The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1875-08-04
Niagara Celebrities.
THH "HERMrT" AND OTHER cHARAc
TIERS IDENTIFIED WITH RHE FALLS.
IN. Y. Times, Niagara Letter, 9Th |

TIERS IDENTIFIED WITH RHE FALLS.
IN. Y. Times, Niagara Le.ter, 9Th |
! Several interesting celebrities, who
wero once locally identified with
Niagara have pas,cd away, and their
names are only casually beard by
the visitor Of tho present generation
The most remarkable Of them was
Francis Abbott, the "Hormit OF
Niagara" who secluded himself here
for some years prior to his death
maintaining the habits and the re.
serve Of genuine hermit. Very
little was actually known of his pre-.
vious history, but great deal was
surmised, and quite a romantic &C
count of him was current, which ]
remember to have seen twenty-five
years ngo amplifed into 1orid
fiction OF 100 pages. He was known
to receive regular remittances from
England, and was evidently a per.
son of culture and education. The
story went that he was the son of
wealthy parents, whom some agoniz.
ing affair of the heart had made q
wanderer from homo. He first es.
tlblishe. himself in hut on Goat
Island, near the beautiful little fall
between that aud the inuermost of
the "Three Sisters" which has ever
since passed by the name of the
"Hermits Cascade" Here be lived
for some time in absolute seelas on
except the few and brief visits he
was compelled to pay to the village
for the purchase of necessaries. lie
wns known to have books, musical
instruments, and stationery, which
occupied some of bis time, it is to
be presumed; but a larger part was
passed in his Characteristic solitary
rambles about tho island. during
| which he would gaze at the falls from
some eligible point for an hour at a
time. AS might DC expected in
Yuukee land, the pertinacious Gu.
riosity of viAitors to Goat Island
soon made his at the cascade uu.
endurable to him, and he changed
bis quarters to tho vicinity of Pros.
pect Park, then known as Point
View. Here he led much the same
kind of life for a tiue longer, and
was finally drowned while bathing
at the foot of the American Fall.
In bis day Niagara was much less
Waited than now. and monay.makirn
had not been reduced to science.
l fancy that if any professional her.
nit were to set up here for himself
in these latter times he would speedi-
ly be overrun with curiosity hunters,
and haokmen wonld probably an
nounce as an additional iuduoemen
to patroniEe them: "Only twenty.
five cents extra to see the hermit -
Joe Robinson, the "Navigator of
the Niagara Rapids" who died some
years since, was in many respects
remarkable man. Of stout frame
and muscular make, he was retiring
in his manners, and never coarted
tho publicity into which his aston
ishing achievements brought him.
He wac at first "guile" and then
a policeman at Niagara, and had be-
come skillful by handling boat by
trips to the fishing-grounds about
Navy island, above the falls. One
day man was discovered olipging
to a small projection of rock in the
very midst of tie rapids, apparently
inaccessible from the shore. A large
crowd quickly gathered, Robinson
among tho rest. He studied the
situation for moment, then brought
his boat to the spot, and putting
right out into the headlong current
gained the rock, took off the man,
whose life had twenty minutes
before seomcd not worth penry's
purchase, and safely landed with
him few rods above the brink of
the fall. A great concourse had by
this time gathered On the bank, and
Robinson's heroic exploit, witnessed
with fear and amszement, was greet.
ed with rounds of cheers. The boat
with the two lOen in it was taken
on the shoulders of several and car.
ried about among the crowd and oon-
tributions Of A.oney were willingly
thrown into 1t. For several years
after this Robinson exerted his pc.
culiar skill in navigating the rapids,
and suatohed us many as half dozen
cast aways from tho jaws of the
cataract. He was personally a most
cstimable man; lever, l believe,
starting on his perilous journeys
with the promise Of reward, although
very properly accepting the small
toSons of admiration for his daring
which were offered hin. How he
managed to guide his skiff in that
seeth,ng uproar Of waters from point
to point was always o mystery to
every one bat himself. The mere
task Of keeping it keel downward
and bow with tho current is more
than my reader or I would wish to
undertake, to say nothing Of oalcu.
lating the course and the run of the
rapids with such nioety as to land
at II small inlet. Such cool heads
and steudy iron hands as those of
Joel Robinson are rarely given to
human kind. Gallant fellow THE
world has few suoh as you we're; Q
real hero, in humble life though
| your lot was cast. No man ever
better deserved the medals of The