I guess being human nature to us anyone who is so different from the norm stirs our curiosity. We all know someone who is different from normal. The Goatman was one of these characters who caught the public attention during his travels across America. He boasted that he had traveled 100,000 miles and visited 49 states all but Hawaii . He also traveled into Canada. He probably would have notched Hawaii if his goats could've walked on water! He sold postcards with his picture and his goats on it, he excepted donations from the public anything they wanted to give him and his goats. It was said that he was wealthy but records after his death doesn't support those claims.
He was like a migrating bird, in the summer he went North and in winter he went South. His love of his goats was unquestionable. He had one goat born without front legs and it hopped around like a kangaroo. Goatman was small in statue, 5 feet 5 inches , a long dirty gray beard and wore clothes made of goatskins, what else?? Near my home there is a mountain and atop sets a city called Monteagle, Tennessee. In my research the author called this Mount Eagles. A heavy snowstorm had shut down traffic up the steep mountain grade, no cars or trucks were able to get up the mountain. The only traffic to scale the slope was Goatman and his goats and wagon. He said that once atop the mountain he almost froze to death, so he put some extra goats in his wagon to sleep with that night and survived.
Most people during his travels were kind to him and his goats but there were others who harmed him and his goats. His beloved goat,Billy Blue Horns was shot one night with an arrow and died. He claimed this goat was by his side for 30 years. Another night on Signal Mountain in Tennessee some thugs beat him up and left him unconscious and cut the throats of 6 of his goats. This was the straw that broke his resolve, it was time to retire from the road, after all he had traveled for 40 years. After he recovered from his brutal attack he retired to Jefferson. Georgia on some property he owned. He lived in an old rusty school bus without running water or electricity.
WAIT!!! you thought his travels had come to an end, NOT! AT AGE 85 THE OLD MAN HAD BECOME OBSESSED WITH THE ACTRESS, Morgan Fairchild. Another thing we had in common, years ago I thought Morgan Fairchild was a FOX!! He told everybody that he was going to hitch hike from Georgia to California to court and marry Miss Fairchild. With a backpack the old man set out on one final quest. We don't know how long his trip of about 3,000 miles hitch hiking took but he did make his destination of Los Angles, California. Once there he was mugged and beaten and hospitalized. He never got his chance to court Miss Fairchild. He later spent his last days in a nursing home in Georgia at which time he received word that his son Albert had been shot and killed and unto this day that murder remains unsolved. It was said that Albert was a character in himself.
The Goatman was seen walking with an older nurse hand in hand prior to his death. Natural death came to one of America's most amazing legends at age 98. Just think if he hadn't breathed all that toxic black smoke from burning those car tires he might be alive today!!!
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that was sad but lovely, sad that he didn't get to meet the lady! Have you Nick?? :o) hugs from me xxx
ReplyDeletewow!!
ReplyDeleteThe tears are rolling down, but this tale is one of the very best! Thank you, Nick for sharing with us. I enjoyed immensely. Hugs.
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