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A LONELY HERMIT HE.*fDICK BASSETT IS PRESIDENT OF A LITTLE REPUBLIC.Tlte Inland In Lalco IT! If hit; sin That I* Biol Controlled by Any State orFederal Authority--tlnaaett Oivun Jt by Squatter*9 IKight.Much has been said and written of the Lake Michigan -j^'and which has been overlooked by the surveyors for the present map of the United States,but little is known of Dick Bassett* its ruler. He is the only human inhabitant of the island. Wolves, bears and other wild animals abound in winterthough, and strange to say, Bassett refrains from slaughtering1 these; and they refrain from feasting upon his carcass, so I.Hck and all sorts of animals live in peace. When other food is scarce the wild wolves and bears often come to the hermit's cabin and in their own way ask for food. Such is the story that Bassett tells, and in f such a serious manner that the truth of the assertion is given considerableweight- ' r ' V.-Until recently Ifttssett never left the island more than once a year. On those occasions he would seldom enter a i-ot-tled region. Not long ago though he surprised people by taking a train at Traverse City and going to Grand Ba ids, where he visited for several days. S®.'Dick Bassett is about 50 years old.Iwears a full beard tinged with gray, is well read and intelligent, and has a romance somewhere in his career,but no one knows just where the romance comes in and the particulars of it are a profound secret. He will talk freely on any subject that may be brought upfbut when the conversation turns to his personal history, he shuts up like a clam, a pensive look comes into his eyes and unless a fresh topic is introduced he soon quickly retires from the circle. He arrived in Traverse City about fourteen years ago and lived in a, deserted fishing cabin on the beach, far from the abode of men. He occasionally came to town, but only to buy supplies or to sell the fish he caught and never lounged around the bar-rooms or corner groceries. He built himself a boat and most of his days were spent on the waters of the bay with fish line in hand. He was a mystery then and is almost as much of a mystery to-day, although through casual remarks and occasional observations he has dropped within thehearing of friends some inkling of hiscareer lias be ome known.Bassett remained a year in his fishing cabin on the beach and then he took possession of a little island eight miles out in the bay from tins city, lying between .Marion lslan i and the mainland, so near to either that but a stone throw of water separated him from them. The island comprises but a single acre of land, r-nd when he took possession was covered with a heavy growth of virgin forest, appearing from a distance like a little tuft of green rising out of the water. He cleared the land without assistance, leaving a row of larce trees as a border to his plantation. He erected a cottage of boards, which lie hewed out of the trees he chopped down, and to this day he has lived alone on the island, quietly and to all appearances happy and contented. He planted fruit trees and vines, and the land produces more than enough vegetables and fruit to supply his simple wants. In the summer he fishes in the bay, both with line and net, and realizes a substantial income from the sale of the fish m the city and at the summer resort near by. He is said to have accumulated \ competency,TicK Bksittr”but of his worldly affairs Dick Bassett is as reticent as of his early life. He takes several daily papers and magazines. has a well selected library, mainly of travel and history, and has a queer collection of old pipes, chiefly corncobs and briars. He is an inveterate smoker, but rarely drinks. He frequently spends the winter on the island alone, with an occasional hunting expedition to vary the monotony, while some winters he seeks employment in the lumber camps.His recent visit to Grand Rapids is the first time lie has sought pleasure or recreation in a city. The only pets he has is a monster Thomas cat and a few dozen choice hens, lie does not take kindly to dogs and has never had one on the island. In summer his house is never locked, and lie goes away leaving money and food on the table, in olain view, confident that any visitor who comes in his absence will not rob him. Many summer resorters have visited his island, both while he was at home and when be was away. The Indians never think of passing in their canoes without maki g him a call, and yet his confidence has never been betrayed. If the visitors are hungry they help themselves to the food spread on the table, but as near as he can calculate Bassett has never missed a dollar inipnMKi-•L* s vBut there is a strange circumstancein regard to the island. It is so small and insignificant it has never been surveyed and Bassett has not been able to secure a legal title to it from the government. To Ins inquiries, he has been informed from Washington that such an id not exist on the charts and therefore has no legal consequence of thie