Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1876-08-03
A Life In The Woods.
The Story Of ono to whom Nature was Kinder
than Nan

to punish, is only one of many such IN
stances, but has in IL an element of novel
| ty which gives it q more than common
interest. 1t is hard to decide OH what
ground the good people of Pennsylvania
condemn the unfortunate subject OF this
story to cell in the county Jail.
! About forty-tive years ago family
named Lobdell lived in Delaware county.
n. Y, at which Is now the village OF Long
Eddy on the Delaware river aud the Erie
Railway. The locality was very sparsely
settled then. LAUNDERING was the calling
of the people of the vicinity. The Lob
deils dwelt in cabin in the woods, where
a daughter, 10 whom they gave the name
| of Lucy Ann, was born. From the time
| this child was old enough to walk she was
great iavorte among the hardy wool
| choppers and raftsmen. They often took
| her oil to the logging camp and kept her
| days at time, aud she early became in.
ured to the hardsbips and privations of
| their lille. The lumbermer in tho>. days
We're all good hunters, and always carried
| their rifles with them. Before Lucy Ann
was eight years old, they had taught her
the Use OF the rifle, and she soon became
| as good shot As there was in the settle
| ment. Al The age OF twelve she could
outshoot any OF the men. and handled the
axe with the dexterity Of an old chopper
| Before she had reached the age OF sixteen
| she had killed several deer, and for her To
| 90 away into the forest alone and remain
! over night was not all uncommon thing.
| She once slew a panther on one OF her
| hunting exploits, and the skin of the aui-
| NAL is It'll in the possess sion ot "A former
| Sheriff OF Wayne county, Pennsylvania.
| In spite of her masculine tastes, Lucy
! Ann Lobdeli's name as "A girl and woman
was free from rrproach. aud she could
| have had her choice OF IA husband from the
best young men In that or the adjoining
| settlements But She had no inclination
TO marry and she rejected all offers.
A rattsman named Henry Slater came.
about the year 1850, to work at the Basket.
IA. the settlement was called. lie formed
the acquaintance OF Lucy Ann. and 10 the
surprise Of everybody. they were married.
1 Slater proved worthless husband. and
| neglect, Il aud abused his wife. \ year
| after they were married. Mrs. Slater gave
| birth To daughter. Before 1t Wa two
weeks old. Slater deserted the child and
| IL mother. leaving them IN destitute cir
cumstances. lie never returned. and no
one knows what became OF BIN.
The unhappy young wife went back To
| her par, nts, and TO work. Alter she had
for two years tried to get along by doing
"oiudn tdDOE viii Iooi suNttSN, sit
| aside the apparel OF her sex, donned mems
clothing, and taking her rifle, went into
the woods To earn living for herself and
child. For eight years she roaned the
forests OF sullivan and Delaware counties,
New York State aud Wayne aud Pike, in
Pennsyl ylyania. She had cabins in various
places, aud would return home not more
than once year, and only appeared In the
settlements and villages TO sell her game
and skins, and TO procure ammunition. On
one OF her visits to her child, when it was
about six years old, her parents complain
ed OF having its care on their hands She
took IL away and placed It in the aims
house AT Delhi. and returned to the woods.
During her long career as hunter, she
was exposed to fearful hardships aud per.
lis. In the severe winter of 1867. when
the snow was over four feet deep on the
level in the woods, and lasted tour months,
she never saw human face, nor heard
any voice hut her own. She was snow
| bound in one of her cabins in the depth of
| Sullivan county wilderness, where she had
fortunately stored the proceeds OF a fcw
weeks sccce>siul hunt.
In 1853, shattered physically aud mcnt-
| ally, She appeared at the Basket, and re-
| sumed womans clothing. She at times
would tell her experiences In the forest.
and asserted that in the eight years she
had killed $50 deer, eleven bears. numer-
Gus wildcats and foxes. besides trapping
| hundreds OF mink and other fur-bearing
animals. She had hand-to hand contests
| with both wounded deer and bear, As ugly
seams and scars upon her body amply ties.
| titled. For two or three years after her
| return. she led a mendicant sort of life
! through the valley, and finally entered the
| poorhouse at Delhi. to which she had sent
| her child several years previously. This
| child. however, had some time before been
taken out OF the institution by farmer of
Damascus township, Wayne county, Pa,
named David Fortman, and given home
| at his house.
In the sprirg of 1865 young woman
was let off an Erie railway passenger train
| at Basket station, or Long Eddy. She
| could not pay her fare any further, and
said she had no particular point to which
| she was going. Sh. gave her name as
Mrs. Wilson, and said she had been desert
ed by her husband at Jersey City, where
they had been living for some months. He
| was an employe of the Erie Railway Com
| pany, and had eloped with the daughter
| of the lady with whom they boarded. Mrs
| Wilson said that she was the daughter OF
highly respectable parents named Perry,
| of Lynn, Mass, and that she had run
away from home with and married James
| Wilson. her parents having opposed the
match. The station agent and others at
the Basket kindly offered to make up
purse for the unfortunate woman, and
send her back to her parents, but she de-
clined the offer, saying that she was
ashamed to meet them, and did not wish
them to know of her whereabouts. She
was in feeble health, aud, fearing that she
might become burden on strangers, she
went to Delhi and entered the poorhouse
| Lucy Ann Slater was still an inmate OF
the almshouse, and a singular attachment
spraDp up between her and the new conner,
! Mrs. Wilson, probably owing to the
| similarity of the causes which had forced
them to become paupers. The following
wear, both of them left the county house.
and nothing was heard OF either OF them
for two years. In the summer Of 1868,
party of fishermen discovered two strange
persons living in \ cave in Barrett town
shin, Monroe county, Pa They were a
man and woman. Soon thereafter there
appeared in one Of the villages tall,
xaunt man, carrying a rife aud leading
half-Srowu bear cub by string tied about
his neck. The man was bareheaded, and
his clothing was torn and dirty. Accom-
panvfpg him was q woman about twenty
6ve wears old, shabbiIy dressed, but CIV
ing evidence Of more intelligence than the
man, who called himself the Rev. Joseph
Lobdell, and said that the woman WAS his
wife. As they walked about the man de-
liyered noisy and meaningless ''sermons,
declaring that he was y prophet OF the
new dispensation, and that the bear had
been sent him by the Lord 70 guard him
in the wilderness. For two years these
yagrants wandered about that part Of tht
country, living In caves and subsiating on
roots, berries, and game killed BY the man