The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-23
PERMITS OF LACRAL RIDGE.
Pennsylvania Valley Noted For Its
Queer Settlers.

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Pennsylvania valley Noted For Its
queer Settlers.
Whenever an unkempt, weather-beaten
| man puts in an appearance in the streets
OF New Florence, Pa, a little mountain
town ten miles west of Jamestown, the
loafers on the stoops of the general mer-
chandise stores and at the station unani-
mously express themselves thus:
Another one Of them there hermits OF
Laurel Ridge"
For hermit is no novelty to the people
OF New Florence, or to any of the inhabitants
Of the mountain-encircled valley Of the
Ligonier, which has the Chestnut and Laurel
ridges of the Alleghanies for its boundaries.
This valley, except in the extreme south
ern and northern ends, Is free Of railroads.
The stretch of land between is as primitive
! and inaccessible as it was Atty years ago.
It lis country in which the simple life
can be lived with ease. Equally well any
one tired OF the catter OF the world beyond
the mountains cah immune himself from
1t all. Many have done il, many are still
doing it, and that Is why a hermit from
Laurel Ridge excites no interest among
the inhabitants OF New Florence.
These solitary men Of tho mountains
have come from everywhere. In the days
OF A. 7. Stewards commercial supremacy
one Of them arrived with his family. He
Is still there-he and his wife and their
half dozen children-living in two-room
cabin that is all but ready to tumble down.
1t ia a miserable existence they lead
this man who was once the head OF A. I.
Stewards silk department, and his wife.
who has limited that If her relatives knew
where she was titled man would come
over from England to make his peace with
her. But neither the husband nor the wife
has even limited why they became hermits,
nor do they want any Of their old-time
associates to find them out
All they ask Is to be left alone. They
are content with their life OF loneliness,
precariously sustained through their knowl-
edge Of berry patches in the mountains
and eked out by charity pittances received
from the county authorities.
The man who travelled furthest to become
a hermit OF Laurel Ridge was a Russian.
One day three or four years ago he stepped
of a westbound train at New Florence
and gave his name as V. Kostka.
Il am from Russia" he said. Il have
heard that quiet can be secured mere.
have come with my family TO live here"
Having introduced himself he set about
looking for a place in which to live. He
found IL in q mountain twelve miles away
from the town, This he bought, paying
cash for it, and here he Immediately
installed his family and drew the lines of
seclusion close about him.
About year after Kostka appeared
in town with woman who was known
as the French governess Of his children;
and together they boarded train that was
bound for Pittsburg.
That was the last that New Florence
saw of V. kostka. But 1t was not the last
that the town heard Of him. Pretty soon
they discovered that he had run away
with the governess, and the next thing
they knew the wife had informed the Rus
sian authorities in st. Petersburg that the
cashier who had robbed one of that city's
big banks some years before could be
found living in certain town in Canada
with the former governess OF his children.
So tho Russian bear reached out for
V. Kostka and grabbed him, and now he
Is working in the mines of Siberia.
Through the workings Of Justice New
Florence found out why kostka became
a hermit but it is seldom that such intelli-
gence is obtained about the other hermits
Only guesses can be made, some wild and
others based on words let fall by the hermits
themselves in unguarded moments. 1t
was In this latter way that the story of
Whistler originated.
For years Whistler was known as THE
Fair Haired Man of the Mountains. He
got this name by reason of his long hair
and his beard, which reached to his waist
He was always willing to tell any one who
happened to stumble across his clearing
that he was distant relative Of Whistler
the artist but when asked why he had
buried himself in such an out-of-the-way
place, he would grow non-communioative.
turnity on this point. That was when
two girls from farm house in the valley
unexpectedly found themselves in Whist
ler's clearing when they were berry hunt
ing; =,
and finding that they had lost their path.
took them to it again. As he babe them
good he looked into the younger girls
fire. h face and said:
II once knew girl like you"
That was all Then he turned toward
his cabin and was soon lost to view In the
forest.
But it was enough to start story about
THE White Haired Man Of the Mountains
and people to this day say that he fed to
his lonely home because long years ago
the girl that he was to have married died
before the wedding day came around.
These are three of the hermits Of Laurel
Ridge. Then there are "Rattlesnake jim
no one knows any other name for him
who comes into town every few months
with batch Of live snakes, which he sells
" Smiling Sam" OF Shannon's Run, whose
broad and never-clouded smile wins him
a livelihood from farmers wives Kitchens
and many others who can be run across
In days tramp through the mountains
BRITISH NATIONAL PHYSIQUE.