Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1909-02-10

mOlOSlcai societies which do hOnOr
to his memory have agreed on Janu-
airy 15 as the day of his birth, al
though the records do not establish
the fact with certainty. Swedenbor-
gian missionary, hermit, and lover
of his fellow man. Johnny Apple
seeds life was one of usefulness.
The first trace found of him in
Ahistory records him as being in the
yfTerritory of Ohio in 1901 with q
horse load of apple seed, which he
planted on and about the borders of
Licking Creek, the first orchard thus
originated by him being now within
the boundaries Of Licking county.
For the next five years Chapman
drops entirely out Of sight. He is
neSt heard sof in 1906, when he de-
scended the Ohio river with two ca
noes lashed together, both canoes
being loaded with apple seed from
the orchards Of western Pennsylya-
mia.
With these two canoes thus bur-
dened Chapman passed down the
Ohio river to the mouth of the Mus
klngum. He passed up the Muskin-
gum to the mouth of White Woman
creek, thence up the Mohican into the
Black Forl; to the head Of navigation
sin the vicinity Of those counties
which are now called Ashland and
Richmond
1t appears that this canoe voyage
was the only one in which Chapman
made use of this means of travel for
all the rest OF mis- trips were made on
foot. The seed he obtained for moth
ing from the cider presses of the or
chards of western Pennsylvania, and
a he carried it in leather bags over the
old Indian trail that led from Fort
Duquesne to Detroit.
In personal appearance Chapman
was small and wiry, with long dark
hair, a scanty beard that was never
shaved, and keen black eyes. Gene
rally, even in the coldest weather, he
went barefooted, but would occasion
ally make himself a pair Of sandals,
deeming even moCcasins too much
protection from the elements.
His dress was generally composed
of cast-off clothing which he had
taken in payment for young apple
trees, but during the latter half Of
his life he came to the conclusion
that all clothing beyond that de-
manded by the dictates of decency
was superfuous and wore only a cof-
fee sack, with holes cut in it for his
arms and his head. .ss
Among the Indian tribes he fire.
Quently met with in his wanderings,
Chapman was treated with the cour-
tesy and consideration always
shown by the red men for those they
deemed mentally afflicted or, as they
phrased it, "under the care of the
Great Spirit
His diet was as meager as his
clothing. He believed it sin to
kill any creature for food, and in his
brotherhood with ali created life was
a worthy disciple Of st. Francis, car
rying the doctrines of Emanuel of
Swedenborg to length no other dis
ciple of the mystic has advocated.
He claimed to have frequent CONVEX
sations with angels and spirits and
always carried with him a few VOL
umes Of the Swedish teachers works.
AS he had no tract society to fur
nish him with literature and no Dri-
vate means with which to buy many
books, he hit upon an original plan
for the spreading of the Swedenbor-
gian teachings, His few books he
divided each into several pieces
which he LETT with people he inter
ested in his mission On his next
trip he would collect the portions
left on the former trip and distrib-
-, ute other portions, thus endeavoring
= to spread the knowledge of Sweden
borg's writings as widely as possi-
ble By this plan he was enabled to
furnish reading for several people at
the same time, but 1t must have been
a difficult undertaking for some near
ly illiterate backwoodsman to COM
prehend Swedenborg by a backward
course or reading when his first In
stallment happened to be the last
fraction Of the volume.
Probably it was an outgrowth Of
his views of the sacredness OF all ami
nal life that he held that apple trees
should be grown only from the seed
and that all grating and pruning
. n in hn ioh <f