The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-07-12
WILD MAN OF THE WOODS
A HERMIT WHO LIVES UNDER TIE
ROOTS OF A TREE.

eSrer-H6 SalQ GOOu-D5 W OANA4No-
ton Fourteen Years ago, and VIII
Have no Intercourse With Other
Men-Supposed to be Over Ninety
Years Old
(CopvriGhtl
ROCHESTER, n. Y, July 12.-There lives
between this city and Charlotte. on Lake
Ontarlo. six miles from Rochester, a veri-
table hermit, who supports an isolated ex-
istence under the precarious shelter of the
roots of an overturned tree. The strange
abiding place and rigorous life of this re-
mGrkable man are known to hardly dozen
persons even IN the immediate neighborhood
of his abode, and the inhabitants Of the
busting city of Rochester, not more than
four miles away, are utterly ignorant of
him. And yet there be has lived for four
teen years, winter and summer, in a dwell
ing place the Indian or the Hottentot would
despise, and there he has attained the re-
markable age of 81 years, lacking less than
q month.
The antecedents of "Old Doc Kimball."
as the hermit is called by the farmers near
whose land he lives, are known to nobody
but himself, and he will furnish no informa-
ton for the curious. Many years ago an
old man, an herbalist he styled himself,
became a well-known parsonage in the
town of Chilli, which borders Rochester on
the west. Where he came from none knew,
but he did not steal OF drink, and he
managed to earn a living, such as it
was, by gathering simples in the woods and
swamps and selling them to Rochester
druggists He was harmless, and, except
for his Grabbed ways and extreme unsocia-
bility. inoffensive, and the people learned
to leave him alone with his own thoughts.
He showed no lack of intelligence then, and
it was generally believed that he was well
educated, although nobody ever became
intimate enough with him to pass intelli-
gently upon that point
In exploring the boys and woods old Doc
Kimball worked around into the town of
Greece, and fourteen years ago last summer
he ensconced himself under the roots of the
tree where he now lives. Old Doc kimball
was feeble and bent with age when he first
appeared in this region. 1t was believed
then that he was a very old man. Indeed,
a farmer living on the bluff just over the
swamp where the hermits retreat is, insists
that he is nearer hundred than ninety,
averring that Kimball told HIM he was
ninety several years ago, before the dimness
of age had i'm paired his reason, and that
the old man had refused to grow older, but
has called himself ninety ever since.
Old Doc Kimball's hut is curiosity. It's
location is as secluded as nature could make
it. A few acres of woods suffice to conceal
a swamp, through which it is very difficult
to make ones way, both on account of the
DOGGY character of the soil and because it is
intersected by numerous little streams, with
black, muddy banks, that seem to head the
explorer off at every turn. In the very GEN.
ter of this morass is a comparatively dry
plot on which are few tall pine and other
forest trees. Here. years ago, large oak
had been uprooted, probably undermined
by some freshet, and the roots hanging
over bank four or five feet high, form
such shelter as might shield man from
a summer shower. But the old man has
improved somewhat upon nature by dig
ging and rowing into the bank, making
hole just big enough for a man to lie at
full length in, as might a snake He had
also piled some boards in front of this
''house," as be calls it, and covered the
chinks in the root roof with sticks and sods,
making it, doubtless, weatherproof except
IN the worst Of storms. To make the room
thus formed more commodious he has dug a
pathway from the entrance to the hole
where he sleeps that admits of his bent
form passing in and out without STOPPING
further, and by leaving the remainder OF
his ground floor at grade he has two banks
which he can use for tables or benches, as
the occasion REQUIRES.
An old cook stove, without legs, lid or
pipe; an axe, spade, a big caseknife, half
dozen coarse cloths, such as truckmen use
to prevent furniture from marring, and
which serve to carpet the abode, two tin
pals, frying pan, a broken-back chair aud
cat complete the furniture of the front
room. In the hole in the ground, or lair,
are spread two blankets in which
the hermit doubtless rolls himself at
night. These blankets are a luxury OF
later years. Up to a few winters ago the
old man slept in his hole without any extra
covering. One exceptionally cold night he
almost froze to death, and would doubtless
have persisted with the cold had not a
thoughtful farmer looked him up in the
morning, and, by the external and internal
application of whisky, brought him round.
Since then he has not disdained the blankets
the farmers wife insisted he should receive
from her.
Up to few years ago old Doc Kimball
would accept aid from no one His gun
brought him an occasional rabbit. squirrel.
or blrd, and his other wants were supplied
oy the money obtained from gathering
Toots and herbs. Lately. however, he has
been too feeble to do much for himself. His
case was brought to the attention of the
poor master OF the town of Greece and now
be has the muniticent sum of SO cents a
week III summer and 81 In winter from the
town.
Car fare costs the old man nothing on tha
ie" OCCASIONS when he visits the CITY.
branch OF the New York Central runs a
quarter of mile from his dugout. and
several years ago, during the spring freshets
ne was fortunate enough to observe thar a
trestle had been washed away and to fac a
Tram just in time to prevent a serious
wreck. The road has remembered the serv-
ICE py putting him on the free list.
DOC klmball himself was probably a tall
4 I II before age bent him almost double.
ms lace IS thin. and his features are as
strongly dellneated as those of anv ascetic
Une artlst ever llmned. His thin, soueakv
queful0us voice is strong and penetrating
yet. His hearing is little impaired. He
rs evidently In his second childhood now
sl1o d cross, complaining, suspicious child
s ioou 1t Is Like Ishmael, his hand. he nr0-
is against every mans and every
go iltu hand against Linn. His few possess
60 seem TO give him endless trouble. No
sa afa Ian was ever more anxious for the
e. Oh MS plate than is old Doc Kimball
IT,, G1 ms case knife, new one, and his two
me boys bother me-" he constantly
zrnoI i3ialns. They steal my things, and
| iiT T1e holes In my roof"
e Ki ins was the first Information old Doc
pr rLli l vouchsafed to the newspaper man
% ittIo mad spent two hours wandering in that
bn tie swamp in search of that primitive
Io ana Its peculiar occupant. Indeed