The Meeker herald., 1899-05-20
80 YEARS IN ONE ROOM
VOWED NEVER AGAIN TO SET
FOOT ON THE GROUND.
0oss 0aly His Manaxsr-Iu sp,ts ce III,
1stassnsnt He Owns = Fine Farm
ssd Raises Stock Unsurpassrd In
keatleky.

The men who are still letting theh
hair ana whiskers grow because Henry
Clay was not elected president fnd
their counterpart in various eccentril
characters scattered throughout the
country. On fine bluegrass farm
u miles north Of Harrodsburs, Ky.
there lives man. in the possession o.
unimpaired physical and mental at
tributes, who has not left tbs four
walls Of his room for 50 years on ac
count of foolish vow. His rame Is
Basil Haden. and the girl to whom he
was to have been married elopsd with
smother man on the day President Lin
coin took his seat In the white house.
In At Of discontinue he entered his
room in the second story of his house
and declared he would never set foot
on earth again as long as he lived and
SO lar as Is known he has kept his
word and has never entered even an
other room Of his own dwelling. He is
the sole owner of fine HON astead anu
farm Of 500 acres left tim by his
parents before the calamity OF his life,
and permits no one to see him excep,
has been manager of hts farm for 25
years, and even this man is permitted
to come only to his door. However
through his manager. several hands
are employed on the farm and stock
Is raised equal to ary in Kentucky
He does his own cooking, and Turne!
delivers such articles as he needs a.
his door. A character OF similar de-
termination resides in Urbana, Ohio
where his many eccentricities are WEI!
known. For nearly 20 years John
John Glenn never wore a coat or over
coat, winter or summer, appearing at
all times In his shirt-sleeves and an or
dinary vest. This, too. was the re
suit of hasty VOW faithfully kept. His
father kept lanyard in Urbana. He
was one Of the early settlers, and his
SONS were employed by him IN various
departments Of his leather business
John seems early to have developed a
peculiar disposition, for 1t is said that
even in those early days he would only
perform such work as was left silently
at his bench, and would on no account
take even the simplest orders or
directions from his father or brothers.
The coat incident came about through
q decision of the elder Glenn to send
one of his sons to West Liberty, Ohio.
to learn the tinsmlthing trade. In
the execution Of this plan he bought
this son a full suit OF clothes, at the
same time purchasing only trousers
and vest for John, who took offense at
the fancied slight and declared he
would never wear coat again SO long
~ his father lived. This oath he kept
until his fathers death. 20 years after.
whom he appeared at the funeral In a
complete suit Of broadcloth as good as
money could buy. During all these
years he was practically recluse and
spent all his time, when not engaged at
work in the tannery adjoining. in his
room reading, never appearing on the
streets or in public places. In q short
time after his fathers death he again
took offense at some trivial affront and
retired to his room, In which he lived
alone for years. His peculiarities seem
never to have introduced any discord
into his daily relations with the other
members of his family. and until the
death of his brothers they all lived to-
gether in apparent harmony. He is now
the sole survivor of his immediate kin,
and possessor Of all their wealth,
which Is considerable. A cousin Of
his father, of the name of Edward
Glenn, was the founder of Glendale.
one of Cincinnati's well-known sub