The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1851-07-31
A Female Hermit.

scriPtive of tour to the sources l(ef tie
Potomac, aud is from the pen we pre-.
sumo, Of the well known correspondent
Of that journal, Charles LanmOn, Esqi
"Deligbted, however, aud deeply i'm
pressed as | have been by the scenery Of
this Alpine land. | have been far more in
terested in an oldlwOman. whom had
the pleasure of seeing. Her name is
Eieabeth Golding, or Goldis0p. and she
residesip a log cabin, entirely alone. d.
rectly at the foo: Of the gorge which has
taken her Dame. She Is Of German ori
gin and represents herself as one hundred
and iVelOe gears Of age. She was born.
according to her own words, within
two days ride Of Philadelphia, in Penn
sylvania." and her father was soldier Of
the Revolution under Washington, and
she herself was in the immediate vicinity
of the Americi n camp at the defeat of
Gen. Braddock, of which event she ha
bitually recounts great number Of thril
ling incidents, closing each paragraph
with the remark that the battle field was
wet, very wet, with blood. She has been
husband less and childless fornearly half
a century, aud for many years has. lived,
as nov, in the solitude of The mountains,
utterly alone. 81 Indeed, everything about
the old woman is peculiar and strange.
Ln,slature she is quite, small, aud her hair
| (Which is az, white as snpw) is very long;
when engaged in conversation, her coun.
tenance fires up exceedingly. and she ac
companies each sentence with the most
animatetlof gestures, her voice. though
still strong. is altogether beyond her con
troll having an unnatural tone; and the
wrinkles running entirely over her face
aud neck are as deep as we might imag
inc them 10 be after having been furrow.
ed by the tears Of even one heart for so
long time as a century. She was cloth
ed in the simplest manner, having upon
her head cap made Of common brown
cotton, frock Of blue homespun cloth.
and upon her feet nothing but wooen'
socks. During the whole time that we
were in her cabin she was smoking some
bitter weed in corn cob pipe. aud, tho
Ihaggard aud worn to marvellous degree.
she had pleasant smile, and when eth
er Of her guests happened toutter some
thing that was navel to her ear, she would
exclaim, Oh yes. that is wonderful Her
only means of subsistence. for years past,
had been obtained by making hickory
brooms, but even this business she had
been compelled to give up. for she could
no more climb the mountains to obtain
the proper material; aud, though she
seemed to be perfectly certain that she
would be provided for. she expressed
the greatest dread of the county aims
house, We inquired as to her appetite,
and she replied, oh. ] eat very little; |
never eat much, sometimes nothing in a
whole day. and never more than once a
day, and am well acquainted with hun
GER. As to her sleep. we also question
ed her. aud she said, That's what lroub-
les me most. | cannot sleep now; | am
so old, aud so lay on my bed all night
thinking ofrmy great, go0dc and saOeet
Faiherm the Heayens.'. We asked her
how she managed to obtain the necessa.
ries of life, and she said she did not know,
E only thar people who travelled on the road
sometimes stepped in to give her little
coffee or -four, her main stay being q
small garden of vegetables. the brush
fence around which had been built by
her own hands; and this garden was jus
exactly the neatest one that lever he
held! AS to her sight, Il was as good az
ever, aud she was unacquainted with the
: use of spectaces. We asked her how
much money she would want to suppnr
her year, and she, replied that ten doi
lars would take care of her a long time
more than year. As a matter of cuurse
nv companions and made up little
purse for her benefit; and when we gave
it to her, it seemed as if she would EN-
brace us in spite Of our disinclination.
: Indeed we made her number o
: iriAing presents, and she expressed he
: gratitude by weeping, and assuring u
. that her Father in the Heavens" woul'
, bless us and make us happy wherever W,
might go. Aud I can assure the :eade
: that the tears shed by that od'woman %
;, fpe, score yearSand ten were not the on
=, ones that sprung int" the eyes on Iha
e occasion, albeit we were unused to weep
i ingoofn"a Ho.iSa"a'oryta "..
| q "ButI have not yet given the reade
: anidea .of the, home Of this lonely be
!, lug: in truth il battles description. He
{ nearest neighbor is some four miles of
a aha the only companions in her soIiIud
!. are a little dog and cat Her cabi
!, stands near the waters edge, ard direct
/ ly on the hill side; it is without window
but light in abundance comes in from tn
! gaping roof and sides of the black an'
=, mouldering log habitation, the Gimme.
-, ,whichlis of mud and sticks. and in a dl
- apidated condition. Her bedstead /
: made of small pine sticks, with the bari
"a still on, her couch consisting of hemloc
!, bouehs covered with straw, upon whlcI
, are two or three wretchedly worn bed
!, quilts. In one corner of the room ar
!, two or three shelves, where are display
! ed her cooking aud eating utensils, th
!, original cost Of which (and they were YER
" odd aud worn) couldnnt have been NOR
- than one dollar. An old stool answeIe'
!, the purpose Of chair, apL board nan ll
:, ed to the side Of the cabin is her only ia
], BILE; hanging from the logs at the side q
! her bed are two or three old g"wns,whic
IheIp TO keep out the air aud rain; she