Hermit receives $180K from Palantir CEO so he can rebuild burnt cabin

• David Lidstone, an 81-year-old off-the-grid hermit in New Hampshire, has been living in a cabin in the woods along a river for about three decades.
• He was sent to prison last month for refusing to leave the land, and his cabin burned down during the property dispute.
• Last week, “River Dave” received a personal check amounting to $180K from Palantir CEO Alex Karp, who wanted to help him start over.

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David Lidstone has been living in a cabin in the woods for almost three decades. The hermit, known as “River Dave,” was imprisoned in July over allegations that he squatted for 27 years on property owned by Leonard Giles of Vermont.

The undeveloped property has been owned by the same family since 1963. David said that the prior owner in the family allowed him to live there, but he had nothing in writing. Later, he disputed that he was even on the property.

Earlier this month, his cabin along the river burned to the ground — and local authorities are still investigating the cause of the blaze.

When Alex Karp, billionaire founder and CEO of data analytics firm Palantir, heard of the news, he cut a personal check amounting to $180,000 so that David can start over and rebuild his cabin, albeit in a new location.

Karp reportedly has a home in New Hampshire’s Grafton County, but the new location of David’s house is being kept secret for privacy reasons.

Jodie Gedeon, a friend of David, shared the story in a Facebook post. The Concord Monitor also reported on the donation, which was confirmed by Palantir spokesperson Lisa Gordon.

David told the Monitor: “How can I express myself and my gratitude towards something like that? I start to tear up whenever I think about it. For an old logger who always had to work, for anyone to give you that type of money, it’s incredibly difficult for me to get my head around.”

Since David’s new house cannot be built until spring, he will be staying in a temporary house for the winter. The donation is now in “a trust for Dave and it’s going to be utilized to build him a new home,” said Jodie.

David acknowledged that he may not be able to return to his former off-the-grid hermit life after recent events had thrown him into the spotlight.

David told The Associated Press. “I don’t see how I can go back to being a hermit because society is not going to allow it.”

He shared how he grew up without receiving any physical affection, drifted apart from his family, and never loved anyone before, which is why the hermit life suited him.

“Maybe the things I’ve been trying to avoid are the things that I really need in life,” he said. “Now I can see love being expressed that I never had before.”

Source: FOX Business