PEOPLE OF DANVILLE

THROUGH OUT THE LIFE OF THE TOWN OF DANVILLE, MANY PEOPLE HAVE MADE THIS TOWN THEIR HOME. I PLAN TO WRITE ABOUT THEIR LIVES ON THIS PAGE, MANY INTERESTING LIVES HAVE GRACED THIS TOWN. THIS PAGE WILL TAKE AWHILE TO CONSTRUCT BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF RESEARCH IT WILL TAKE, BUT WILL BE UPDATED AS INFORMATION IS FOUND.

GEOGE BAUGHMAN - "THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY HERMIT"

On February 20, 1882, a man by the name of George Baughman died in Danville. At the time of his death, he was known far and wide as the Montgomery County Hermit. The following reprint from the Montgomery Standard, dated February 24, 1882 gives a good history of the hermit up to his death:

"Everybody in Montgomery County, no doubt, has either heard of or seen George Baughman, the hermit, who for nearly thirty years has lived a solitary life in a cave near Danville, and during all that time has been searching for gold which he claimed was hidden in the hills surrounding his abode. His history is briefly as follows:

Baughman was 65 years of age when he came to this county in 1852 coming from Carbondale, ILL., where he had formally resided and where he owned a good farm. In the spring of that year he in company with two boys, his nephews, started from his home in Illinois in a wagon drawn by two yoke of oxen, for Pike's Peak, where gold had been discovered, and on reaching Loutre Lick, west of Danville, finding plenty of wood and water, concluded to camp there for a few days to rest. During his stay there, one yoke of oxen died, and one animal of the remaining yoke strayed away. In his search among the hills for the missing animal, he found the cave since made famous by his labors, and concluded to remain there. It is situated one and half miles south of Danville, near a branch running into Loutre, known as Town Branch. He at once took up his abode in the cave and commenced his long and fruitless search for gold, which he believed, was hidden in the hills. He claimed to be commissioned by the then Emperor of the French to dig up the gold hidden there and said the depression in the rocks in the cave answered the description of the place given by the French government. One of his nephews soon tired of his mode of living returned to Illinois. The other one remained some two or three years and he to returned to his home, leaving Baughman alone. Baughman was a monomaniac on the subject of gold, but on every other subject conversed rationally. The amount of work done by him during his long residence in the cave is supprising. He sank some thirty or forty shafts ranging in depth from 15 to 75 feet, one of them being 75 feet deep through solid rock, with no tools save an old ax and a shovel.

When he had reached to 75 feet he stopped his work in that shaft, saying that he had gone to within three feet of the gold and that he would not take it out until the French Emperor sent troops to protect him and the money. He then began sinking other shafts claiming that other quantities of gold had also been secreted by the French, but he did not know the exact spot in which it was placed. At one time he brought to this office a long petition to the Emperor of the French asking for troops for his protection and wanted it printed, but the foreman told him the office was not prepared to do such work and he failed to get it printed. His deep shaft at the cave is and has been for several years been filled with water. He claimed to have a farm in Chariton County in this state and for many years made periodical visits to that section.

He was of a jovial, sociable disposition, loved company and was passionately fond of playing cards; euchre being his favorite game. He subsisted by hunting, fishing and raising his own vegetables and fruit; he was independent in his mode of living and absolutely refused to receive anything as a gift. For several years past his health was so bad that he was unable to work, so the county took him in charge, but before he would consent to become the recipient of the county's aid it was necessary for his guardian, D.F. Graham, to inform him that the county was only loaning him the means of subsistence and that as soon as he took out his gold he could repay the loan. Mr. Graham visited him regularly three times a week for several years, when he resigned his charge and the court appointed C.M. English, of Danville, to take his place.

After nearly 30 years of toil and privation, the troubled spirit of the Hermit went to rest on Tuesday night last. He died in Danville where his guardian had removed him in order that he might be better cared for. His remains were buried near the cave where he had lived so long and which will remain as a monument to his industry, patience and perseverance in search of what has wrecked the mind of many others; bright, glittering gold."

I visited the cave a few years ago and signs of his diggings can still be seen today. The cave is long but not very deep into the hillside, when the hermit lived there he had a front built on the front of the cave made of wood, which has long since disappeared. The site of the cave is a very beautiful spot overlooking the small town branch; I can see what drew him there. I hope to have pictures of the cave and a picture of the hermit placed on this site in the near future.