioux City, Ia., Aug. 9.—In order to escape the penalty of the South Dakota law which prohibits inter-marriage and cohabitation between whites and negroes, James T. Watson, colored, and Miss Marie Dickman, white of Yankton, S. D., came to Sioux City on August 2, secured a license here and were married by Rev. M. G. Newman, pastor of the African Methodist Episcopal church.

On their return to Yankton, however the two were arrested on the charge of illicit cohabitation and August 10 has been set as the day for the hearing. A letter has been received at the office of the clerk of the district court from Joseph Janousek, county attorney of Yankton county, asking if such parties had secured a license and whether they had been married here. Although no return has been filed on the marriage license it has been found that they were married in Sioux City.

The statute under which the arrest was made is a new one and the case has attracted considerable attention at Yankton. The county attorney in his letter requested that some one in the office of the clerk be sent to identify the parties at the trial.

Miss Dickman goes by the name of Goodwin also.

--Weekly State Spirit and Dakota Huronite, Huron, South Dakota, August 19, 1909, page 7.