Jerome of Sandy Cove
Old Sandy Cove, Nova Scotia Postcard One of the biggest mysteries of the area is the story of Jerome who was found abandoned on the shore at Sandy Cove. Still today many people try to explain who he was and where he came from. It all started back in 1864 when a foreign ship was spotted off Digby Neck. Many people noticed the ship as it sailed along the coast and then anchored a few hundred feet off shore. They remember noticing it because it was unlike any ship they had ever seen before. As they watched they never seen anyone attempt to leave the ship or anything that would tell them what the ship was doing there. They watched until it became too dark to see it any more with still no idea why it was there. The next morning when the people woke and looked out the ship was gone, so they shrugged it off and forgot about it. That was until one man; Martin Albright who lived close to the shore looked out his window later that morning to see something on the shore. He thought at first it was a seal, but it did not quite look like one. He watched it for awhile trying to make out what it was, and finally decided to go and investigate it. What he found took him back as he drew closer. There was a man whose legs had been amputated just below the knees lying on the beach by a big rock. The man was well dressed in the best clothes, but any identifying marks had been removed from the clothes. The only thing found with him was a bottle of water and some bread. When asked who he was the only word the man ever spoke sounded something like Jerome, which is what he became known as. There was nothing found to indicate where Jerome had come from or why he was left abandoned on the shore. His clothes indicated he came from well-to-do. The operation on his legs seemed to have been professionally done and not too long before. It was concluded that he must have been left behind off the ship that was noticed the day before. However even though several had noticed the ship, no one remembered seeing a name on it or any indication of where it had come from. Although Jerome never spoke over the years he did seem to easily understand English, French, and Italian among other languages. Jerome lived with the Albrights for several years and then with different families. He was eventually taken from Sandy Cove across the bay to Metagan to live with a local family there. Then he went to St. Alphonse de Clare. He was a moody fellow who would sometimes refuse to eat or do anything asked of him. He did seem to favour the Albright’s 10 year old daughter and would brighten up whenever she came near him. He would show gratitude for acts of kindness toward him. He could feed himself and showed signs of a good up bringing. He would however become very upset whenever someone would rattle a chain.
He spent 48 years in these locations and never slipped any information as to who he was or why he was left behind. The only clues came when he was caught off guard once when asked where he came from and he answered what sounded like Trieste. Another time he surprised the ones taking care of him by saying the name of a ship. It sounded like “The Colombo” but no one thought to check this information out. Only once was there any clues when two ladies came to visit him dressed in very find attire. They took him into another room where they privately talked to him in an unknown language. This only proved to add to the theory that Jerome was of noble blood and the visitors had come to see how he was making out in his exile. Jerome died just as he had arrived in total silence in 1912.
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