The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1904-01-07
AGAIN ENGAGED
In "Rellieving the Pressure" is the elm
mortal j. N"

leuCe ol several years INC lMluoTbal
]. NJ" is again going over the country
relieving the PRESSURE"
No character in Ohio is better known
than than the Immortal J. NJ" Free,
and though partly deprived Of reason,
he will go down in history as one of
Ohio's best known mer. During the
war he had an interview with both Lin
coin and Davis in his simple but hon
estly conceived idea of how the war
could be brought to close.
~. N" was born near the little vii
lage of McCutchenville, twelve miles
north of Upper Sandusky.s His par
ents we're well-to-do, intelligent peo-
pie, his father being a teacher and
welding great influence in the in the
early school history in this part of
Ohio. The family home is still main
tanned, q modest farmhouse, unpre-
tentious but comfortable, though show
ing some want of attention. The
library in the little home is the most
pretentious room in it, being large and
containing O fine selection OF books,
but tits closed. Here many years ago
the senior Free was reading his Bible
when taken sick. He arose from his
chair, laid the oyen book on the table
and placing his spectacles upon the
book and went to his room and died in
short time. The room has not been
changed since and through all these
years the Bible and spectacles have re-
mained untouched.
When gold was discovered in Cali
fornia in 1S48, the Immortal j. N. +"
was among those who were stricken by
the gold fever, and he went to Cali
fornia. He arrived there in 1S40 and
was successful. In 1852, when a great
fire at Marysville destroyed that city,
the possessions of ~. N" were wiped
out and it affected his mind. He re-
turned to the stotes and his mind was
seized with the fancy that he was the
"Demosthenes of America. He or
iginally had fine speaking abilities.
and was successful debater and
stumpea in his neighborhood. He had
a striking personality and was clean
ohavou nn1 n ll,xvad b;a Il ;r to ooorv 10
great length. For years he would an
nounce in the papers that ~. N, the
Demosthenes of America" would de-
liver lecture IN certain twon at a
certain date, but would never appear
During the Civil War he affected to
believe that Abe Lincoln and JEFF Davis
were both right ON the war "viewed
from their standpoint, and announced
that ~. NJ would become a martyr
of truth" believing that il he were
confined in dungeon a light would
upon these msgnates that would soon
stop the war. But to stop it he must
be confined in dungeon. In order to
please 81. N" the sheriff of Seneca
county placed him in a cell in the Jail,
and from that cell ~. NJ" bombarded
the newspapers of the state upon his
pet theories.
Finally the sheriff wanted to release
him, but 81. N" would not accepr .
release unless the sheriff and the TifiT
papers acknowledged the correctness
Of his theory. This they finally did il
order to get ~. N" out Of the jail
He then made his way to Washington
had an interview with Lincoln, which
pleased the President by his quaint
ness and eccentricity, and from Wash
ingtou he went to Richmond, passing
through the pickets and dodging th'
line of guards until he reached Rich
mond. There for few days, until hi
madness, which had nothing malicious
or wicked about 1t, was discovered, b,
was taken for yankee spy" Hi
good nature and quear ways triumphet
over Confederate suspicion, and he o
last had an interview with JEFF Davis
0 to whom he unfolded his theory. Al
officer gave 81. N" thirty minutes t,
get out, and he did so 80 quickly tina
81. N" himself says he still has twen
ty-nine and half minutes coming. FL
was allowed to return through th
lines, and came north, thinking tina
, he had made converts OF both Lincoln
and Davis.
Before 4he interstate commerce bill
became law u. N" had free passe
on nearly every railroad in Pennsylya
MIA and Ohio, and as be never had an
. money he never pays his hotel bills
~. NJ" was a good orator, but b
could not keep his mind confined t
= any subject for more than moment
and his lectures were a medley {
strange words aud strange thoughts
he once said:
II made moving speech last pigf
J. at Circlevile. When / began tn
court house was full, and when | fiji
Z ished the only ones left were the jan
tor aud myself. "
Every body knows him PERSONAL
and has sympathy for him, and viii
he wauders good-naturedly throug
the country he gnds those who new
refuse him hospitality. He has
brother, Maj, W. II. Free, who was
2 member Of the legislature and an 0
ficer in the Ohio volunteers during Il
Civil War. With all his queer idel