The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-03-20
FARMER FOLLANSBEE'S THEORY.
He Got Tips On 1t While Digging . Well
An Interesting Character.


LOWELL, March 19-Old Farmer Follansbee.
five miles past Con. Butler's grounds on the
Andover road. says his theory about the cause
Of the glacial era is that some foreign body
struck tho earth couple OF hundred thousand
years ago. destroyed all life on the earth.
changed the revolution Of the earth to q new
direction. and started the Ice on its travels.
He dug that theory out OF q we'll on his farm
not long ago. Farmer Follansbee Is 81 years
OF age. and he says he hasn't begun to think
Of dying. He wears his whiskers after tho
Thurlow Weed style OF fringe. and he is q first
rate farmer. and an archeoloRist. paleontolo.
gist, and biologist. in his way. He lives
alone in a large frame house. and he eats.
sleeps. and thinks In room filed with specl-
mems that bear out. he says. his theory about
the blow the earth got 100000 years ago.
One day he was eighteen feet down in the
drift his pick turned up several strange stones
His aged but praotised eye told him at once
that the stones had been worked into their
various shapes by human hands.
MY har stood right up on end bgosh."
he said. in describing tho event. when I
doeskevered them stones. 1 knew tibet they
want Injun stones dug an dug an dug till
turned up morn 200 wv en-. and thar they be.
proof sartin sure tibet thar wuz onct q dense
poperashun before the glaciers kim down tn
property OF a crowd thet used reed spears RS
Some Of these stones wuz intended fer reed
they stOnes
Them stones are ez different irum Iniun
enee e. easy ~ Tx ken tell taters from a "ppes
While telling OF these things TO visitors hs
mems. He smiles in superior way and invites
argument. He turned over the stones and OK
We're sa scalping knives. hatchets drills. spear
heads. He asked several eminent archnolo-
mean. but thoy could not Do It. although they
admit that they y, are :, wrought t. stones - ,
he
see anything like t Ieiore9 I as kod some Of
tho perfessors-I like to mystefy ,,em..what #
mysSli ana !, Evs ken the opinion tibet thar
Tho strange. old man pulled over Webster's
Dictionary, nnh. turning to nage l.sl,i. pointed
60 IN" usten Moe 81 30 rx
planned. and no moved his horny fist over u
L. ths bone m%kS plausible
he cot his tips In the we'll. WV ''' "' '"' ''''0
i like to bother the professors" he re-
On n0 sp sny
excuse ter, them glacial stones; They all on
t G% sys nss r sy r a what
up tibet once upon a time they wuz used hy
somebody. ] got EN- al! below the glacial TIN
and there w!lT no sign Of qualification at tibet
Fora door bell Farmer FolIansbee has rope
the visitor has to clang. tho bell IL he hap
pens to be a quarter Of milo away In his
fields, or IN his workshop or his "rockery."
where he Keeps great number OF specimens
t2o large for y place In the house. he can hear
his caller. In the room In the house where his
specimens are he keeps his bed, his knife and
fork; plate. and stove Tor cooking.
Sell eny Nv these tnipGsr he .repeated In
reply 70 a question. No. don't sell, but
buy whenever hear Nv anything worth buy
love nor money" Hs Held up ' a ." petriaed
moose heart. from which, before It had been
placed In the earth from which no recovered
It. had been cut steak. and said: "A man Of
but yer see he didn't got fi""p'' VI "eoAS ago.
Zuni gods, Indian gods q model OF Old Iron
sides, Indian spears. ancient weapons In
metals. and many other things one would
hardly expect In Yankee farmhouse. In one
selling &c tbn The old farmer played The Wearing
strument.. He made an odd picture In his
overal ls.dlrty cotton shirt sleeves his cap down
over his ears. while he bent over the keys,
One ON hei 81, ,Sat poSas
up the road to neat wooden house painted
red. lister hev a bousekeeper. but | con
cluded tibet Iwuz better OF without her. and
50 now let the dirt grow eg fast AZ It likes on
amt getting broke; I ooot my own food. make
when feel like II, don't smoke tobacco. and
oon'tlree Thets the secret OF llSe-dont fretn