Jerome of Sandy Cove
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Jerome (also spelled Jérôme) (c. 1830s – April 15, 1912) was the name given to an unidentified man discovered on the beach of Sandy Cove, Digby, Nova Scotia, on September 8, 1863.[1] He was found with both legs cut off to stumps, and when questioned by locals he said very little, suggesting he did not speak English or French. When asked for his name he mumbled something that resembled "Jerome", and so that was what he became known as.
He was found by an 8-year-old boy named George Colin "Collie" Albright, and brought to the Albright home in the village of Digby Neck to be nursed back to health. Both of Jerome's legs had been amputated just above the knees, with evidence that it had been done by a skilled surgeon. The stumps were only partially healed and still bandaged when he was found. He was also suffering from cold and exposure.[1]
Many people eager to know more about him visited his sick bed, and through this it was discovered that he could not (or did not want to) understand French, Latin, Italian, or Spanish. He apparently shunned the attention of these curious onlookers, growling like a dog at unwanted guests.[2] The man's hands were noted as being too soft for him to be a manual labourer, and he was described as being Mediterranean in appearance.[2]
The Albrights struggled to support another mouth to feed, and Jerome was passed from house to house for a while until the mainly Baptist community of Digby Neck decided from his appearance that he must be a Catholic, and sent him to the neighbouring French community of Meteghan. The government of Nova Scotia also voted a special stipend of two dollars a week to support Jerome. The community continued trying to break his relative silence, Jerome was sent to stay with Jean Nicola, a Corsican deserter and speaker of several languages. Nicola could not get him to talk, but Jerome stayed in the Nicola home for seven more years, becoming a favourite of the ladies of the household – Jean's wife Julitte and his stepdaughter Madeleine.[2]
After the death of Julitte Nicola, her husband returned to Europe and Jerome went to stay with Dedier and Zabeth Comeau in Saint Alphonse de Clare, near Meteghan. The Comeaus used Jerome's relative fame to their advantage, charging admission fees to see the mystery man, living well on this and the government stipend. But Jerome did not seem to mind, and stayed there until his death on April 15, 1912.[2]