West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1903-04-02
JERRY MILLER SILENT FOR ~
YEARS.


he did not deserve, Jerry Miller is
now hermit in lone farmhouse in
the wild regions of Ohio, not far
from Chillicothe. He now is pas,
40 years old, aed no one can re-
member having heard him say a
dozen connected words. The ST.
lence which he has preserved for 80
years came upon him when he was
boy of IL at work on his father
farm close to the place he now in
habits in solitude, shrinking away
from the public gaze and refusing
always to accept even the kindly
means of aid offered.
His father, who is still living is
said TO have been stern taskmastei
and firm believer in the old ideas
of punishment. Jerry was accused
by his father of some offense, which
the boy stoutly denied. His father
thinking the boy guilty of the
offcnse said he would whip both for
the original offense and then for not
telling the truth about it. The
whipping administered was not a
gentle one, but the boy took it sto-
Idly and did not even cry.
The boy went about his appointed
work in silence and seemed to be
greatly depressed over the humilia-
ton that had been put upon him.
The family thought at first he was
only sulking, and the father openly
said so. A sister, the boy was par
ticularly fond of tried to comfort
him, but with little success.
The days grew into weeks and
sill the boy maintained the same
gloomy silence. The father then
began to grow alarmed and tried to
get the boy to tell what was on his
mind. 1t was of no avail. The
boy would not talk under any In
ducement that was devised by the
father. He went about his appoint
ed work on the fam In an intelli-
gent manner and never complained.
From time to time he was heard to
swear at the oxen he was driving or
the pillow he was handling.
Years passed in the same silence.
The father was heart-broken at the
boys determination and tried every
means in his power to show the son
that he was eager to make amends
for the wrong he had done. The
boy, grown to a man, worked on in
silence. Doctors were called in to
see if there was any mental defect
in him, but they could make no pro-
gress as that battling silence stood
always a bar to all inquiries.
Ten years ago he left the parental
home and took up his abode in the
house he now occupies. He lives
there alone, caring for a small patch
of land, which provides him with all
he needs in the way of food, with q
bit to spare for an occasional pur-
chase among those he has come to
know. The house is as gloomy a:
Its occupant and is as bare of all
the comforts noticeable in the
vicinity.
The man has no associates anC
his only diversion seems to consist
in sitting for hours on the front steI
of his old house looking far away
and apparently thinking He i!
always on the alert against intru-
sion when in these moods and takes
to fight on approach of a stranger.
His brothers and sisters keep an eye
out for him and see that he does
not lack for the necessarles OF life
and clothes enough to shelter him
His father and mother try often tc
induce him to break his long silence,
but all they ever get is a shake o
the head and a sorrowful look from
their now gray haired and worn.
looking son.
1t is the impression among those
who have known Jerry Miller since
the day his father gave him tn,
thrashing that he could not. nov
speak if he would, as the long year
of silence have proably renderec
his tongue helpless from disuse.
The negroes about the neighbor
hood look uoon him as sort o