The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-04-26

perniciOus an example might not be re-
peated in this land of steady habits. L. s.
Willie, young lawyer from Virginia, then
residing at Forest City, appeared for the
prisoner, and A. G.. Smith as counsel.
The plea of not guilty was interposed,
and the legal evidence to prove the neces-
sary fact could not easily be Obtained and
was left in doubt, and The court, after TAX
lug the case under aCvisement, finally ruled
that the right of females to wear the pants
had been recognized from The time of JUS
tinian, and that the doctrine was too we'll
settled to be upset in the case at bar, and
Mrs. Slater was therefore discharged.
This dencuemeut had the effect to dis
credit her in the settlement, subjecting her
to insult from the vicious on every hand.
She became deranged pending he proceed
ings, and, as it were, an outcasL in society
an object of cOmmiseration and sympa-
thy, and soon thereafter public charge.
On recovering from the mental shock, she
expressed a willingness to return to her
family and friends, but had no means save
her rifle, and nobody in the settlement was
able to purchase that.
Mrs. Slater was finally sent home at the
expense of Meeker county, under the di-
rection of Captain A. ID. Pierce, then of
Manannah.
Soon thereafter Captain Pierce received
letter from Mrs. Slater'S parents, thank
ing him aud the county most heartily for
their kindness in returning her to her
friends.
In 1859 she again appeared on her old
stamping ground, ''the basket" and still
in female attire.
She would at times recount her ex-
perience in the forest and asserted that in
the eight years she had killed one hundred
and fifty deer, eleven bears, and numerous
wildcats and foxes, besides trapping hun
dreGs of mink and other fur bearing ami
mails. She had hand to hand contests
with both wounded deer and bear, as ugly
seams and scars upOn her body amply tes-
tilted. For two or three years after her
return she led 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, Penn
Sylvania, named David FoTtmaD, and
given a home at his house
In the spring of 1865 young woman
was let off an Erie railway passenger train
at Basket station, or Long Eddy. She
coulo not pay her fare any further, and
said she had no particular point 10 which
she was going. She gave her name as
Mrs. Wilson, aud said she had been desert
tI Dy hel husband AT Jersey Olty. ~Hel c
she had been living for some mouths. 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 aud married James Wilson, her
parents having opposed the mach. The
station agent and others at Basket station
kindly offered to make up purse for the
unfortunate woman, and send her back to
her parents, but she declined tie offer,
saying she was ashamed to meer them, and
did uot wish them to know of her where
abouts. She was in feeble health, and
fearing that she might become a burden on
strangers, she went to Delhi and entered
the poor house.
Lucy Ann Slater was still an inmate of
the almhoBse, and a singular attachment
sprang up between her and the newcomer,
MIS-, Wilson, probably owing 60 the sim
ilarity of the causes which had forced them
to become paupers. The following year
both of them left the county house, aud
nothing was heard of either Of them for
two years.
In the summer of 1868 party of fisher
men discovered two strange persons living
in cave in Barrett township, Monroe
county, Pa. They were a man and a wo-
hIdus aopO'i lHtIG dfpfdIeu III one OF lne
villages tall, gaunt man, carrying a rifle
and leading a half grown bear cub by a
string tied about his neck. The man was
bearhea1ed, aud his clothing was torn and
dirty. Accompanying him was a woman
about % years Of age, shabbily eSsed.
but giving evidence of more inteIliyepce
than tue man, who called himself the Rev.
Joseph Lobdell, and said that the woman
was his wife. AS they walked about the
oil
sermons, " declaring that he was prophet
of the new dispensaticn, and that the bear
had been sent him by the Lord TO guard
him in the wilderness. For two years these
vagrants wandered about that portion of
the country, living in caves and subsisting
on roots. berries, and game killed by :he
man. AT last they we've arrested and
lodged in jail at Stroudsburg, where they
we're kept several weeks. While in Jail
the discovery was made that they 5elon Q ed
to- Delaware county, New York, and thit her
they were sent. This pretended man and
wife were Lucy Ann Slater and Mrs Will
son. who had been leading this vagabohd
life for four years.
In the meantime Mary Aun Slater, the
daughter of Lucy Ann, who bad been taken
from the Delhi almshouse in 1859 or 1860
had found an excellent home. and had
grown up to be an intelligent and attract
i've young woman. y young man named
Stone lived near by with mis- widowed
mother whom he supported. He loved
Mary Ann, and being \ worthy and prom
ising youth, the foster father of the girl
saw no reason to oppose match between
her and the widows son.
The widow, however, was so strongly set
against the son marrying the young lady
thai he whole neighborhood wondered. A
number Of yoCrg men in the neighhorhoud
were jealous of Stone, and one dark night
they way laid Mary Ann. The outrage
drove her almost insane, but Stones affec-
tion was uudiminished. He stiIl pressed
his claim for her hand. At length, when
their marriage seemed certain, Mrs Stone
revealed a state Of affairs which full, ac-
counted for her opposition. She told her
son that she was not a widow. and that
Henry Slater was his father as well as the
father of Mary Ann.
Lucy Ann Slafer and Mrs. Wilson again
left the Delhi poorhouse. and have ever
since been living in caves and cabins in the
w0uds. The former is at times entirely
deranged All last winter they lived i'm a
cave ten miles from Honesdale, but they
divide their time between Monroe county