Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-18
A Pennsylvania Hermit.

Correspondence OF the Phtla lei nhia Times ]
About seven miles south OF this place, In
dark and gloomy cave In tie ROCKS. In the very
heart OF the wilds OF Lehman township, Pike
county, lives Austin Sheldon. the celebrated
Lehman hermit TIE cave Is small and damp,
and its contents are a few blocks Oh wood, which
answer for the purpose OF chairs. and an old
rocking chair In which Sheidol sleeps. tie
afterward told US that he had not Oeen IN a bed
In AZ years. He does his cooking ever an Old
stone FIRE place, and he never uses a candle or
lamp. He has no pets or animals OF any Kind.
except large tame rat, to keep him company.
Hardly had we finished our examination OF
his habltation when Sheldon made his appear
ance. The old man Is now - years of age aud
as deaf as q post. Those who visit him con-
verse with BIN by writing on slate which he
Keeps for that purpose. Sheldons personal
appearance is startling. He is about five feet
In height, and his hair and beard are as white
as SHOW. His clothes are worn and patched, and
ne wears waist band made Of a hickory withe
10 support his garments, for his defence against
wild beasts he wears long knife, as sharp as
razor, which he manufactured by grinding
Down an old file. He is great student OF the
blo!e and Is evidently well read and edu-
Gated He hates newspapers ana reporters,
quarter S S' eenaay flo RRn m we IL earn
that he was born in Bradford, Conn, In
1896, ard that his parents were wealthy
farmers. Austin was the household Det,
and wi en- he arrived at the proper age ne was
sent away to school and was given good. prac.
teal education. Upon arriving at .ma1's es-
tate be began the blacSSmithing business, Mt
which uaGe lie worked for several years. He
saved money, and Ia time acquired small for
tune In the meantime he had fallen desperate
ly in love with young and accomplished lady
OF his acquaintance. ard. after a brief courtShip
they were engaged to be married. Her parents
ln,ertered and broke of the match by secretly
sending Eer away to boarding school This SO
rleled upon AUstins mind that he gave up
business and started out to find bis ''Julet"
he travelled from state to state, but IN vain, aad
finally, when his money was nearly spent, re
returned again TO his native home impaired
both in health ard mind-a wreck OF mis- former
SELF. He sought work, but found none so he
left Connecticut and walked to New York, He
also tailed to find work IN the great metropolis
and was on the verge of committing suicide
when he read that good houses could be pur-
chased at great sacrifice In Pike county. He
started on foot from New York and walked the
entire distance to Milford, the county seat of
Pike county, in four days He fell into the
hands OF some wild lard Spectators, who soon
teeced him OF what cash he had and decided
him the barren tract Of land upon which he now
lives The establishment OF Sheldon, when he
saw the farm" that had been decided him, may
be imagined. He found nothing but a vast
forest, and as storm came up he was obliged
TO take refuge in a cave In ledge Of rocks This
cave he has ever since Inhabited. For nearly
twenty years Sheldon subsiSted upon wild fruit
and luts. and in The winter he trapped game
and fish. For three long years the hermit never
saw human being. Previous TO beginning his
lie as a hermit Sheldon was quite proud Of his
personal appearance, but he grew negligent,
aid thick, shaggy beard covered his t zee and
ms ms hal, hair grew ng-reaehng far down below
rTOul tEt lItIle ne began MS ler
NIT life, up tn thu present writing. he has never
drawn q azor across his lace.
OF late Yeas Sheldon has become very much
averse to seeing people, and IL he sees any one
approaching his cave lie Will seCrete himself
until they go away. For the past two or three
years he Las been In receipt OF letters from rel
atives who still live In COM eeticut (but who,
u.'t1 lecenty,"ere unaware OF Austin's where
ab0uts), urging MIN strongly to return to the
bone Of his boyhnod. where lie will be cared
fer and well treated For long tine the old
hermit turned deaf ear to all these entreatieS
saying that he prefer; ed to die as he had lived
uulCyed ard uncAred for. But as his life Is
drawing 10 a close, he has concluded to accent
q e generous offer Of his New England friends
al he now says that, "if the Lord be wiling"
he will soon desert his lonely cave and return
to die where he was born
Before closing our sketch Of the life of this
decorated parsonage we must not fail to men
tton few OF his Dair breadth escapes from
death. The first took place during the summer
OF 1876, The forest fires were then devastating
Pike county, and the forest in which Sheldon
lived took fire. His cave was literally sur
rounded by names, and the hermit only es-
capped from being roasted alive by blocking w
the entrance OF his cave with stones and re-
naming prisoner until the flames died out.
His second escape was during the heavy winter
of 1861 The snow then laid in the woods to the
depth Of four or five feet, and Sheldon became
entangled in drift, and had 1t not been for q
farmer who happened to be passing, the hermit
would probably have been frozen to death. Be-
sides the two instances Just mentioned, Austin
has had numerous escapes from wild cats
snakes, ETC., al account OF which would consul
tute volume.