The Mysterious Jerome of Sandy Cove

 The story of a mysterious legless man known as "Jerome", who came to Sandy Cove one day in 1863, is famous in Nova Scotia. He was found one morning, probably in September, sitting in front of a large rock by two fishermen on the beach of the Bay of Fundy. He suffered from cold and exposure. Within his reach were a box of biscuits, a loaf of bread and a jug of water. The most important thing is that both the legs of that person were missing and were cut off above the knees. Later inspection revealed that the dissection had been performed by a skilled surgeon and that the wounds, still fresh, had been properly bandaged. It was clear that a passing ship had left the stranger on the beach.

The dead man was taken to the Albright family home in the village of Digby Neck, where he was covered with a blanket and given a hot drink. It became clear that the young man could not speak or understand any of the languages spoken by the villagers, including English, French, Latin, Italian and Spanish. His only function was to growl at visitors, although he appeared to be fond of children.

The villagers began calling him "Jerome" because when he was first interrogated he muttered something that sounded like "Jerome", and so he became known by that name.

Jerome's presence at Sandy Cove became the subject of intense speculation, generating curiosity and whisperings among the townspeople as they grappled with the question of who Jerome was and the mysterious circumstances that brought him to their shores. Perhaps Jerome was a sailor who attempted mutiny and was punished by having his hands and legs cut off. However, his soft, callus-free hands suggested that Jerome was not used to physical labor. Another explanation put forward was that he was the heir to an estate and was rid of it to make way for someone else who wanted his inheritance.

After living with the Albrights for several weeks, Jerome was sent to another family, with whom he spent a few weeks before moving to the next house. In this way the entire village bore the expenses of feeding and clothing Jerome. Eventually, the predominantly Baptist community of Digby Neck decided from her appearance that she must be Catholic, and sent her to the neighboring French community of Meteghan, the home of Jean Nicola. The government of Nova Scotia also voted on a special stipend of two dollars per week to support Jerome. Jerome lived in Nicola's house for seven years.

After Juliette Nicola's death, her husband returned to Europe and Jérôme went to live with Dedier and Zébeth Comeau in Saint Alphonse de Clair, near Meteghan. Comius used Jerome's relative fame to his advantage, charging admission fees to see the mysterious man, making a good living on this and the government stipend. Jerome lived with Comius for more than forty years until his death on April 15, 1912. In the nearly fifty years he spent in Digby County, Jerome spoke little. He neither read nor wrote. When people came to meet him, he never looked at them. Most of the time he looked at the floor. When asked a question, he made strange babbling sounds to show his irritation. He was never seen making marks with pen or pencil, nor did he ever try to look at any book or anything to read. He refused to even look at the pictures. Jerome led a completely inactive life.

After his death, the story of this mysterious man became increasingly interwoven with legends and tales, as locals passed Jerome's story from generation to generation. Several books were written on the case, and a Canadian-born French film on Jerome was also released in 1994.

According to one theory, Jerome was an Italian who was employed by a lumber operator in the Chipman district of New Brunswick, on the other side of the Bay of Fundy. In 1859, four years before he mysteriously appeared at Sandy Cove in the middle of winter, the Italian was walking through the woods, possibly losing his way, when he fell among the logs of a mill pond. Wet and shivering, the Italian found shelter in a saw mill, where he slept. The next morning, he found his legs so badly frozen that the local surgeon found it necessary to immediately amputate both limbs above the knee.

When the Italian regained consciousness, he began yelling for his "gamba", which means "feet" in Italian. Thus he became known as "Gambie".

Gamby proved a burden to Chipman's men, and it was rumored that a passing schooner captain was paid to carry him. The captain may have gone to the opposite side of the bay in Nova Scotia and abandoned her on the beach at Sandy Cove. This story explaining Jerome's possible origins was featured in the 2008 book Jerome: Solving the Mystery of Nova Scotia's Silent Castaway, written by local historian Fraser Mooney Jr. But Mooney's views on this story have been criticized by some for perpetuating a story that has no basis. fact.

In any event, Nova Scotia proved to be a welcoming paradise for Jerome, who was ready to extend his hospitality and care to this fortunate soul of destiny. The residents of Digby Neck, and later Meteghan, genuinely cared for him, and Jerome remained quite relaxed until his death, if slightly depressed – possibly the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.

In 2000 the village of Meteghan placed a memorial plaque dedicated to Jerome over a false grave, as it is not known with any real certainty where the deceased is actually buried.