Jerome of Sandy Cove

Jerome (also spelled Jérôme) (c. 1830s – April 15, 1912) was the name given to an unidentified man discovered on the beach of Sandy Cove, Nova Scotia, on September 8, 1863.

[1] Many people eager to know more about him visited his sick bed, and through this it was discovered that he could not (or did not want to) understand French, Latin, Italian, or Spanish.

The community continued trying to break his relative silence, Jerome was sent to stay with Jean Nicola, a Corsican deserter and speaker of several languages.

[2] After the death of Julitte Nicola, her husband returned to Europe and Jerome went to stay with Dedier and Zabeth Comeau in Saint Alphonse de Clare, near Meteghan.

The Comeaus used Jerome's relative fame to their advantage, charging admission fees to see the mystery man, living well on this and the government stipend.

Gamby proved to be a burden for the people of Chipman, and it was rumoured that a passing schooner captain was paid to transport him away.

The captain could possibly have just sailed to the opposite side of the bay to Nova Scotia, where he became Sandy Cove's problem.