Hermit Found, Unaware Draft Status Now 4-F

DULUTH, MINN. (AP). — A young man found living the life of a hermit in Minnesota’s north woods apparently went into hiding after he was classified 1-A by his draft board but failed to learn he was later reclassified 4-F.

Duane Mortenson, 26, was taken to the county jail after deer hunters reported seeing a man with long, matted hair and a scraggly beard foraging for berries in the woods.

The man’s father, Elmer Mortenson, said at East Grand Forks, Minn., Wednesday that Duane disappeared after he was classified 1-A.

The FBI in Minneapolis said the youth later was reclassified. An FBI spokesman said the change meant the FBI had no further interest in the case.

According to Police Chief William Strait at East Grand Forks, Duane was called up by the Pennington County draft board in 1958 and was called for induction after taking a physical examination at Fargo, N. D. Then Duane disappeared.

He was brought out of the Pelican Lake country near Orr, 100 miles north of Duluth, last week. Officials said he had been seen at times for the past two years but that they feared for his safety during the coming winter.

Duane remained in jail at Duluth while officials completed a check on his identity. He is held on a technical charge of vagrancy, although he had $59 in his pockets.