Terrebonne County Louisiana Archives News.....The Hermit of Terrebonne December 19, 1891
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The Thibodaux Sentinel December 19, 1891
Jean Baptiste Dugas, the subject of this brief sketch, was born in a small farm 
house, four miles above Thibodaux, parish of Lafourche, in the year 1812. At the 
age of nineteen he moved to Terrebonne and, engaging in farming; he soon 
acquired considerable property, and while on the road to prosperity, he 
partially lost his reason. The real cause of his insanity is still unknown, but 
it is said that it was brought about by the fickleness of his lady love–a young 
and handsome creole girl of this parish, who jilted him almost at the altar in 
order to marry his rival. It was a sad blow to his brave and sensitive heart, 
and he became despondent to a degree bordering on insanity. On the day that his 
fiance walked to the altar to become the wife of his rival, Dugas swore that 
never more would he live in a world where his dearest hopes had been ruined and 
shattered to atoms by the faithlessness of a woman whom he loved and trusted. He 
was true to his word. He built himself a hut in a dense strip of trees and 
briars, and wild flowers, and there he has remained in solitude for the past 
fifty years. 

Though of an unbalanced mind, the characteristic life of this lonely hermit is 
exceedingly interesting. His wearing apparel at all seasons of the year 
consisted of a common gray blanket thrown loosely around his body, and although 
he owned a trunk full of clothing, he could never be persuaded to exchange them 
for his blanket. His bed consisted of gray moss heaped up in a corner of his 
hut.

In the early days of his retirement into the woods, his food consisted of 
snakes, wild hog, rats, etc.

This manner of living continued until persuaded by the administrators of his 
estate to use more palatable food. Of the meats brought to him, he always 
reserved a portion to be distributed among the small insects which inhabited his 
hut, even going so far as to place syrup in oyster shells to feed the ants, and 
he allowed no one to injure or kill his little pets.

Two years ago his house was destroyed by fire, and another of similar dimensions 
and of the same primitive style of architecture was built by neighbors.

He paid very little attention to the mosquitoes which, during the summer, 
swarmed around his little home like dark clouds on a rainy day.

To his visitors he invariably and sadly pointed to “old grandfather’s clock” on 
the rough mantle piece. It was the only ornament in his home, but it no longer 
kept the record of time, nor of the years of its master’s unhappiness and 
misery.

The presence of visitors and their conversation was always annoying to him, and 
his answers to all questions were curt and short. Children, however, were always 
given a kindly welcome. He frequently joined them in craw-fish parties. Unless 
aggravated by others, he was as harmless as a child, but, when angry, he was 
dangerous, as he was supposed to have at all times a hunting knife concealed in 
the folds of his blanket to be used in case of necessity as a weapon of defense.

He had ingeniously constructed a press for the purpose of extracting the juice 
out of his favorite Creole cane. His little cane mill was simplicity itself, but 
it answered the purpose for which it was designed. 

His daily walks were confined strictly to the limits of his valuable property, 
and no one remembers of ever having seen him go a step beyond except once, many 
years ago, when he was taken before the District Court in Houma to answer the 
charge of having attempted to demolish the Catholic Church on Lower Terrebonne. 
At the trial it was shown that Dugas having donated the site for the church 
objected to dancing at a fair given for the purpose of raising sufficient funds 
to complete the building, saying to those who arrested him while in the act of 
tearing down the edifice, that the place was intended for a house of worship, 
and not for the purpose of amusements. He was acquitted.

He was a descendant of the original Acadians who came to Louisiana years ago to 
avoid the persecutions of English tyranny.

On Wednesday, November 18th, 1891, all that was mortal of Jean Baptiste Dugas 
passed away. At his death-bed stood many of his relatives and friends. He died 
at the ripe old age of 79 years. 

His estate is valued at four thousand dollars and will be distributed among his 
legal heirs.

Thus ended the career of the “wild man of Terrebonne.” –Houma Courier.

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