St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-04-10
DICK BASSETT,AERMIT
He Is Also Monarch Of an In
dependent Kingdom in
Michigan.
A Man Who Lives on an Isl
and Which Is Not on
the Map.
He Therefore Has Neither
to Vote Nor to Pay
Taxes.
The Shadow Of a Love Affair
Said to Hang Over His
Life.

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich, Feb. p
Dick Bassett, the hermit. has returned
from Grand Rapids, where he has been
visiting and seeing the sights for
month, and is now scaling logs IN lum-
Der camp. waiting for the fishing season
to open before returning to his island
home for the summer. His recent trip
TO Grand Rapids is the first time in
many years that he has been more than
twenty miles from home, unless with
gun on his shoulder on hunting eXpe-
dition, and his friends scarcely under
stand this radical departure from long
established custom.
Dick Bassett is about fifty years old,
wears a full beard tinged with gray, is
quiet and unaSSumlcg, weIl-read and IN
telligent, and has q romance somewhere
in his career Just where the romance
comes in and the particulars of it are
profound secret. He will talk freely on
almost any subject that may be brought
up. but when the conversation turns
to his own personal history he shuts up
like clam. A penSiVe look comes into
his mild gray eyes, and unless a fresh
topic is introduced he soon quietly re-
tires from the circle. He arrived III this
>
up his residence in a deserted fishing
cabin OH the beach far from the abode
Of men. He occasionally came to
town, but only to buy supplies or
to sell the fish he cought, and never
Iounged about the barroOmS or corner
groceries. He built boat, and most of
MS days were spent on the waters Of the
bay with fishing line in hand. He was
a mystery then. and is almost as much
of a mystery to-day, although, through
casual remarks and occasional obSerya-
lions he has dropped within the hearing
of friends, some inkling OF his career
has become known.
BaSsett remained year in his fishing
cabin on the beach, and then he took
possession of little island eight miles
out i'll the bay, lying between Marion
Island and the mainland. so near to
either that but narrow strip OF water
separates him from the large island on
the one side and the mainland on the
other, The island comprises but a sim
gle acre of land. and when he took pos
session was covered with heavy
growth of virgin forest trees, appear
ing from a distance like little tuft OF
green rising out of the water. He
cleared the land without assistance.
leaving a row of large trees as border
to his plantation. He erected a cottage
of boards which he heWed out of the
trees he chopped down. and since then
lie has lived alone on the ISL
and. quietly and to all appear
ances happy and contented. He
has planted fruit trees, and
vines, and the land produces enough
vegetables and fruit to supply his sim
pie wants. In summer he fishes on the
bay, both with line and net, and realizes
a substantial income from the sale ofthe
fish in this city ana at the summer resort
near by. He is said to have accumu-
lated a competency, but of his worldly
affairs Dick BasSett IS as reticent as of
his early life. He has good-SiZed ice
house, which he fills every winter, takes
several daily papers and magasine5, has
we'll selected library, mainly of travel
and history, anG has a queer collection
OF old pipes. chiefly cOrncobs and briars.
He is an inYeterate smoker. but rarely
drinks. and has never been known to
gamble. He frequently spends the win
ter alone on the island, with an OccaS-
i0nal hunting expedition to vary the
| monotony, while some winters he
seeks employment in the lumber
camps. His recent visit to Grand
Rapids is the first time since COM
| ing here he has sought recreation in
| city. The only pets he has are a mon
/ Ster Thomas cat and few dozen choice
hens. He does not take kindly to dogs
and has never had one on the island.
| In summer his house is never locked,
/ and he goes away leaving money and
J food on the table in plain
view, confident that any visitors
! who may come i'll his absence will not
! rob him. Many summer resOrterS have
| visited his island, both while he was at
! ii In IL,
! dians never think of passing in their
canoes without making cali. and yet
! his confidence has never been betrayed.
! Ii the visitors are hungry they help
| themselves to the food spread on the
| table, but as near as he can calculate
Bassett has never missed dollar in
| money.
But there is a strange circumstance
! in regard to the island. 1t is so small
and insignificant it has never been sur
veyed and BaSsett mas. not been able to
secure legal title to it from the gov
eminent. To his inquiries he has been
informed from Washington that such an
| island cannot be found on the charts
and maps, and therefore has no legal
existence. In consequence of this de-
ciSiOn from Washington the authorities
of Grand Traverse county hold that
Bassett is not resident of the United
States and not a citizen, and that he
cannot vote. Living within Il stones
throw of Marion island and the main,
land, both on the government
charts, lie is declared an alien
and DISTINGUISHED. He accepts
the decision with commendable philOsO-
ply. finding consolation in the fact that
he is exempt from all taxation, town
ship, county and state alike. He does
not own very much. II is true, but if he
were worth millions he would escape the
assessor. Yet there are Inconvenience
in his situation. He is practically an
independent monarch, all by himself
and can exercise all the privileges and
rights of one OF Gods anointed. He can
declare war or treat for peace. can levy
a tariff for revenue only or for pro-
lection to his infant industry of raising
potatoes aud eggs; can possibly coin his
own money and enter into offensive aHC
defensive alliances with other nations
He is as much of monarch as the king
of any of the Cannibal islands, and
under the present Interpretation OF the
laws could eat few summer reSorters
or wandering missionaries without feal
of the United States or Michigan laws
In regard to Bassett'S past life all thai
Is known is that he was born in the
South; that his parents were welI-to-do
| and that he received a good education
When the war broke out lie ran away
to join the Northern army, while hi.
father and brothers, mother and sister.
svmpathiZed with the South. He en-
listed i'll the Fifth Iowa infantry anC
served throughout the war. seeing ex
tremely hard service. lie was wounded