The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-06-28
LIVING IN SOLITUDE.
STRANGE HeRMlTs WHO HAVE At
TANNED NorORlETY

STRANGE AeRMlTs WHO HAVE At /
TANNED NoroRlETY
The singular Creature who Erequents the |
winds OF Pike County. Pa Berl,s Coun-
Tvs Female Hermit Hermit Zoe Of che
nower,.
Here have lived for 10 years, and here
hope to die | want no other company
tinn these woods and mountains give me.
MI ask Of my fellows is that they will
iavcm to follow In peace my own desires
The man who spoke in this curious way
was Austin Sheldon, the famous hermit ot
Pike county, Pa, the place, the entrance
to his home. n small and gloomy cave In
the densely wooded mountain dozen
miles or so from Dingmnu's, the sleepy
little village 80 well known to lovers of the
stream and chase.
4 curious aud striking figure is this old
hermit, now far past 50; features sharp,
form thin and still erect, eyes keen and
ulittering aud hair and long flowing beard
Ms white as the midwnter snow. 1t is now
81 years since he made his appearance in
/ Pike county and purchased u small farm
] near Blooming Grove. No one knew where
1 he came from, and rs to his past he himself
| was ~ silent as the grave lie had no Wis
itors, he lived alone and his brief visits to
Milford were few and far between.
/ Those who came in contact with him
| found him man Of education and superior
intelligence, but he quietly repealed all at
tempts to break IN upon his solitary lie,
and at the end Of y few years sold his farm
aud went to live in n cave on the adjacent
mountninsidr Here upon time party
NJ hunters found him one cold winters
day stricken with fever aud slowly starry
ing. The good people Of Dugman's,
whence he was taken, gave him tender
care. and when he recovered he went back
to his home on the mouutuiusidc.
Here, after the lapse Of many years, he
was found by relatives from Connecticut,
who had long sought for him In vain. They
bcsought him to- return to his old eastern
home, but without avail, aud after provid-
ing for his wants they left him to follow
bis strange and solitary lie undisturbed.
Before they left they told the inqurers the
touching story Of Shcldon's life. Married
Ito beautiful girl whom he tendcrly loved,
ncr sudden death a few weeks after their
wedding day made him henceforth a
changed man lie grew silent and moroac,
and after few months sold his property in
Connecticut and disappeared
In the wilds Of Pike county he found the
solitude and g let he SO much desired, nnh
there. with his Bible as his only companion
save for one brief period lie has since re
sided Eight years ago he again fell sick,
and, found as before by hunters, WIS taken
to Diugman's His sister came from Con-
nccticut to nursv him, and when his health
was restored persuaded him to accompany
her home. But the longing for his cave and
the forest solitude soon proved too strong
to be resisted and a few months time found
him back i'm his oddly chosen home, which
he said he should never leave again, and
thus far his resolution has been faithfully
kept,
Pennsylvania had until few years ago
two female hcrmits. One Of these wa
Sallic ketucr, who lived In the mountains
near Bernville, Berks county She reached
the age Of 81, and for IS years lived the life
, Of hermit, residing all TINT time in u
! tumble down hovcl, the falling timbers Of
which finally produced the injuries which
, caused her death. She had loved and been
loved in return, so the story goes by a
handsome young sailor who left her with
the promise that in five years he would re-
turn and make her his bride
4 is promise was never fulfilled. for the
sailor lover impressed into the service OF
another country, died in French prison
4 before the time set for return. His sweet.
heart kept his memory ever green, would
' never have anything to do with men, and
: in her bosom when She was dead was found
the last letter from her lover, faded with
age, written Just before he died. She was
T. fine shot, and during the winter months
her hut hung ful 81 game brought down
by her unerrng life. She lived in the so.
t ciety of her cats and dogs, of which she had
a poodly number, and often was not seen
for months. IIorrude life made her healthy
: and strong.
-Four or five years ago the people Of New
York talked for q day about the story OF
Hermit Coo Of the Bowery and then forgot
II. A dozen years before Leonard Coe, that
being the name he was known by had
taken up his residence in Eowery lodging
house. He seemed very poor, but paid his
= rent promptly and spent n few cents each
,, day for food. He WAS morose and tacitnrn
j could seldom he drawn into conversation
. and rarely left his room. When he did, he
always carried with him a brown paper
package Finally he fell sick and was tahel
to n hospital.
When told that he could not recover, he
sent for John Halter, n former fellow lodg
err, and informed him that his real name
was Baer and that lac had relatives living
in Lancaster, Pa. He also made will
naming Halter rs his executor, and iutrllst
ed to his keeping the brown paper package
81 he had so long guarded with jealous care
The day following his death Halter opened
the package and found, to his astonsh
> meut, that it contained over $4,000 in
grrenbacks
An examination of the hermit's paper.
Lei, 81 Of Nrla al
l lege and had studied both law and medi
cine. Later he had engaged in the publish
E ing business with his brother, but had in
time retired with a competence and had
! finally drfted to New York. There, fol
l some unknown reason, he had sunk hi,
4 identity under the name of Coe and adopted
the squalid life of Il hermit of the sums
Chicago Inter Ocean.