Wilhelm Schimmel: The Wood Carver with a Bad Temper

Wilhelm Schimmel was a German-born itinerant who traipsed Pennsylvania’s Cumberland Valley doing odd jobs. In payment for food and sleeping quarters in the barns and lofts of local families, he carved and painted eagles and animal figures of various sizes. Those carvings now bring thousands of dollars at auctions. The Cumberland County Historical Society has one of the largest collections of Schimmel collections in the world and many of his most elaborate eagles are held in prestigious museums in the United States. He is now regarded as one of America’s premier folk artists.

Schimmel had a bad temper as well as a drinking problem, and it landed him in jail off and on during his life in Cumberland County. The following is the report of an incident in the spring of 1869 that resulted in a year in jail for Schimmel.

“A BOLD PIECE OF WORK—On last Friday afternoon, a Bummer by the name of Shimmel, entered the office of Delancy & Shrom (in Carlisle). Mr. Shrom and Mr. John Goodyear were the only persons in the office at the time or about the yard. Shimmel came in covered with mud and was going to sit down in Mr. Shrom’s chair when he was told to sit down on the bench, which he did. Mr. Shrom then started upstairs, Mr. Goodyear told Shimmel to go out. Mr. Shrom heard a scuffle and called down to Mr. Goodyear asking him if he wanted any help, thinking he was putting Shimmel out of the office. Mr. Goodyear replied, “no.” About that time (Shimmel) got the best of Mr. Goodyear, whom he compelled to leave the office. Mr. Shrom then started to come down stairs when he found the villain with a club in his hands breaking up the furniture and overturning the red hot stove. Messrs. Shrom and Goodyear then rallied, each seizing a club, and went at him with a will. After knocking him down two or three times, they succeeded in getting him out of the office and returned into it themselves, thinking the trouble was all over. In this however, they were disappointed, for no sooner did the scoundrel see John Hays, Delancy & Shrom’s carter, approaching the yard, than he made a bold attack upon him. Hays knocked him (Shimmel) down two or three times with his fist, but found him too powerful and withdrew to the office, Shimmel stoning him and the office both. The three men went at him with stones in their hands and soon subdued him. He then became perfectly docile, and about this time officer Sanno, who had been sent for, arrived and escorted him to jail.”¹

At the August 1869 term of court, Schimmel, charged with Assault with Intent to Kill and also Assault and Battery, pled guilty on the second count, Nolle Pro-sequi on the first count. He was sentenced to one year in jail, a fine of six cents plus costs.²