The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1892-12-08


the Philadelphia Times is respon-
sible for the following which ap-
peared in the Sunday morning edi-
ton:
Just beyond the northeastern linn
its of Huntingdon borough, in a
dense and thickly settled spot on
Lock Ridge, lives an old hermit
whose eccentricities have made him
familiar figure for many, many
years.
Joshua Gorsuch was born in No
vember, 1899, not more than mile
from his present mud hovel, and in
the ninety-three years of his life he
has never been farther than seven
teen miles from that spot, and then
only twice, having the past two
years spent the winter months in
the Poor House, Mt Shirleysburg.
Although he is so i'll clad that at
times his aged body is barely pro-
tected from rain and snow and the
piercing winds, and though his
stomach rarely has an opportunity
to digest anything better than crusts
of stale bread, the old man holds
the idea of the County Almshouse
in holy horror. Persuasion could
never induce him to go the:e, and it
is only because of the weakness of
his century-old frame that he sue
cumbs to force. Members of the HUI
name Society always keep a watch
over him when winter sets in, or
perhaps long ere this he would have
been in his grave. But the full
tledged Italian from New York city,
with hand organ accompaniment, no
sooner announces that "Springtime
is here, gentle Annie than the old
man steals away from the County
Home and on foot makes his way TO
% the now well l-knowp, mud cottage
nearTne summit of Lock Ridge.
And what home it is With one
of his patent ditch-diggers-the horn
of a buck, with hickory handle at
tached-he succeeded in making an
excavation in the side of the hill to
the depth of six feet, and in this
damp, rheumatic hole he sits for
hours ut time musing over hoped
for wealth. 1t required many days
for the old recluse to complete his
home, and during the progress of
its construction the architect and
builder dined and lodged under a
temporary brush heap within sight.
Those old, deeply sunken. bloodshot
eyes told of the JOY which filled the
heart Of their owner when the cot
tage had been completed to his sat
isfaction, aud in that secluded aud
to him sacred spot he could model
his numerous inventions. Inven-
tion is Uncle Joshua's hobby, but
his imagination has led him to be-
lleve that all his patents have been
stolen by the government. On this
subject the old man : mind wanders
by day and his sleep at night is dis
turbed by dreams of success on the
latest patent, only to be followed by
the keen disappointment of delu-
sion that he has been robbed by the
government. To look at him one
fancies he sees Diogenes, but while
Diogenes was looking for an honest
man, Uncle Joshua is looking for
ward TO u time when the United
States Government shall be power
less to encroach upon his patent
rights, and he shall be able to gaze
with pleasure upon the millions
that are in them. His long, bony
fingers, with nothing apparently on
them but scant covering of skin.
and trembling like a leaf exposed to
the wind, impress one as longing to
grasp the dollars which he believes
are sure to come from the introduc.
tion of his patents
The most notable of his queorin-
yentions are cider press and an
incubator The former very much
resembles the old-fashioned sausage
stuffer and the main handle is moth
ing less than hickory tree sixty or
more feet long. Joshuas consola-
tion seems TO lie in the fact that
when apples, etc, are placed under
this great pressure Juice must come |
and worms must die. According to |
his own story it required him eight
days to fell the tree and drag it the |
few feet to the sacred spot. He in
yariably refused outside assistance.
fearing that the mission of any in, |