Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-10-13
The Life Of a Reclusa.
philadelphia Times. I

Philadelphia Tfmes.]
Austin Sheldon, the celebrated '.Leh-
man hermit, who has occupied rocky
cave In the forests of Lehman Township
Pike county, seven miles from Ding
mans's Ferry, more than forty years,
ilvlng without companion Of my kind,
has become tired of leading single life,
and Is roaming about here hunting for
O young lady who would suit him. Re-
Gently he became enamored of girl vet
IN her teens, who resides within a few
miles of the old hermit's subterranean
abode. The hermit has frequently WIS.,
tied the girls home, and the last time
he was there he asked her parents to
consent to their marriage. They re-
fused, Of course, and ordered the hermit
to make a hasty departure, and never
trouble them again. Sheldon felt in
suited and injured, and ever since that
time he has been looking in other direc
tons with view to matrimony. He
has, it appears, proposed to several
young ladies, but has not as yet found
ono who would have him.
Sheldon's life has been sad and
checkered one. He was born at Sunny
side, Conn, in 1906, and is consequent
ly rs years old. In his boyhood he
learned the blacksmith's trade, and, ar
irving at mans estate, he married res
pectable young woman, who became in
sane shortly after their union. Sheldon
put his wife In an asylum, and came to
Pike County, where he expected to en-
gage in sheep-raising. He fell into the
hands of the wild-land swindlers who
infest this region, and they relieved him
of all his spare cash, and decided him
tract of wild land not worth $40. instead
of the farm he supposed he was buying.
This made Sheldon partly crazy, and he
took up his home in this cave Oh the
premises. and there he has resided ever
since.
His parents were well-to-do farmers,
and it was not until paragraph APP
peared in the Times in December, 1878
that his relatives knew of Austin's where
abouts. A brother and sister came here
and visited their long-lost brother, and
after staying all night with him in the
cave, used every inducement to have
him abandon his lonely and rocky habi-
tation and return with them to the home
of his childhood, where he would be
well cared for. He refused, stating
that he preferred to die as he had lived,
q recluse. They left him some clothing
and money and returned to Connecticut.
Seel3on has received letters from his
family since then entreating him to re-
turn home. In 1877 his wife died in the
asylum, and about six months later he
made up his mind to return to Sunny
side, where he was born, to live with
his friends, but the idea of marrying
occurred to him, and he still searches
for partner. Of late years the old
mans dress and appearance generally
have improved, although he is a wretch
ed-looking object yet.
His cave is twelve by fourteen feet,
with gravel floor. The furniture con-
sists of four blocks of wood for chairs,
dry-goods box used as table, fire.
place over which he does his cooking,
and On old rickety chair in which he
sleeps. He has not slept in bed for
years. He has about an acre of ground,
which he calls his garden, and in it he
grows little corn and q few potatoes.
On this 'sgerden truck" and roots dug
in the forest the old man subsists. He
is deaf as an adder, but ia intelligent
and knows the bible almost by heart.
He can quote chapter after chapter with
wonderful correctness.
The old man has had many hair
breadth escapes from death. A few
years ago his cave was surrounded by
forest fires and he was very nearly roast
ed alive. On an another occasion the
cave was showed under and for week
the old man had to subsist upon melted
snow and sassafras root. Once he fell
from the branches of chestnut tree
where he Yves gathering nuts and broke
several ribs. On three occasions he has
been found freezing in his cave, and
that he will eventually be found dead in
his subterranean abode is almost GER
tain.