Lower coast gazette., 1909-03-27
lag trail that led from Fort Duquesne
IN notroit

Jag trail tsat led from Fort Duquesne
to Detroit,
in personal appearance Chapman
was small and wiry, with long dark hair
a scanty beard that was meyer shaved,
and keen black eyes. Generally, even
in the coolest weather, he went bare
footed, but would occasionally make
himself a pair Of sandals.
His dress was generally composed OF
cast off clothing which he had taken IN
payment for young appletrees, but dur
ing the latter half of his life he came
to the conclusion that all clothing be-
vond that demanded by the dictates Of
decency was superauous and wore only
q coffee sack, with holes for arms and
head.
Among the Indian tribes he frequent
" met with in his wanderings Chapman
was treated with the courtesy and con-
sideration always shown by the red
men for those they deemed mentally
afflicted or, as they phrase it, under
the care of the Great Spirit
His diet was as meagre as his cloth
inp. He believed it a sin to kill any
creature for food and in his brother
hood with all created life vas a worthy
disciple of St. Francis, carrying the
doctrines of Emmanuel ~Swedenborg
to a length no other disciple of the
mvstic has advocated. He claimed to
have frequent conversations with an
gels and spirits and always carried with
him q few volumes of the swedish
teachers works,
AS he had no tract society to furnish
him with literature and no private
means with which to buy many books,
he hit upon an original plan for the
spreading of the Swedenborgiap terch'
ings. His few books he divided each
into several pieces which he left with
people he Interested in his mission
On his next trip he would collect the
portions left on the former trip ant
distribute other portions, thus endeav
oring to spread the knowledge o
~Swedenborg's writings as widely a
possible. By this plan he was enabled
5 to furnish reading for several people a
the same time, but it must have been
! difficult undertaking for some nearl,,
Y illiterate backwoodsman to comprehen'
Swedenborg by a backward course o
s reading when his first instalment hap
pened to be the end of the volume.
t Probably it was an outgrowth Of hi
Y views of the ~sacredness of all anims
life that he held that apple trees shout
be grown only from the seed and tina
f all grating and pruning were work
e abhorrent in the sight of God.
e Whenever he found an animal abuse
: he would at once purchase it ifhe coul
" raise the money and give it to som
more humane settles on condition ths
it should be kindly treated. Itfrequen'
d ly happened that the long journey int
the wilderness would cause the new Sc
tiers to be encountered with lame an
d broked down horses that were turne
J. out to die. In the autumn Johnn
would make a diligent search for a
d such animals and would take care {
IF them for the winter. If they recove
[e ed he would never sell them, but wou
h lend or give them away, stipulating fl
lie their good usage.
le No Brahman could be more concer,
Of ed for the preservation Of life, even
I'd insect life. Once he killed a rattl
snake and never ceased to repent h
re action. At another time he put h
an campfire out in order that it might notd
or stroy any of the myrads of mosquito
On which filled the surrounding atmospher
o. At another time he removed the fire
r. had built near a hollow log and sic
he on the snow because he had found tn
d. the log contained a bear and her cub