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'The Hermit of Allsop's Island. On Septmember 8, 1863, twenty-eight year-old Philip Shuttlesworth, son of John and Susan Shuttlesworth, was shot and killed by a mysterious hermit, Doctor Bonaparte Allsop, living in a lean-to hut near Uffington. He had appeared in the area years before, his origin unknown. Each year he planted corn and vegetables on a nearby island in the river, known by neighbors as Allsop's Island. It was said that Shuttlesworth was killed because he had been taking vegetables from the garden. On February 16, 1864, he was found guilty in the circuit court of second degree murder and sentenced to twelve years in the penitentiary. After his release he returned to Uffington to live, but became mentally upset and was taken to the Weston Hosptial. -- The above account appears to include the essentials of a story that has become so overladen with myth and tradition that it is virtually impossible to separate truth from fiction. That he was a relative of Napoleon Bonaparte, a schoolmate of James G. Blaine, a graduate of Jefferson Medical College, the actual inventor of Dr. McLane's liver pills, are some of the stories told of him. See Curcuit Court Order Book Number 4, pages 27, 31, 32, and 39. See numerous pieces about him by E. E. Meredith (Do You Remember?) in the Fairmont Times, including December 11, 1937. See also Dennis Rasche, The Emperor's Kinsman, Tableland Trails 2 (3) (1958): 123-128.'

Hermit of Allsop's Island near Morgantown, W. Va.

Identifier:
010178
Collection Number:
A&M 2983
Title:
Hermit of Allsop's Island near Morgantown, W. Va.
Date:
1937/12/11
Description:
'The Hermit of Allsop's Island. On Septmember 8, 1863, twenty-eight year-old Philip Shuttlesworth, son of John and Susan Shuttlesworth, was shot and killed by a mysterious hermit, Doctor Bonaparte Allsop, living in a lean-to hut near Uffington. He had appeared in the area years before, his origin unknown. Each year he planted corn and vegetables on a nearby island in the river, known by neighbors as Allsop's Island. It was said that Shuttlesworth was killed because he had been taking vegetables from the garden. On February 16, 1864, he was found guilty in the circuit court of second degree murder and sentenced to twelve years in the penitentiary. After his release he returned to Uffington to live, but became mentally upset and was taken to the Weston Hosptial. -- The above account appears to include the essentials of a story that has become so overladen with myth and tradition that it is virtually impossible to separate truth from fiction. That he was a relative of Napoleon Bonaparte, a schoolmate of James G. Blaine, a graduate of Jefferson Medical College, the actual inventor of Dr. McLane's liver pills, are some of the stories told of him. See Curcuit Court Order Book Number 4, pages 27, 31, 32, and 39. See numerous pieces about him by E. E. Meredith (Do You Remember?) in the Fairmont Times, including December 11, 1937. See also Dennis Rasche, The Emperor's Kinsman, Tableland Trails 2 (3) (1958): 123-128.'
Acquisition Method:
Acquired
Medium:
print
Projects:
West Virginia History OnView