Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-11-13
!}NNY APPLESEED."
or THE aUEEREsT CHAR.
rs THAT EVER LIVED.

RS THAT EVER LIVED.
ing for More Than Twenty
%,,rs Through Western Wilds.
saatng Apple seeds-Consider-
=, coward Everything Alive.
A., of the quaintcst, queerest, and
eriginal characters that ever tn,d
,r,cl!c wastes of the Western will
,,. was Jonathan Chapman. known
ii johnny Appleseed. Pioneer, phil
,5cr. phiIanthropist and pomolocist
taking no thought of himself and
;st for others only. He would not
ii he prevent it, suffer the slightest
rn to be done to the mcanest Of living
su,rcs. In the great Western soil.
f.. he led the life of the primitive
+;.ian, taking thought only of the
nr and letting wise Providence look
.or the future. He thought hunting
r,llv wrong, and he would let mos.
10 sit on him and suck his blood I'M
tIr insect was satiated to bursting.
Tl.iS odd old man was the pioneer or
srl planter of the West For over
,a;v years he wandered over the States
Indiana. Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri,
,ating apple seeds, and selling and
rne away the seedlings. Many Of tho
NJ, apple orchards Of the West owe
ir origin to Johnny Appleseed. Old
5nny was born in Boston in 1775. In
II he appeared in tho Territory of
io with a load of apple seeds, which
planted in various places in and about
king Creek. The first orchard orig
it'd by old Johnny was on the farm Of
ac Stodden, in what is now Licking
m;y, Ohio.
Il have often wondered why there was
I'll a widespread ignorance of old
nny Applesecd in the West" OBJ
yel friend ct the writer recently.
Even among horticulturists his name is
.rccly known. Theme certainly was no
4racter any more fully identified with
West than he in his day"
Thus it is with oil who havo ever heard
ything Of the quaint old man. The
Faier is that his name is not byword,
his history q part of the common
ool curriculum Of the day. One Of the
lily histories of Ohio says that johnny
Epleseed was originally from Massa-
usetts. Some years ago Harpers
Egazine published something of the
b. but nothing like a detailed or COM
tic history has ever appeared.
The early Western pioneers who knew
but slightly considered old johnny q
nbond. From cursory observation it
Wild appear that their views were pretty
Ill founded. A more uncouth individ-
Il it would have been difficult to find.
il garments were q bundle Of rags.
is shoes, when he wore any, coul Id
LARGELY be held on his feet by bits Of
inc, 50 dilapidatcd and worn wore thew.
is pndhcd and grizzled features were
vercd by a growth of very shaggy
ard. His hair was quite long and very
pch faded by constant exposure to wind
j weather. But old Johnny's crown
glory was an old tin mush pot that
long handlc. This battered old
mary utcnsil he wore for q hat. When
was tramping through the Western
ests the old man always cooked his
Ills in the old mush pot. The cravings
hunger satisfied, he would give tho
a careful washing, put it on his head
tramp on. This was his practice for
rr two decades. The old pot was
ght enough on its inside, but its en-
ror was sight to behold, so blackencd
battered was it.
With all his uncouthncss Of personal
however, old Johnny Appleseed had
intellect as keen as the most polished
olars Of the day. His ideas were far
alyance of his time. Those who have
Hiycd personal impressions of the old
a say that he was philosopher whose
pity OF thought was as clear as a
:eNmial spring and whose life was as
Plc as that Of q child.
Tie name, Johnny Applcseod, was
zen him by the early settlers with
ION he came in contact because he
ally always carried bag full of apple
d with him. These seeds, by infinite
lhc gathered from the cider presses
0ng the Dutch farmers in Pcnnsyl-
a!a. Frequently the daughters and
yes Of the farmers would assist him in
task, but most of the time he pursued
work alone. When sufficient guam
7ot the seed had been gathered, old
anny would load tho fruit Of his labor
acanoe and start on u voyage down
Ohio River into the great wilderness
the West. In Indiana and Illinois,
2reyer there was the faintest suspicion
settlement, he went and planted his
,c seeds. Sometimes he would select
open place in the forest, his judgment
ING him that some day the white man
lLd be there. The discovery OF fruit
s:Mg apple trees in the woods in these
atrs has led many to believe that the
es are indigenous to the soil. When
!aaa and Illinois became well
te4, old johnny extended his wander
vest Of the Mississippi River and
1'cd his apple seeds on Missouri soil.
The wigwam Of the Indian and the
PINOT the pioneer he was known and
ay> welcome. He must have made
|'A'y such annual trips as the one
We described. When his seedlings
sme large enough he gave them to
settlers or sold them for food and
.aes He generally made sorry
saln' the garments he got being OF
Very poorest variety. During the
inner he almost always Travelled bare
Ne1. One enthusiastic historian says
S'he old man even travelled barefooteo