New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-08-23
WHITE MOUNTAIN HERMIT
hEnglish Jack" and His Home on a
SLoDe of ut. Willard.


kline mountaineer, whose friendship for the hermit
covers a period Of twenty years. The life OF the
lonely hermit has been known TO the summer popu-
lation of the Crawford House for many seasons
snd the interest that attaches to his sickness Is
sgidespread, without reason. IT Is that the
$50 mountatneer has made a treasure house OF the
Reather-beaten old shack where he has lived LOT q
quarter of a century, and that wealth is buried
there &c the sum OF several thousand dollars some
60 not hesitate TO place the treasure as high as
slooeo0.
But whatever doubt there may be as to the
amount Of .Jacks worldly possessions, there IS no
,,sesvorl, about the ultimate disposition Of 1t. The
old man who Is now nursing the hermit through
his illness, has performed similar service Delote'
and the gratitude OF the recluse VIII unooupIeuis
find expression In bequest Of the buried wealth
20 his oIdtfne friend AS this believed by many
sc BE Jacks" fatal illness. the White mountain
Fegion IS excited over the story OF ms HluueH
wealth snd many envious eyes are turned upon .i0
yr4nkled old patriarch who viii inherit the hermit
snonev Stories are told and "reminiscences e&-
changed on crowded hotel Verandas concerning
rJach's" rare visits to the hotel and OF frequent
silgrimages made TO his humble hillside COT
Near the herInits home great engines three ulies
!. SAY haul crowded palace cars through the cleII
of Crawford Notch But the green ieaVed Iorest
sxeeps its secret well, and the kindly spruce anu
birch and hemiook hide the sylvan nome oA Tue
aserrait OF the White Hills But on the ha1IO" AOoN
rath that yvrEgies view Just at the Notch en-
trance a black and white signboard BEARS TINS
aeeeud: THE House that Jack Built II Is MOI
fvvO throws from hno OAo"ASAN
House verandas to this little path To such as hhu
q. fle uphill pilgrimage through hardwood groves
by a sInuous and outrageous route mas us &c
,ysrd for half q mile less away the eye Is SUD
denly startled by the vision OF a s[asssr osI
sing ana q brace of ragged rambling iean-tos IN
'front.' Of which a sparkling stream of water pours
into hogshead-
when he was we'll the picture was completed by
the figure OF Jack sitting IN the sun III rom VI
his home A mass of white hair surrounding a
,ureatbered face and nondescrpt clothing were the
FIRST view OF Jack" Close inspection woulo as
close the sbilients Of civilization in the shape OF
a .fore and aft" outing cap, pair OF oYeraIis cur
20 the limit of sailor amplitude ana d PAIR ol
Indian raoccasins. When he was smoking pipe
sJack' was taIkative. II he was not II was a sign
,,e vas rnorose. But Jacks" ''talkauveness
meant merely answers TO inquiries his style Is
gnonosylabic his vocabulary rustic and his accent
plain Yankea go
seventy-nine years OF age, hermit on Mount
willard for tweuty-nine years OF his me- oe-
Nourer OF snakes and toads seller OF willow pas
kets and alpenstOcks. stranger TO the DaIOei any
s victim Of sciatca-this IN sentence Is the story
of his life. as extracted on the instalment plan
The fact that enterprising chap wrote the
story OF his life In verse and had IL printed Is
YartIv accountable for the fact that Jack won't
give II orally The fact that he will sell one OF
these pamphlets for quarter OF ooIlaF Also pu'S
veto on autobiography by word OF mouth.
This booklet yarn is interesting. 1t relates now
F.Isek " when q lad in London befrlended by a
skipper who gave him berth on his snip "heh
she boy was looking for work; how he zen IN rove
with the shippers daughter; how captain ana boy
were wrecked on a desert island, and how the
skipper and all the others died, while Jack was
rescued at the eleventh hour.
After hunting UP the widow and orphaned girl,
whom he found IL pocrhouse, he gave them al
he had and made them comfortable. The girl,
w. pe5 sue baS n%ani s 10 become his bride
Nlds14I SAteI sDe alflu PSt1i4SSS -
girl mad died Jacks grief was inconsolable, and
he became ~anderer on the race OF me eadLa.
In every quarter OF the world he courted death
On African battiehelds, in indian Inutlnies IN me
could he hnd it. And SO ne wandered, until ne
the heart OF the White Hills wilderness he has
been patiently hoping and waiting for release
OF course. his love affair turned his head bit.
But it is doubtful If this had serious or per
snanent effect did his nineteen months exile
The deserted island as told In the story OF his
and snakes ana ali sorts Of crawling and creeping
ais present taste for unpeiatabie creatures.
As a matter OF fact; Jack would DOWN a snake
price Cor this trick was 50. After he swallowed a
had never heard that they would keep alive inside
Wei ef thct's So sir, must be living cor
p.ration, fer I've swallowed moren forty dozen
But snakes troubled Jack" much less than his
Had lot O. pain in m leg an hip. sir" he ex-
pained as he hnPingg LED me way az inside 9sar
told me twas sciaticky. an another lowed how
well fl It's sciatica you had better try oil of
peppermint That Is go3a for IT, was s1gge5e g1t
with q firm jaw. "SuA. I've heern tell siaticky's
Then the talk drifted into travel and the places
-'JE ok" had been to and the fights he'd been in
In speaking about King EDWARDS recent visit 10
Ireland Jack" denounced England and everything
no, SIR; I'm a Yankee" was his statement. And
I'm goin ter die q Yankee. II ! wuz turrin born
What did England ever 90 fer met fought and
6led Ger her. and J., never got nA"thin' from her.
'iJack's'' house includes large living room and
buy IN a corner OF the larger room is box stove,
rag carpet on the dooF sna the walls are 1890 1880
graphs and photographs. many Of them auto
graphed. OF famous men who have visited Jack
Among these are photographs Of governor VOL
Governor Jordan Of New,Hampshire and Speaker
Reed As for the rest they are divided between cen
Tour color beauties OF soap and tobacco advertise
ments
turned his attention TO was the cYInvauon. or a
rdminutive garden and the preparation OF DOUBT
often bought willow baskets from the makers and
eolo them TO such strangers as found their way TO
These baskets and the alpenstocks which he
Whitfield out himself occupied the place of honor
in the I, whittier he Invariably ushered his visit
ors at the first opportunity. For II Jack is q
Yankee politically. he is more than one commercially
and cold. ana that's excuse enough TO try TO turn
D9rchsssFs are within arms reach .,.....,.
business Jack makes enough TO worry along on
during the cold weather. All but about three
81 5ne year ne sPenas IN his saaHy on
year he passes either n an old farmhouse, now
Or with his friend Haynes. near the Twin Noun
At the time Of recent visit TO his home there
vas large drygocds box outside the door into
ne mont OF which haa been ntted piece OF plate
into the hogshesd. also supplied this box with
81. trout ia2ily swan h the sunlit Wete4 Jack
was asked what these were for.
that's comm Up in September. The laws on then.