The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1897-11-26
HERMIT OF ANTRIM.
AN EDUCATED MANS SOLITARY Gx'
IsTENcE IN IRISH CAVES.
There Is u Mystery About Him, and NO
one Can Tell whence He Came-His
Food Consists OF Potatoes Only, but He
Cook Them Before Eating.


Food Consists OF Potatoes Only. but He
Cooks Them Before Eating.
There are portions Of the north of Ire
land where nature assumes grand and
wild aspect. On the coast OF Antrim
there l. no armisticc iii the furious bat
tie that. since the first ages of the ter
rcstrial globe. was engaged between the
waves and the rocks. Columns of basalt, I
like gigantic scntinels, stand on guard
10 resist the invasion Of the ocean, ana
the profound excavations made under
the granite rocks that protect this por-
ton of the soil of La Nerte Erin prove
that tho waves must have frequently
made most vigorous onslaughts and only
retired after they had mined land
which they could not conquer
1t is not difficult TO imagine that this
majestic and desolate site should have
seduced one of the vanquished ones III
life. one who had absolutely decided 10
separate himself from the society of
man. The real hermits are becoming
more and more rare--indeed. it was be-
lieved that they had completely dlsap'
peared-but If vocation for that slngu-
larlv abandoned profession could stlll
be felt by any one il might be III the
presence of the marvellous spectacle of
I that sea whose waves never subslde, OF
those grottos whose pillars and vaults
POSSESS IA power which the art of the
architect can never equal Nature her
self seems 70 have created iii those rocks
a refuge for the shipwrecked, for the
prescribed and perhaps also for those
who despise the vanities of life.
About ten years ago mysterious IN
dividual made his home i'll the grottoes
of the coast of Antrim The approach
of any human being seemed to inspire
him with an invincible repugnance. AS
soon as the cavern which he had select
ed for his refuge was discovered by the
fishermen Of the neighborhood he imme-
diately disappeared and took up his
quarters 20 or 30 kilometers farther ON
in another retreat which appeared more
inaccessible For few months his
domicile was in IN old abandoned mine,
, the principal gallery Of which advanced
8 under the ground TO the distance OF
= about five kilometers but as the inhab-
itants of tle nearest village had long
before carried away the beams that sus
tanned the vault TO convert them into
firewood the hermit was obliged to quiz
that dangerous refuge where he was
constantly exposed to the danger OF be
ing buried alive. SO he installed himself
, in a grotto, the access TO which wa
more easily discovered, but IT was les
obscure, less humid and less liable t
cave in. There he fiattered himself tina
ne would find at least some Of the con
= ditions of existence that belonged to tn
{ men of the caverns. But ii was In vail
J. that he hoped to return to the life Q
q the first ages of prehistoric humanity
He was obliged to pay tribute to tn
exigencies of civilization and to mani
= fest less repugnance for all contact wit
\ his fellow beings.
One day he found an empty barr,
that the tempest had tossed upon tn
shore. and he could not resist the tenn
tation of bringing ii home TO serve as
: bed. Some indiscreet persons, takin
advantage Of his absence to visit h
! apartments. discovered that he had
pot for cooking his food. Where di
= that cooking utensil come from? Was
4 also piece of wrcckage rolled up upc
% the sand by the furious waves, or WI
it the last souvenir of civilized LIE ca
ried away by the anchorite who, win
endeayoring to return to the condition
- Of existence that belonged to prehistor
times, could not abandon the habit
cooking his food?
That is a question which has new
been answered, and it is also impos'
bic to find ont where he gets the pot
toes upon which he lives. Did they COZ
y. from the discreet charity Of the pc
fishermen Of the neighborhood, who
the proper time renewed his provision
or in separating himself from the woi
did he make arrangements for the trai
portation of his modest provisionsf III
A. is also mystery which has never be
fathomed. One point however, Is G
tain, and that is that the hermit Diet
ee mined to live upon potatoes alone I
day a sailor offered him half of his d
me ner. The hermit pretended to be glad
the accept the gift, but he never touci
/. ir the food. In the absence OF the X
our hearted sailor he tossed it into the :
ess, Apparently he also vowed that he wo
the never enter house and never touc
y 70 piece Of money. He kept his rcsolutio
Nothing could ever induce him to O.
, ,'as the threshold of any one of the III
houses Of the fishermen, who began
be have sort Of affection for him,
/ all never once was he known to beg.
only liberulity that he would accept
TIP. that he solicited from the munifce
. Of strangers was match To light
frewood gathered for cooking his p'
[ in toes.
abb, The Rev J. H. Bernard ondeavc
He'd to lift the veil that hid the origin
an antecedcnts Of this mysterious pers
foi age. The man Of the cayerns OF Ant
endeayors in vain to live the life o
savage. 1t has been recognized by II
~; than one sign that he has receive
~ good education. From time 70 time
reads to the fishermen some pass