Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1851-07-24
THR HERMIT WOMAN OF THE ALE.
GUEHIRH.

The sutjonsd Interesting sko,ci, ors mos
singular woman 10 furnished the National
in,elligencer BY correspondent, ~hs ha,
recently explored tho source Of the Poniac
Iiver: q, '..
Delighted. howsvar, and deeply Impress
ed. as have been, by iho scenery Of this
Alpine land. have been far more inlerrs
,cd in On old woman, whUn have had the
pleasure OF seeing. Her name is Elizabeth
6odine, or Goldi1on. She resides in a log
cabin entirely alone. directly a. tbs
foot Of the gorge which has takon her
name. She is oil German origin, and rep.
rssenn herself as one hundred and twelve
years OF age. Che was born, according to
her own words, within TWO days ride oil
Phiiadelphia, and her father was a soldier
in,ho revolution under Washington. and
she herself was in the immediate vicinity oi
the American camp a, tho defea. Of Gen.
Braddock, Of which even, she ha5iiualy re-
counts grcas number OF interesting and
thrilling incidens, closing each paragraph
%ih the remark, lha, the battlefield was wet
very we,--wli blood. She has been hus.
handlosS and chIdless for nearly 8 half
century, and for many years has lived, as
now, In the solilu e Of the mountains, VI.
'srly alona. Indeed, everything abou, the
old woman is peculiar and strange. In STAT
ure she Is quito small, and her hair (which
10 white as snow is very long When en-.
gagged In conversation, her countcnance fires
up exceedingly, and she accompanies each
sentence with the most animated gestures.
Her voice, though still strong, is altogether
beyond her control, having an unnatural
tone and the wrinkles, running entirely
over her face and neck, are as deep as we
might imagine them To be after having been
surrowed bv tho ,cars Of even one heart for
70 long . lime as n century. She was
clothed in tho Aimplest manner, having up.
on her head cap made OF common brown
,coron, a. frock Of blue home-spun cloth.
and on her feet nothing bu, wollen socks.
During the whole lime that we were in her
cabin she was smoking some bitter weed in
q corn cob pipe, and though hsggard and
worn TO marvellous degree she had a
pleasant smile; and when either Of her
guests happened to ut,cr something that was
novel TO her she would cxclairn, oh, yes
tina. Is wonderful Her only means of
subsistence for years past had been oblained
by making hickory brooms bu, even this
business she had been compelled TO give up
for she could no moro climb the mountains
70 obtain the proper material; and though
che seemed TO be perfectly certain that she
would bo provided for. she expressed the
greatest dread Of the county amshouse.
We enquired as TO her appetite and sho re.
Piled. Oh, eat very liulo; never ea,
much---some,imes nothing in whole day
and never more than once day. and am
well acquainted with hunger AS to her
sleep we also questioned her, and she said
ftha,'s what troubles me most; canno,
i, sleep now--l aln so old and 80 lay on
my,bcd oil night thinking Of my great. good
GHd aceet Father in he Hcdosnsp We
asked her how che managed 10 obtain the
necessities Of life, aud she said she did not
know, only .ha, the people who travelled
the road sometimes stopped In TO give her q
lii,le coffee or -four, her main stay being o.
small garden Of vegetables, The brush fence
around which had been bull, by. her own
hands and this garden was just exactly the
nea,esi one the, ever beheld. AS 10 her
Gghs, II was as good as ever. and she was
rnac9ua'rte5 With the use OF spec,scies---