Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1868-04-11
A Michigan Hermlt-A Man Lives the Life OF
Hermit for Thirty Years, In Calhoun county
Z He Is Found In his heyel Frozea TO Death.
/ fabian Concordance Of the Marshall States

j man. .lrt.
A scene of really shocking nature, SC
horrible in its details that the pen OF Haw
| thorne might weave it into very interest
j ing romance, were the causes known, has
occurred here since my last writing. LII Is mol
generally known outside of this immediate
vicinity thai we have had one of the most
| inveterate and degraded hermits on record
He has been known as David Duncan, which,
without doubt, is an alias. He came here
in the spring of 1885, as Yankee notion
pedler. A portion of his taps he said ne
purchased at an auction sale of goods, dam
aged by the great fire in New York, in De-
cember, 1885. In the fall of 1885, ne took
eighty acres of government land, lying about
two miles south of the village, and back
from the road, and dug a hole IN the side OF
the hill for his abode. In this rustic cas-
tie" be lived for number of years, clearing
and cultivating his land, and raising cattle
for market In his debut he looked quite
gentlemanly, but latterly his appearance was
quite hermetical. For some reason, he built
small frame house, and a family by the
name of Smag lived with him for about six
months. After this he began to dress more
shabbily, and grow more penurious, until he
was really curiosity. For about eight
years past his dress has actually con
sisted of bags wound about him, an OK hide
with a hole cut in the middle to insert his
head, for a supposed overcoat, portion OF a
bag for cap, and boxes made of one inch
oak boards, about five by sixteen inches, with
half bag nailed around the top for boots
This latter portion, or any of the wardrobe,
is not exaggerated in the least. One of his
boots weighs eight and half pounds, and
can be seen at the store of Kinney & Miller.
What caused him to live in this manner has
always been a mystery, and when questioned
as to the reason, no answer would be given.
1t was supposed by some that he was disap-
pointed in love, and by others that he had
committed some shameful deed, and taken
this course to shun detection. Every effort
to trace his nativity and relatives proved an
successful. He had good education and
was considered shrewd, but within few
years he showed sghs of arrangement. So
he has lived and died worse than a brute
On Thursday last Mr.. Perriue was in his
woods, which adjoin the hernit's premises,
and feeling cold he went to the hovel to
warm. Seeing no tracks about the premises
since the storm on Sunday, and hearing the
cattle low, he mistrusted something wrong,
and looking through hole In the door, saw
the old man in sitting posture, covered with
snow. Being satisfied that he was dead, Mr..
L. communicated III 10 AsqulE6 w hllnnet anu
a jury was summoned, who, together with
Coroner O'Donoughue, visited the premises,
and found him frozen stiff.
After examining the premises quite thor
oughly, they brought him to the engine
house and placed him in large cauldren-
kettle OF water. Friday afternoon an exam
ination of the body and howell showed that
be had undoubtedly been sick, as he was
badly burned, and becoming exhausted, fell
into stupor and froze 20 death. Thisis the
substance of the jury's verdict On search
ing the premises Friday, pocketbook con-
tanning $ll.1S was found, and a number of
receipted bills, cancelled mortgage, and
other valueless papers were found in the gar.
ret in lantern. Not morsel of food could
be found anywhere. An old coffee mill about
half full of flint corn was fastened by the
old fireplace, and little meal in pan were
the only things that looked like living. 1t
was the flthiest place the eye ever beheld.
How human being could live in such
place is more than any one knows. After
the rags were soaked from his body his skin
looked like that of very dirty, scurvy hog.