The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-10-21
CRAZY CELIA-A LOCAL ROnANcE,

n Wild Woman of the woOds-Sbe
aries the Skelesen OF Her Babe
A kOmance I'm Huron
From the Huron County C. W News. Sent. d.
Many years ago, in the Dominion OF
Canada, lived family of WeI-to-do French
people, who immigrated hlther in The wear
1888. A fair young flower was the dark
eyed Celia, and her three sturdy brothers
were Jealous OF the man who might in fu-
ture years secure the budding rose full
blown, and break the chain of haDpv
hearts aroand the social hearth. Time
passed. The wal and its rewards had
called the brothers from their home:
the father. ailured by the rewards
which smuggling presentsd at the time,
and which was engaged in 10 such an ez-
tent on the lake shore In HE years 1861
62, had turned his honest fish boat into a
dark-salied smuggling craft. Celia, fat
tered by the cOmmoners and recognized by
the "~seiect" on account of her grace and
beauty, all unconscious Of the laTless
father and the fate Of the three warrior
brothers, laughed on, al needless of what
was In store ior her-becOming vain, care
less, n fond of dress. Vanity is ALWAYS
the thin ice of destruction. and in CeIia's
case 1t was no exception. The spoiler was
on the watch. He recited to the daughter
the story of her fathers crimes, her BROTH
-ers,death in southern prisons, and ended
with the fairest proposals. of marriage. In
her despondency, caused by these horrid
revelations, the girl Celia accepted the
proposals of her destroyer IN the reckless
ness of her despair. Shortly after one OF
her brothers returned from the war alive
and well es ever and through his instru.
mentality the real character Of the villaia
49,, Z.-.--L
ter. Knowing the disgrace and degrade
ton into which she had fallen her reason
began gradually to fail her, and in q short
time she disappeared from the neighbor-
hood, going n ons knew whittier. Dur
ing the fall of 1866, some two years after
the disappearance Of the F~renehmsn's
daughter, two hunters from the township
of White Rock discoveredin avid and IN
tenantedforest the footprints of a human
being, barefooted and alone
Their curiosity was at ones aroused, and
by the aid of dogs, after q chase of eigh-
teen hours they succeeded in obtaining a
view of tie object OF their pursuit. Near.
er they approached, the form becoming
more palpable at every step, when the OBJ
ject hearing the approach turned full upon
them il all its horrid semblanees of the
humanity it was not. Revolving and bid.
eOus as vas its appearance, the hunters
recognized through all the gboul-like as
poets the person of a fearful lanatic ! The
dark, wild, insane eyes; the matted and
tangled hair; the shreds Of filthy covering.
the Scared and fostering skeleton form,
all told of reason lost, Of a life wrecked,
of q soul which had persisted. With
a scream Wild and unealthly she gathered
a bundle from The ground and dis.
.~2lAral -THh 49,.
The pecple of the neiehborhood were
aroused; the excitement ran high, anc
long into the early part of winter hunting
parties we're securing the woods in searef
OF the lCnstic woman. At last she wa
captured, just over ihe line, IN Sanila,
county. aud &ksn TO the common jail
People gathered In crowds 20 see TIM
strange pnenomencn TIE bundle whieI
she was always seen 10 be carrying Will,
on her flights in The forest was opened x
the public gaze. and there. Oh horror o
horTorst-lty Tie skull and skeleton of al
infant-her babe, which she carried
through ali her tecious marches by nigh
and 10y day fr two long years or more
She was an inmate Of the Jail during tn
whole of the whites and the .followiug
GUNNER.
= The orly sci sics vhieh he rendered q
b tme was knilting, aVE deh she vas 81
exueft- Fhsre are manyyetE who r~ecollec
fbe"oic crsZs vomsn," and but lew whS
saw her will believe Us when We state tina
her sge, instead Of bsing from fifty t.
sixty, as it reslly seemed, was less tina,
thirty years At times she would numb,
over a list Of names, which the jailer woul(
hurriedIy ;aSedOEn as nearly as possible
in their jumbied state, and then inquir,
would be instituted and letters written t
ali parts, but to no purpose. Her nam.
and history remained a sealed volume
The following sutumn,- however, .sht
took advantage Of the liberty al
lowed her wandering away, ant
was never heard of more Following som,
ioAs tdaeus of her unsettled brain, sh
died, perhaps alone. unknown, with onl
the wild beasts to listen TO her expirin'
cries. And this was Celia. The lost lin
IN this chain OF circumstances was only dis
covered q short time EiDce, and tine write
of this article jsone OF the three only VIII
knew the real facts. There may be som
light errors Ii the dates above given: but
false name has given the subject, and tn
picture may be slightly eolored. but in tn
main the details are correct, and the state
mentE iacts. The brother above alluded {
rs yet olive, an orphan. sullen IL his des
perate purpose of Ereaking bis vengeance
and the tragedy may be but half told.