The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-09-07
4 STRANGE STORY.

woman was eighteen or nineteen years of
age, and quite handsome. The man was
tail and guaut. and at times acted as if he
were insane. They lived there in all ject pow
erty for some time, having no visible means
of support, but roaming about the country
and eating where and what they could, and
sleeping in barns.
At last they became a nuisance. and were
twice arrested and lodged in Stroudsburg
Jail. While thus confined, in the early part
of the month, a letter came to a neigh bor-
ing post Office, addressed to Lucy Ann Lob
dell and marked Long Eddy, n. Y" This
with other suspicious circumstances led the
authorities to believe that JOSEPH Israel Lob
dell was not man, aud investigation proved
That he was of the other SEX aud had sue
cessfully concealed the fact for nearly four
years. The letter in question was from Bas-
ket Station, n. Y, and stated that Lucy
Ann hobde'a mother needed her support,
and that she should come to her at orcc.
When the true sex of the woman was ascer-
tained, the ''wife' stated that her name was
Ada Perry, and that she was the daughter
of Daniel Perry. Of South Abingdon, Ply
mouth county, Massachusetts,. On learning
these facts, the futhoritits Cf Monroe coua-
ty decided to take the women to Basket Sta
ton and learn more about them. The two
at first refused to go. but were finally induced
10 accompany the officer, Joe" being fur
nishcd with womau's clothing.
On arriving at Basket Station, last week,
the officers were directed to the residence of
old Mr.. Lobdeil, but they failed to get rid Of
their charge there, as the old people we're
helpless, living by charity. and Lucy refused
TO stay with them. The women were con-
sequently brought back to the station, where
it was ascertained that they were runaway
paupers from the Delaware county poor
house at Delhi. whittier they were taken
The histories Of these two women are very
strange.
About five years ago. there was put off
train one night, at this station, a girl Of
about seventeen years of age who gave her
name to the depot agent as Ada Perry. She
was very handsome, but rather scantily
dressed. Her story was that she had ran
away from her home in Massachusetts, few
months before. accompanied 10y man with
whom she had since been living in jersey
City. The night before her arrival at Basket
Station this man had deserted her, and she
had reason to think he had gone away with
another girl to Buffalo. She was following
him, when her money gave out. and the con
ductor would not allow her to ride any fur
ther. She refused to be sent back to her
parents, and placed herself u the poor house
at Delhi
In the poor house at that time was Lucv
Ann L1bdell, or rather Lucy Ann Slater, as
she had married a man by the name Of Slater
about six years before. She was thirty-two
years old when Ada Perry first met her, and
Notwithstanding the hard life she had led
was rather prepossessing in appearance. Be-
tween her and the young girl singular at
tachment arose, and after remaining III the
poor house about year and half the two
u.
heard of them until they were brought back
last week.
The history of Lucy Ann Lobdel is equally
singular. Twenty-one years ago she was a
young girl living with her parents al Basket
Station. which is a settlement mostly COM
posed of people engaged in lum mbering. She
was handsome, but possessed few, if any, of
the characteristics of her sex. Her tastes
were masculine, and she hunted, fished and
worked in the woods with the men, She
had offers of marriage from respectable lum-
hermen, but always refused. She finally
married Henry Slater, a worthless fellow,
from Hancock. For two years :hey lived
together, when lie deserted his wife, leaving
her with an infant two mouths old.
Soon after her husband left her she Gonned
mems apparel. and leaving her child in
charge of her parents, followed the wild life
of a hunter in the region, then a dense for
est, in the counties of Delaware and Sullivan
in this State, and Pike, Wayne and Susque-
hanna in Pennsylvania. For several years
she roamed the hills and valleys, aud wrote
in the meantime history of her life She
became known 10 the country as the "Fe-
male Hunter OF Long 4 ldy." In her his
tory" she recounted her adventures as n
hunter and trapper, and stated that in te-u
years she had killed five bears, a large nuns
ber Of deer, and much small game. and had
trapped many Of the fur-bearing animals cf
the region, including the mink, otter. and
foxes. In 1860 her mood suddenly changed
and she again assumed the garb Of her SIX
and sadd!ed herself upon the community.
begging from door to door, and finally be-
coming au inmate Of the aims house of Del
aware county. Here this singular person re-
mained until she and Ida Perry disappeared
together in 1867.
Mary Slater, the child that was born 20
Henry aGd Lucy Ann Slater, was taken out
of the poor house about the tine the moth
er applied for admittaUce. and was placed
in the family of Daniel Fortman, at Tyler
Hill, Wayne county, Pa. There she has
since lived, claiming no kith or friends but
the family of Mr. Fortman. On the night
of the 10th Of july last. she was forcibly
abducted from Mr.. Fortman's by a gang of
hNSN'' "hu' a'tol uSiilS CilOI OioIineI, was
thrown into the Delaware river to drown
She was rescued, however. by farmer lv>
ing near, but she again disappeared, and
was not heard from for four days. She had
lost her mind through the fearful events of
the night through which she had passed. and
had been wandering through the woods all
that time. The cause of her attempted mur-
der was her repeated rejection Of proposals
made to her by Thompson Keats. and suit
having been commenced against him for
slandeI and threats made against the girl, in
which she was to be the principal witness,
he had her abducted and thrown into the
river. AT least strong suspicious exist against
him, and he is now in Jail at Honesdale. Pa,
awaiting trial. The gill has not recovered
entirely from the shock and the consequences
OF her wanderings.-N I. Tribune, 25th.