Pirate or Nobleman?
From the moment he arrived in Nova Scotia, everyone around Jerome, including dozens of journalists from around the world and the hundreds of tourists who came to see him, wondered about his occupation. As you saw in the Aftermath section, many people attempted unsuccessfully to get Jerome to speak. In this section you will see that many have claimed to know the real reason why the mystery man’s legs had been amputated, and why he had been abandoned in such a cowardly fashion. Some hypotheses come up more frequently than others.
Most people believe that Jerome was a nobleman who had been involved in some sinister plot in Europe, and that to silence him his legs were cut off and he was exiled across the Atlantic. Many report that he wore fine clothes and that his hands were too delicate to be those of a simple fisherman.
Others believe Jerome was an officer in a European navy (and one of high rank, which would explain the fine clothes) and that he had lost his legs either as punishment for mutiny or as the result of an accident on board.
Finally, a few people have reflected that for a sailor to lose his legs aboard a ship, discipline on the ship must have been harsh indeed. Since nearly everyone believes that one or two foreign ships had dropped anchor in Sandy Cove the evening before Jerome was found, perhaps they were pirates.
But as you will see, those who remember Jerome have still other ideas.
Chapters in Books
Newspaper or Magazine Articles
- Blauveldt, "Jerome" The "Mystery Man" of Clare, The Vangard, December 7, 1966
- Mlle Francine Comeau, The Mystery of Jerome, Le Petit Courier, December 6, 1973
Oral History or Interview