Morning journal and courier., 1884-05-26
Monday. May 26. 1884.
Sheldon Tine Hermit.

Hfa ERaturn Fron Connecticut to Ills Old
 l.ifs in ths Keystone state.
 The return of Austin Sheldon, the hermit, from his Connecticut friends to his old her init life in Pike county, Penn, has called re- nswed attention to the case of this now ven- erabIe man and accounts of his strange life are again appearing in newspapers far and near in all parts of the country. It is said of him with truth that he has occupied more space in the public prints for the past fifteen years than any one man in the famous coun- ty of snake and tanglsfoot netoriety. He came to Milford, Pike county, 45 years ago and bought a small farm. He worked the farm alone and held no intercourse with so : ciety, the public or relatives. After while he sold out his farm and retired to cave six or seven miles up the mountain, back of Briscoe's House, public house about five miles below Dingman Ferry. Here he sub sisted on what he could hunt, being good shot, and he was occasionally seen by sports men fishing the various streams in the locali- ty The district in which he lives is full of deer, bears, and other choice game, and many are the stories told by huntsmen who have from time to time run across Sheldon in his pursuit of game.
 A few years ago he was found by a party of hunters, nearly starved to death. But for being accidentally found by some hunters he must have perished. He was taken to Dingman's and cared for and re- covered, but he could not be restrained from returning to his old life, which he did as soon as his legs would carry him back to it. The New York Suns correspondence from Pike county says of him:
 ''That in early life he had married young and beautiful girl, and before the honeymoon was past, his life was blasted by the sudden loss of his wife. He was from home at the time attending to some business when terri fic thunder shower came up, accompanied with great forks of lurid lightning. His wife was completely prostrated with fear, and shortly after her reason becoming dethroned, she died in horrible psraxysms.
 ''He disposed of his business and property in Connecticut and without comm unicating with any of his friends left his old home in wagon with two horses and sought another hohe in the wilderness. He found retreat in Pike county, where he has lived for forty five years. His reason now dethroned at least partially, his whole attention was given to the study of the Bible. It is said of him that he could repeat whole chapters from the scriptures without making the slightest mistake. Any passage of the scripture he could locate as soon as it was referred to. His whole convsr- sation for long time was upon re1i- zion. Last autumn the old gentleman had another bad sickness, and the kindly people of Dingman's communicated with one of his l sisters. The lady at once came on to give aid to her suffering relative. He was very l feeble and emaciated, and his neighbors l thought he would die. After no little amount of persuasion, backed by gentle force, the poor fellow was conveyed to his sisters home in Connecticut. Every attention was l given him, and after 8 long and wearisome illness the old gentleman, now past 75 years l of age, was again brought back to | life. No sooner had he recovered than he began to mourn for the old life in
 the Pennsylvania mountains. He plead | ed with his sister continually and with all 1 with whom he came in contact, and at last
 won her consent to allow him to again return
 to his old haunts. A few days ago Sheldon
 with his sister, arrived in Milford, on his re
 turn to the old life, and Sheldons eyei
 danced with joy as he again beheld the out
 lines of the Pike county hills and trod tht heath so welcome to his feet. So anxious
 was he to again take up his abode in the ol6
 hut that he could not eat a mouthful of th'
 bountiful dinner spread for him at the Saw
 kill House. He paced restlessly up and dowl
 the streets of Milford, nodding 50 each ia
 rniliar face and grasping the hands of som'
 of the old settlers of that town, eagerl! looking out for the old stage running tG
 DinRman's that should bring him to th' lonely mountain homo. The old man was fl
 the best of spirits, and neatly dressed.
 1 "It is safe to say that if he has his choice ht | will never again return to civilization, but l will die as he has lived for forty-ivO years, {
 hermit among the wilds of the Pike county l mnnntaina