Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-05-15

Continued from yesterday)
The HARDsHIPs HE ENDURED
will never be known. He suffered alone, and
died like dog.
"At the close of the day when the hamlet Is STILL
And mortals the sweets of forgetfnlness prove,
When nought but the torrent is heard on the hill
And nought but the nightingale's song in the
grove;
Twas thus, by the cave of the mountain afsr,
While his harp rung symphonious. a hermit
began;
No more with himself or with nature at war,
lie thought as Sage, though he felt as q
Man"
If Cochise had suffered in the past, he was
doomed to still greater physical suherings in
his home in the forest. His only means of
subsistence was the game he procured through
| the surrounding forests, which was compara-
lively abundant at that time yet he suffered
untold tortures at times for want of food.
A case in point will illustrate.
Ten DAYS WITHOUT FooD.
His ammunition was nearly exhausted,
| and he had no means of rcplenishing it. For
| ten long, weary days he wandered through
his house, without food, excepting piece of
| stale fish and few crackers; but even these
were all exhausted before the fifth day passed,
| and he was left absolutely destitute Of every
| thing with which to sustain life. OF course
he became weary and exhausted from his long
| fasting, and 1t was with difficulty that be
could stand. Visions of suicide crowded
| upon his weakened mind. and had not relief
| come the poor wretch would undoubtedly
have ended his life by his own hand. Look
| ing out OF the window, one day, he discov-
| cred a mink short distance from the door.
With rifle in hand he cracked away at the
| animal, with unerring aim and this streak
| of good luck seemed to inspire
him with new life and new energy.
The carcass he placed over fire and broiled,
| but when the poor old man sat down to his
anticipated feast, he found the meat 30 tough
that lie could not eat it. The hide was
stuffed and Cochise walked to Augusta,
| where he disposed of it for eighty cents, and
| with this pittance he replenlshed his empty
stomach and procured "a small quantity of
| food for future emergency. The stufling OF
the skin was more profitable, however, for he
disposed of this for $3.50.
EVIDENCE OF INSANITY.
Following this episode in his life, a rumor
was started that Cochlse had become insane
| through mental anguish and bodily suffering
Kind hearted friends from far and near, who
| sympathlzed with the Hermit in his great
| msfortunes, visited him in his seclusion and
proHered whatever assistance they could
Contributions of food and clothing were prof
| tered, bnt the Hermit perslstently refused to
accept either of them. He was courteous
but firm in his resolve to depend solely upon
| his own exertions for living, and when that
| failed hira he SAID he did not care to live
longer. He did consent, however, to accept of
An OH LAMP AND BUFFALO ROBE,
on the conditions that he should remunerate
his beneactor. By the dim flicker of this
lamp, Cochise devoted the long evening hours
to basket making. while the days were passed
in roaming the forests in search of game
The baskets he made were taken to Augusta
and exchanged for ammunition and provi-
sions. For five long, weary years he lived in
this way, suffering the pangs of hunger and
broodlng over the cruel murder of those he
loved so well.
The house, grown gray and decayed by the
storms of many winters, afforded but slight
protection from the chilling blasts of winter,
| and the rain came pattering down through
| the roof and drenching everything within.
| Frequently he would rise from his bed
drenched with rain and chilled with cold.
But it is a remarkable tact that, notwitstand-
| ing these hardshIps which he endured, he
was never sick day in his life until his final
taking off.
During one of the cold seasons, a terrific
snow storm came on. Day after day the
storm continued, until the drifts became of
immense Depth and Cochse was literally
BgRIED FROM THE WORLD.
The storm was succeeded by a warm rain,
| and an avalanche of snow came laundering
down the steep ioof burying the Hermit still
further from the world. How to get out
was serious problem with him. To use his
own language, repeated to me by one who
heard it from his own lips 81 got down on
my hands and knees and burrowed through
the huge drifts like a woodchuck. Hour
after hour worked but az fast as | would
dig through the bank it would give way and
fill the place had dug out. | began to think
my time had come, sure, this time, and
wasn't much sorry, either, tor l had suffered
enough already. had suffered so much for
50 many years that | should have been glad
to die Just then. Several times had nearly
determined to take my own life, but thought
that would be unchrIstian like and eowardly,
and SO | kept on trying TO dig myself out.
After working two days and the most Of two
nights, | succeeded in burrowing through the
snow, and right glad was when | saw the
light of day.
INTERVENTION OF THE AUTHORITIES.
The sufferings and deprivations which Co
chise endured at last attracted the attention
of the town authorities, and they visited him
in their official capacity, with the hope of in
ducing him to release his strange way of
liying..and go to the poor-farm but to their en-
treaties and protestations he turned deaf ear,
saying that he had much rather suffer on to
the end than to again mingle with the worlds
people, and especially secuted and ridicuied
the idea of becoming a ward of the town. 81
can suffer and freeze to death like a toad if
it becomes necessary, but can never again
mingle with the world" replied the Hermit.
As may well be anticipated, the labors Of the
good hearted officials were ffuitless, and they
reluctantly left him to his own sufferings and
to work out his own destruction.