Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1843-02-11
The wild Woman.

q
ed in the woods near that city, almost naked
and apparently quite Wild 1t Iteppears that she
had lived in this manner until lately, when the
severity OF the winter drove her TO human ha.
want Of food and badly frost-bitten, she expi-
red 'sa .-' .'' d OBJ. a '. -a
Previous to her death she became quite ra-
tional, aud gave the following account Of her
self, which we condense from the ST. Louis Or
gan:
She wss born in New-Jersey, whence with
her parents she had removed to Cincinnati,
where they lived until she grew up to woman
hood. A young man whom her father did not
like paid his addresses to her, and they eloped
for ST. Louis. At Louisville he persuaded her
TO take lodgings with him as his wife, promi-
sing TO 60 with her to a clergyman and get
married in the morning. lie left her in the
morning to 90 for minister and never return
ed All day she remained almost distracted
with fear for the safety of her lover, whom she
could not think had abandoned her, but finally
the river in the morning. The shock of her
feelings was SO great that she tainted and fell
in the street. She was taken up by some
kindly disposed person who, as soon she re-
covered, paid her passage back to Cincinnati
Her heart almost failed her as she approach.
ed her home She could see her fathers resi-
dence as the boat passed along up the river and
it was her intention to go directly home, and
| throw herselfupon the mercy Of her father and
mother, and tell them how che had been decei-
we'd. On approaching the door Of the dwelling,
there appeared to be an unusual hustle in the
house, and on entering she saw her father ".
ing dead upon the floor. The old man had
heard which way she had gone, and took pas
sage on the unfortunate steamboat Mosele,
which blew up at Cincinnati, and being one of
the unfortunate sufferers, the body had just
been recovefed and brought home. As soon as
the mother saw her, There" said she, "there
is your murdered father" She ran from the
house, but not before her mothers curse was
upon her. She says it rang in her ears for ma
|
through the woods.
| 1t was then summer, and at times severe
hunger would induce her to 90 near the habi-
tations of the people, as she wandered along
through the country and at one time she slip
ped in and took the hoecake from the fire, while
the farmers wife was gone TO the spring at
other times she caught the fowls from the fence,
aud devoured them raw, How she lived 81
long, she is unable to tell but berries, nuts,
fruit, and such game as she was enabled to
catch, have been her fooi and for two winters
she lived in an old deserted cabin on the banks
of the Missouri. She filled it nearly tull o
dried leaves in the fall, and would creep into
them in cold weather. Somebody burnt down
the cabin last fall, with some little stores o
nuts and dried fruit she had laid up for the win
ter since which time she has been sleeping in
large hollow tree.
She says-"My clothing being almost en-.
tirely gone. the cold was very severe, and
thought would come To house and get them
to bury me. How have suffered no human
: tongue can tell, but had made up my mind to
die in the wild woods and never again suffer
human being to speak to me but my resou
ton failed, and am indebted to the kindness
of this poor family for what little comfort they
could afford me on my death-bed." - Puisburg
Chronicle.
[Remember that the villain who by perfdy
wrought all this ruin-the murderer of fathe
and daughter-is shielded from all punishment
and is, in the eye of the Law, an innocent an,
honorable man Who make such laws and re
sst their alteration i-Tribune.l
. ST PAu's CLOCK (IOu1ou "A writer il