The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1881-09-27
A Carolina Romance.

hoDerU M. furmhn: we nave just re-
turned from our annual visit to Miss
Mary Burt, the hermitess of the noun
tains, and as few persons ever saw or
even heard of this strange woman,
short sketch, embodying all that is
known of her, may not be uninterestipg
to our readers. About fifty years ago
prepossessing young woman appeared
suddenly in small mountain village, as
If she had dropped from the sky; who
she was or whence she came, no one
knew.
To all questions she replied simply:
MY name is Mary Burt, am lady,
and have come here because it pleased
me to do so other than this concerns
no one but myself,
She had no baggage beyond a few
clothes tied up in handkerchief, but
was so lady-like in her appearance and
department that when she applied for
work at the house of well-to.do farm
er, she was gladly received and treated
in all respects as an equal.
She assisted the farmers wife and
daughters in the duties of the family
Ten or fifteen years passed and the mys-
terry of her appearance was gradually for
gotten and she seemed to have been one
of the family. About this time she was,
after much persuasion, induced to take
charge of country school near by, and
having declined one good offer of mar
riage, was looked upon as permanent
institution.
Suddenly, however, her whole char
acter seemed to change and she became
moody, melancholy and fond of soli-
tude, and after few years. teaching,
gave up the school, purchased a section
of wild land and had rude log hut
erected in one of the loveliest spots in
the mountains, but so far off from all
habitations that, particularly in winter,
she often passed weeks without inter-
course with any human being.
A dog, cat, a few chickens and
cow, whose milk supplies the place of
tea ard coffee, are the only living things
with whom she at such times has any
intercourse.
And now comes the solution of the
mystery, brought about by this very
sketch in the Asheville Citizen, which,
being copied into Vermont paper, fell
into the hands of a wealthy gentleman
of that State, who Immediately went to
Asheville, sought out the editor of the
Citizen, when the two in company pro-
ceeded to the mountain home of Miss
Burt Entering her house, where she
was, as usual, alone, the stranger said:
"Mary, do you not know me ?''
" cannot say that 1 do" she repli-
ed.
" Selling her by both hands he ex-
claimed
" Mary Burt Howe, have you forgot
ten Robert Fletcher ?"
&c L have not not, " she replied, i" but 1
supposed you were either married or
dead.'
Then the whole story was told to the
editor of the Citisen: Fifty years ago
Mary Burt Howe was engaged to be
married to Robert Fletcher, but becom-
ing jealous of his fancied attachment to
another girl suddenly left her home in
Maine and went to Boston, determined
to make her own living away from all
who knew her. She got place as a
stewardess on board sailing vessel,
bound for Liverpool, but terrific storm
drove the ship out of her course and
wrecked her on the coast of North Caro-
lima. Mary was the only woman saved
and after many hardships landed from
small boat on Shepherds Point, a
tongue of land running out into Beau
fort harbor, to which the crew were
guided by a fire burning brightly. Here
they found a party of trading Indians
utmost kindness. The men of the party
remained but a few days, shipping as
sailors in trading vessel bound to the
West Indies. They would have taken
Mary on board, but she had such a hor-
ror of the sea that nothing could induce
her to trust herself again to its waves,
and she remained with the Indians, who
soon broke up their camp and started
for their mountain home, taking her
along with them. Gradually her mind
recovered from the shock of the ship
wreck and she determined to get back to
civilization, but not to return destitute
to her home, so, taking the few clothes
she had managed to save, she one night
left the Indian camp and the next day