St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-02-21

secondhand raiment too luxurious, and
wore as his principal garment an old
coffee sack which he bought, and in
the bottom and sides of which he cut
holes to thrust his head and arms
through. This he pronounced sa very
serviceable cloak, and as good clothing
as any man need wear" He scarcely
ever wore shoes, except in winter but,
II travelling in the summer time, and
the rough roads hurt his feet, he would
make himself rude pair of sandals.
He never purchased any covering fol-
his feet. When he used anything in
the form of boots or shoes they were
cast-Otf things, generally minated,
which he would gather up, however
dIlapidated they might be, always in
slstlng that it was sin to throw aside
a boot or shoe so long as it would ad-
here to human foot. His head gear
was constructed on like economical
principle. For IL long time he wore
the large tin dipper in which he cook
ed his mush while travelling. But as
1t failed sufficiently to protect his eyes
from the sun, he constructed hat of
pastebOard, with an immense peak in
front, and bent down at the sides to
s'.ade his face from the heat; thus Sc
/ q. >iug an article that combined useful
ness with economy, and which became
his permanent fashion. The same close
economy Johnny carried into all the
phases of his life, extending it to his
diet, which was as meagre as his cloth
ing. He believed it to be a sin TO kill
any creature for food, holding that the
soil produced everything requisite for
human subsistence.
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES.
Among his other eccentricities was
that of bearing pain with more than
Indian fortitude. Very often he would
thrust pins and needles into his flesh
without il tIemor. His nervous seusi-
bility seems to have been less acute
than those OF ordinary mortals; for il
he had cut or sore, his method OF
treatment was first to scar it with red
hot iron, and then cure it as n burn.
This fortitudc, together with his strange
appearance and eccentric actions, led
! the Indians. among whom he wandered
unmulested, to regard him rs great
''mediciue- man." aud tn treat him with
much kindness. During the war OF
1912, when the frontier settlers were
hunted down by the savage allies OF
Great Britain, JOHNNY travelled night
and day, warning the people of ap-
preaching danger. Visiting every cabin
he delivered this message: ''The Spirit
of the Lord is upon me, and hath an
uointed me to blow the trumpet i'll the
wilderness and sound the alarm in the
forest: for behold the heather are
round about your doors, and devOur-
ing flame followeth after them" De
nying himself food or rest, he traversed
the border day and night, warning al
settlers until the danger was past.
Thus this strangely clad, eccentric
character wandered for years through
the forests and border settlements, car.
ing for his scattered nurseries auC
spreading the tenets of his peculiar
faith. Leading blameless aud mora
life, he likcned himself to the primitiv,
Christians. literally taking no thOugh
for the morrow. 1t was this conviction
that made him at all times serenelN
; happy. Upon one occasion an itineran
preacher was holding forth on the pub
ic square in Mansfield in a long anC
somewhat tedious discourse upon the
: SIN of extravaganza frequently EN-
; phasizing his text by the inquiry
''Wherc now is the barefooted Christian
travelling to heaven p johnny, VIII,
WAS lying on his back in some timber
taking the question in its literal sense
raised his bare feet in the air and va
ciferatcd, "Ilcrc's your primitive Chris
= tiau - to the discontinue of the well
, dressed missionary.
, In 1888 johnny took solemn fare
well of all the families i'll this part o
, the state, following his vocation for thu
! next nine years on the border OF Ohi'
and Indiana. In lS47 he died in tn,
cabin OF settler near Fort Wayne, Il
. the age of seventy-two years, fortysi.
+ of which had been devoted to his self
imposed mission. The physician VIII,
! was present at his death was heard t.
inquire what was Johnny AppleSeed'
religion he had never seen Il man il
l so placid Il state at the approach q
| death, and 50 ready to enter upon an
other life. HENRI.