, 1870-07-24
JOHNNY "APPLESEED,"
Eccentric Character IN tho Early
HfatoKF OF OHIO.

Eccentric Character IN tho Early
HtsterT OF OHIO.
To ono Of tho moat singular agencies we're
many Of our eAs1y settlers indebted for their
70 be seen, in tho shape of psttiarchal trees OF
giaut Riza on the hankS Of the Nxunsne.-An-
E!size, st. Marys, Manchard, aud other rivera
In some par,a Of Ohio.
We copy lie following from ths History OF
Richand County:
"lAt N early dag there WAS very eccentric
character, frequently IN this region, xho WAS
well remembered by tho early settlera His
name wss JonaslAn Chapman, but he WAS
usually known as Johnny App}eseed. 'He
WAS originally, it Is supposed, from New Eng
land.
HE hadnubibed remarkable passion for the
rearing aud cultivation Of apple trees from
tho seed. He first made his appearance in
Western pepnsslE.nia. md thence made
bis way into Ohio; keeping on The outakir1s Of
pursuit He wae accustomed to cloar spots on
the loa1n5 lands on the banks Of the streams,
piant his seedr, enclose the ground. and then
leave tho place until the trees had in Measure
grown When the settlers began to flock in
and open their cleAzipgs,' Johnny was ready
gave away, or sold for bo1ne tride, ~ IN old
coat, or any aThcla OF which he could
make nee. Tins he proceeded for many
yeazs, until the whole country was il q
trees, deriving self- saesfaction amounting TO
r1most delight in the Indulgence Of bia en-
crossing passion About twenty yeAra noce
he removed to the Far Vest there 10 re-enact
the came csrcer Of humble usefulness.
~, "Ha personal 1Rpe.s.oes R vss n = ngn,r 9Sp =
man, quick and restlens in his motion aud COG
1ersatiou; his beard and hlr we're long and
dark, and his eye bllet and sparkling. Ho
lived the Eoughcst life, and often slept in the
woods: His clothing ~ mossly old; being
ple trees. He went bArefooted, Ind often
travelled miles through the snow in that
way. In doctrine he WAS follower OF
swedenborg, leading a moral blauaelees Life,
likening himself to <hc primitive Christians,
literally taking no thought TOR the mnHn4.
Wherever he vent be circulated swedenbor-
| Gian works, Aud II short Of them, would tsazk =
book in two And give each part to di1erent
| persons. He WAS careful not to infure ans
| aninal, md thought hunting morally wrong.
| He was welcome everywhere among the set
] The Indiana. We give few anecdotes Illus
| t1atire Of his character and eeccnt;cities
| ''On one cool Autumnal night, while lying by
! his camp hle In the woods, he obserEed that
| The mosquitoes dew In the blaze md wcts burnt
JOHNNY, who wora on head tin utensil which
| answered both a cap and rnush pot, fillod
it With water, ana ,quenched tho ntc. md
aiterward remarked, God forbid that Ishould
/ build fire for ny comfort that should be the
means Of destroying any Of His -zesturea,'
Another time he made his camp fire 1t the end
OF hollow log, in which be Intended to pAas
the night bur, finding it occupied b. bear
and her cubs, be removed his fro 10 tho othss
end, and alapt on the snow, in The open ar,
rather then disturb the be1r. He wAs, one
morning, In pralrie, ard Vas bitten by i rat1
tleanake. Some time after, . friend inquired
Of him about the matter: He gavo long Sigh
and replied, Poor fellow be only Jus.
tonched ne, when in N unsod1r paesion put
the heel Of ny scy1he upon him and went
horne-' Some tiuae asler vent these for my
setthe, ard there lay tie poor fellow, dead.
Re bought co1ee-bag, made ho1e in the
bottom. through which hs thrnst his hesd, and
we're it l. CLOAK, eAy{ng it wss aa good a.
anything. An 1sinet1us preacher WAS holding
fosth on he puLlic squl1e in Mansfield, and
exclaimed, 'Hhere Is tbs barefooted Chris
d.n, h,'elling 70 Hearenr John Jobnny, , Eh<
feet In the air, and vocferated, tHeTe he IL r.