The “Demosthenes of America” from Northwest Ohio

As the newspapers wrote the story; “The Immortal JN Free is no longer immortal.” At 77 years, he climbed the golden staircase and passed into memory.
And what a memory it was. For Jacob Neuman Free, storyteller, poet, and wandering vagrant philosopher, lived an enigmatic existence until his death in Toledo in June of 1906. No doubt, one of Ohio's most colorful and puzzling characters, for he was not an ordinary person by any measure. His early life was spent in rural Wyandot County in the small town of McCutchenville.
His father was a preacher and both of his parents were said to be exceptionally intelligent. Young Jacob, was also quite brilliant. Learning to read the bible at four and fluent in numerous languages as a child. He possessed a quick mind but a restless soul. In the late 1840's, his move to California to make a fortune in the gold fields resulted in mixed success. Some folks say he managed to amass a good sum of cash and returned to Ohio only to lose it all to swindlers. True? It's hard to pin down, for the biographical road of J.N. Free is a slippery one. So was his sanity.
There are many theories as to why he became unhinged from reality. A childhood head injury is one, while another claims he “snapped” when he was a practicing attorney in Cincinnati. Still others insist it was love affair gone wrong in Tiffin that broke his heart, and his mind. The facts are foggy at best.
What we do know is that around 1858, at the age of 30, J.N. Free took to the road. Donning a long black suit and a crusade of “truth”, he rambled from town to town as the “Immortal J.N”. While some thought him a crazy clown, others saw him as America's Demosthenes, as his talents as an orator were formidable and persuasive. Audiences would gather to hear his lofty and eloquent message, although often vague and confusing.
He spoke of “taking the pressure off” or “lifting the veil.” No one really knew what that meant, but didn't seem to care. Saloons, meeting halls and hotel lobbies would fill up with eager listeners ready to absorb his pearls of rhetoric. Some hotels even provided him free lodging as his presence was good for business. Newspaper reporters would write stories of his meanderings. J.N. understood good press, and made it a point to become friendly with editors on his travels.
He was indeed a celebrity, but his fame far exceeded his bank account. He traveled without money, usually carrying only a few pebbles in his pockets which he would show to train conductors as they asked for his fare. After being kicked off so many trains, the railroads got tired of evicting him and just let him ride for free. On one occasion during the Civil War, he took a free train to Washington D.C. with the goal of speaking with President Lincoln about ending the war that he believed could happen if the leaders would just fight with words instead of guns.
Naive or genius or crazy? To the Immortal J.N., it was simple. In September of 1864, he called upon President Lincoln to convey that simple prescription for peace. Mr. Lincoln was said to have listened with patience and respect, but said little. Then, J.N. found his way south to Richmond to meet with the rebel president, Jefferson Davis. Being a Northerner, though, J.N. was greeted with hostility. Accounts differ, some say he actually did meet with Davis, other accounts say he was turned away quickly and forcibly put aboard a train back to Ohio. Regardless, this self-appointed envoy of peace from McCutchenville seemed to have little impact on the outcome of the war.
The Immortal J.N. was not deterred. After the war, he continued roaming the nation attempting to meet influential leaders to give them his garrulous insight on how things should be run. He was captivating and charismatic, full of sound and fury but signifying nothing as the saying goes. It was pure style over substance. His persona was striking and imposing as he entered a room. Six feet, six inches tall, 200 pounds, articulate and handsome. His crown of long flowing white hair cascaded upon the shoulders of his long black coat and many likened him to Buffalo Bill Cody in appearance.
But by 1906, the Immortal J.N. Free faced the cruel fate of frailty and age. His health and sanity betrayed him. At 77 years of age, he was committed to the insane asylum at Toledo State Hospital. Soon, the “Immortal J.N.” passed into memory.
His sister Ann, from McCutchenville, claimed his remains and took him home to be buried among other ordinary mortals at the local cemetery. Even in death, though, his celebrity was not ordinary. Hundreds gathered at the church on that hot July morning to bid a fond farewell to Jacob Neuman Free. He packed the aisles once more.
A mortal man was he, but in story and legend he may have indeed been immortal.