The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1873-06-28
A New Hampshire Farmer.
He Is MADE CRAZY BY HArD Work
in FLORIDA.

three years ago a farmer named Sawyer
came to New Smyrna, Florida, from n New
Hampshire. He found fine hammock
ridge three miles south of the hotel and
prc-cmptcd it. 1t was situated on the
edge Of the IIillsborough river, and
covered with beautiful cabbage palnet.
tos. The great Turnbull swamp
rnargined it on the west. Sawyer went
to work with The rnitable energy of
the true Yankee farmer lie built a
log slanty eight feet square, and thatch
ed it with palmetto leaves. He was
alone, having neither wife nor children.
Up at daylight in the morning, be
worked until dark, cutting out the thick
tropical underground, and burning out
the sinewy trees, The hot summer days
came, but the New Hampshire farmer
took no rest. Morning, noon, and night
he labored the same as he would have
worked upon a farm among the Granite
hills. The climate failed to make him
lazy. His nearest neighbor was three
miles away. Occasionally he paid
him visit, but always after dark. His
furniture was of the primitive order, and
he slept upon bed of Southern moss
which he gathered from the cypress
trees in Turhbull swamp. Winter was
the same to him as summer 1t did no,
Tighten his labor, except that.tlre days
were shorter. There was neither snow,
ice, nor frost. In fact he could raise
more in January aud February than he
could in August or September.
Within few months Sawyer cleared
up two acres of ground. He planted it
with corn, beans, and potatoes, OCCASION
ally setting out bitter SWEET orange
tree, The potatoes anl beans turned
ont well, but the corn did not amount
to mnch. The orange trees, however,
thrived wonderfully. Sawyer lived up
ON the fsl, and oysters that filed the
river aud upon The vegetables that he
had cultivated. Tha woods were full OF
game, and he never suffered sunless
through want Of rashcr of bacon. In
the spring Of the year the beach was
lined with turtles eggs, anl these were
always easy to get. Wild plums and
Craze as sweet as honey Aourished in
the forests, while oranges and lemons
could be picked by the bushel in nearly
every tlickct.
Once in a while a ncighbor cal.d up.
on Sawyer. The latter treated his visi
tor courteously, but never stopp,d work
to talk with him The New England
man WAS cau,igued against excessive
labor, but he insisted that it would
never hurt man to work, and paid no
attention to the warning. The second
summer was unusually hot One day IA
native discovered the Yankee farmer
hoeing corn in the burning sun without
hat or shirt. His skin was bliStered by
the heat, and his face was i ipp;ng
with sweat. Sawyer declared that the
spirits had visited him during the night,
and told linn that Adam had worked in
the Iarden of Eden without shirt or hat,
aud that he would find it more coinfor-
table to follow Adams example. He
declared that the spirits came to him
every night, and dictated to him long
r"ams of manuscript
1t was evident that Sawyer was be-.
coming crazy. One day he disappeared.
He was gone tora week. When he re-
turned lie roamed the woods at nj ght
beating tambourine. But there was
no let up to his work. lie hardly stop
ped for dinner. Day after day he toilci
in the ssbroiling sun untilhis white skin
turned as brown as the hide Of an Indian
and his blue eyes faded through want of
rest BY this time he had abou eight
acres under cultivation, but he planted
as he hal planted in New Hampshire,
and the results were not encouraging.
In one of his insane fits he started for
home aud the kind people of the neigh.
borhood sent him to his home in New
llampshire. He recovered his senses
after spending some time in an asylum,
and his neighbors say that they have
received letters from him announcing
his intention of returning to Smyrna MS
soon as he oan raise money enough to
pay his fare AS he has not lived upon
hls homestead for nine months, the land.