kioj ington the uuD verse county resident ofeiti/eUland and the mainland, both on the government chart, yet he is declared an alien and is disfranchised. He accepts this decision with commendablephilosophy, finding consolation in thefact that he is exempt from all taxation, township, county and State alike. Ik* does not own very much, it is true,but if he were worth a million he would escape the assessor. Vet there are in* convenances in his situation. He is practically an independent monarch, all by himself, and can exercise all the privileges and rights of one of Hod’s a anointed.' He can declare war or treat for peace, can levy a tariff for revenue only or for protection to his inf ant industry of raising potatoes and eggs, cam possibly coin his own money and enter Into offensive and defensive alliances with other nations, lie is as much a monarch as the King of any of the cannibal islands, and under the present interpretation of t he laws could eat a few summer re sortersor wandering missionaries wj thout fear of the United States or Michigan laws. Rut Dick Bassett is not ambitious or bloodthirsty. He has no custom houses on his island and levies no taxes, and is far from being fond of war. He Iswilling to be annexed to the United States, and his * fears all arise from his not already being under the protection of the starspangled banner. Several attempts have been made to oust him from hisrealm by designing parties in search of a summer home. He has filed an application at the land office for a title tothe property as soon as it is annexed. He is holding possession just now by main strength and the moral support of the community, but he can show no legal rights ob the island. i ,In regard to Bassett's past life, all that is known is that he was born in the South: that his parents were well-to-do and that he received a good education. When the war broke out he ran away to join the Northern army, while his father and brothers, mother and sisters sympathized with theSouth. He enlisted in the Fifth Iowa infantry and served throughout the war, seeing extremely hard service. He was wounded eight times in battle and carries several bullets still in his body. Hehas lost trace of his oldcomrades and has been unable to get a pension and has not, since becoming [in independent power, applied for one. After the war lie returned to his old home, but the family had disappeared and he has not heard from any of hisrelatives since. He went West, was acowboy for a number of years, and served as guide a nd scout on the plains, and then settled down. There is a love story somewhere in his history, at least he has so intimated, but the particulars of it have never been learned and probably never will be.The picture of him, given herewith, shows him in bis summer regalia as he appears at home, and the other cut gives an idea of the house he built himself and lives in. There are two rooms in the house, one the kitchen where he does his cooking and serves his meals, and he is an excellent cook, and in the other he sleeps and has his library, parlor, sitting rocrn and reception room all combined.Told In Few U ords.Japan has now 2,000 newspapers, where twenty-fi- e years ago not a single journal existed,Eton, or the collection of schools which constitute what is popularly known as Eton, has 1,000 scholars.The Columbia river is so clear at low water that salmon fishing can only be successfully conducted at night.The largest ship yard in the world is at Christiana, in Norway, Forty ships can load at its docks at the same time.Japanese lace is coming into market.It is a new manufacture, and hitherto has been mainly consumed at home.An Atchison. Kan., man who has sent a .$5 bill to England in an envelope for the past twenty years says that he has never lost a dollar*The British Museum appears to be losing its popularity. The number of visitors last year was 50,000 below the number of five years ago.It is said that old sailors are made seasick by the excessive amount of vibration caused by the propellers of some of the high speed cruisers.The 4‘city article” of the London Times informs its readers that Chicago is destined to become one of the greatest grain-growing States in the union.A Maine farmer who believes in a strict observance of the Sabbath went out and kilted a lamb which persist d in bleating on a recent Sunday afternoon. . ’r ’ . J\ ’’ LI t is said that a red fox guards the barnyard of a farmer in Butler county. Fa., anil the chickens and geese are perfectly safe from thieves when he isaround. gL.The greatest bird cage on the continent is ?• aid to be the Grand Central railroad station in New York. The noisy English sparrow’s swarm there by thousands and nest In the great arch ing roof girders(v,i;sidrrablc British indibeen aroused by a U India in which with'fiorns atwith Sighttantan
Newspaper Details
Blackfoot Idaho News
Blackfoot, Idaho, US
Sat, Oct 31, 1891
Page 10
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 26 Jul 2021
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