Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1843-02-16
TIE WILD WOMAN.

II will perhaps be recol!ected, that about year
ana hall ago, the ST. Louis papers gave an ac-
ccut oil woman who had been discovered in tho
woods near that city, anos, naked and apparently
quite wild. It appears that she lived on in :his
manner until lately, when the severity Of the VIM
ter drove her to human habitaion, and there, be.
ing much exhausted for want Of food aud badly
frost bitten, she expired.
Previous to her death she became quite RATIONAL
and gave the following account Of herself, which
we condense from the ST. Louis Organ.
She was horn in New Jersey, whence with her
parents she had removed to Cincinnati, where
'hey lived until she grew up to woinanhood. A
young man whom her father did not like maid his
addresses to her and they elopcd for ST. LOUIS
At Louisville he persuaded her to take lodgings
WIN hin as his vile, promising TO go with her to
a clergyman and get married in the norning. He
eit her IN the morning 10 20 for minister and never
returned "A IL day she remained almost distracted
wnh tear for The safety Of her lover whom she
could not think had abandoned her, but finally
she learned that he had taken boat going down
the river in the morning. The shock TO her feel.
inss was so great that She tainted and fell in tho
street. She was taken up by some kindly dis
posed person who, as soon as she recovered, pad
her passage hack TO Cincinnati.
Her heart almost failed her as she approached
her home She cuuld see her Father residence
as the boat passed along up the river. and il was
hef Intention 10 go directly home, and throw her
sell upon the mercy of her father aud mother. and
, ~
preaching the door OF The dwelling, there appeared
TO be an unusual hustle in the house; on entering
u She saw her father lying dead upon the floor
Tho old man had heard which way she had uone
and took passage on the unfortunate steamboat
Moselle, which blew up at Cincinnati, and being
one OF the unfortunate sufferers the body had lust
been recovered and brought home. AS soon as
her mother saw her, "there," said she "tbere Is,
your murdered father" She ran from the house.
but not before her mothers curse was upon her
She says 1t rang In her ears for many long
day and night, as she wandered through The
WOODS.
Ii was then summer, and at times severe hun.
ger would induce her 10 90 near the hab,a,ons Of
'be people as she wandered along through the
country and a! one time she Slipped in and took
the hoercake from the fire., while the farmer'a
wife was gone TO the spring-at other times she
caught The lows from the fences, and deyoured
them raw How she lived SO long, SHE is unable
TO TELL but berries, nuts, fruits, and such came as
she was enabled TO catch, has been her food, and
tor TWO winters she lived in an old deserted cabin
on the bank OF the Missouri. She filled il nearly
i"ii OF dried leaves in the fall, and would creep
into them IN cold weather. Somebodv burnt
down the cabin last fall, with some little stores of
nuts and dried fruits she had laid up for winter.
since " hcli time she has been sleeping In a large
hoiiow tree. She says, cher clothing being al
most entirely gone. the cold was very severe and
thought would come to house and oct them
TO bury me. How have suffered no hu-
man tongue can tell, but had made I'D nv mind
TO DIE III the Wild woods and never again TO suffer
a human being to speak to me, but my resolution
failed, and am indebted TO the kindness of this
poor family for what little comfort they could AZ.
| ford me on my death bed"
! Ihis is the substance OF the story I, Seems
almost too highly wrought up to be true, but We
give II rs IT comes to us.-Pinsbtrg OronicLe.