Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-12
A K AN S A S n e r NIT
A Strange Character Who Gan 0ut-Peffer
PETER.
Never Had His Hair or Whiskers Cut
and In Opposed to Marriage,
Drinking and Smoking.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

TOPEKA, Kan, Jan. 9.-Thirty three
years ago. when Lawrence. Kan, was on
the western border of civilization and when
| the settler who was willing to stick his
| stake" there was considered a venturer,
Hugh Cameron, bachelor Of twenty-six,
with long hair and a shaggy beard, located
| on claim three miles northwest of the
town. Soon after he had filed on his land
he went into the army. and for four years
gave his country valuable service When
| the war was ended Cameron returned to
Lawrence and again occupied his claim
The story of this mans life is full Of
thrilling interest. Although a hermit. his
name is known by all the old settlers Of
Kansas, who are familiar with the strug-
| giles the early pioneers commended with in
making Kansas free state. He was prom
| inent In every movement of the free state
men, and his name Is conspicuous in every
history detailing the stirring events that
led up to the final settlement Of these ques-
tons.
When Cameron returned from the army
he buile of logs a One-room cabin on his
forty acre farm which stands there today
and which he has occupied alone all these
years He is now nearly seventy years old
ana MS hair and whiskers are as white as
snow. His whiskers. when combed out
loose, reach his knees, while his hair when
hanging down his back, touches his hips
He was never in BARRIERS chair in his life
has not been trimmed since he was a babe
three years old. He is a native of Penn
syivania and is related to the Cameron
family OF that state
4 Visit to the Hermit.
A visit to the home Of this hermit was
full Of interest. Your correspondent recent
iy spent few hours with him. General
Cameron. as he is known for he was brew
cited brigadier general Of the Kansas mill
tia for meritorious conduct In the bloody
battles on the Kansas frontier) is an in
teresting conversationalist.
People say l am SHINING away my day
OF grace by not getting married" he said.
am nearly seventy years old, strong
ana hearty, and work twenty hours
Gay. get up at o'clock In the morning.
get my breakfast, which / cook myself,
take care Of my cabin. and by that time
II is light enough to go to work outside
work as late in the evening as l can see.
ing as may be needed. and then study and
read and write until II o'clock or later.
Yes, four hours in bed is enough for me-
Would the business of farming not be
keep YOU company
We'll. now, young man, am not to be
set down as saying what other men should
or should not do, but think i can live
longer, enjoy better health and be hap
pier without wife than with one. You
viii recall the fact IL you read the Scrip-
lures that neither Christ nor any of his
disciples were married men, and Paul the
greatest philosopher among them. did not
md marriage necessity. Besides this.
many, very many, unions of TODAY are
FOUNDED on sensual passion that destroys
the purity of the heart taints the souI
and wrecks the bodies OF men and women
100 NO, l have no remedies to propose 1
am simply trying to live the life 1 believe
christ and the apostles lived, and preserve
In this mode of life the freedom and indie
pendence l most prize. This little home.
and this cabin, rude as 1t may be, shelters
me from the storms and with my books
me. and why should people waste their
sympathy on me II l am happy and salts
ned with my lot? raise all and more than
want to eat on this land. l grow fruit.
hay and vegetables. and make as good a
living as ] wish to enjoy"
Discussing his diet, Gen. Cameron said.
Il eat bread and butter. cheese and milk
fish. fruit and nuts. do not use meat of
any kind. nor drink intoxicants In anv
form. nor use tobacco. / see nothing I'M.
usual In this: 1t seems to me to be the
natural food of man and undoubtedly pre-
vents the diseases consequent upon the con-
sumption of rich animal foods Now. "a
TO my hair and whiskers. believe there
Ii strength and health in permitting the
nair and whiskers to grow to their natural
length. You will see that my whiskers are
plated and tied around my neck and INV
hair is dressed in the same way. the eiac.
tricity In the hair and whiskers thus fur
of my body" 0e
An Independent Politician,
Gen. Cameron has always been a repuhu
can, and In reviewing the history of parties
said: Il am about as independent in NV
politics as 1 am In my religion and stv,e of
dress and living. l am a believer in eoual
and exact Justice to the mon uyho sa,,oa ~,
Union. / cannot indorse the southern moi
icy Of the democratic party nor do I like
the monopolistic tendencies of the repubu.
can party. but between these two old par
ties and the anarchistic character of the
populists there is nothing left for me but
to be republican, because II is the hest in
many respects. Reforms within parties are
OF very slow growth. Parties and sects are
domineering and insulting, as your friends
are In their denunciation of those of us who
90 not want to marry and be tied 10 q
Momahs apron strings. / am not proselyt-
ing or trying to break down the great order
OF united married men. l want everyone
TO nave the privilege of following his own
convictions, but i want to say to the world
.nat II nave not got plenty of Scripture
10 support my ideas on these questions n
is because the people have not studied We'll
that great book" @i
Gen. Cameron remains constantly nm hi.
Iarm. except during the month of Febru-
airy In each year, which he spends in Wash-
lngton attending the sessions of Conyre.s
AS the story runs he has only allowed his
hair and whiskers to hang at f,,n iara.s
at at .ne national capital since Senator PETER
mas represented the state. He wants the
people of Washington to know thai thane
is al least one man in Kansas who can
outstrip PETER in the matter OF whisksrs
arnoogh not in wild and visionary financial
HISTORY,S FIRS