The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1881-06-23
A CAROLINA ROMANCE.


Her1nitess Until Found by Her Lover.
Asheville IN. CO. Correspondence of the Balti
mcFean.
A few months ago the following statemen,
appeared in the Ashyille Citizen, written
have Just returned from our annual visit tC
Miss Mary Burt, the hermitess of the
mountain, and as few persons ever saw OF
even heard of this strange woman, a short
sketch, enbodying all that is known of her,
may not be uninteresting to the readers.
About fifty years ago a prepossessing young
woman appeared suddenly in small noun
tain 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 a
lady, and have come here because it pleased
me to do so; other than this concerns no
one but myself" She had no baggage be-
yond few clothes tied up in handker-
chief, but was SO lady like in her appear
ance aud department that when she applied
for work at the house of we'll to- do farm
er, she was gladly received and treated in
all respects as m equal. She assisted the
farmers wife and daughters in the duties
of the family. Ten or fifteen years
passed and the mystery of her
appearance was gradually forgotten and
she seemed to have been one of the
family. About this time she was, after much
persuasion, induced to take charge of q
country school near by. and having de.
clined more than one good offer of marriage
was looked upon as permanent instit''-
ton. Suddenly, however, her whole chs.
acter seemed to change and she became
moody, melancholy and fond of solitude,
ov1 of{or foxp tooc hi,,r Ia
school. purchased section Of wild land
and had a rude log hut erected in one of
the lovliest spots in the mountains, but so
far off from all habitations that, particularly
in winter, she oftel passed weeks without
intercourse with any human being. A dog, a
cat, a few chickens and a COW. whose milk
supplies the place of tea or coffee, are the
only living things with whom she at such
times has any intercourse.
And now comes the solution of the mys-
terry, brought about by this very sketch in
the Asheville Citizen, which, being copied
into Vermont paper, fell into the hands
of wealthy gentleman of that state, who
Immediately went to Asheville, sought out
the editor of the Citizen, when the two in
company proceeded 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?"
II cannot say that do" she replied.
Selling her by both hands he exclaimed:
MARY Burt Howe, have you forgotten
Robert Fletcher"
Il have not" she replied, "but sup
posed you were either married or dead. "
Then the whole story was told to the
editor Of the Citizen: Fifty years ago Mary
Burt Howe was engaged to be married to
Robert Fletcher, but becoming jealous of
his fancied attachment to another girl sud-
denly left her home in Maine and went to
Boston, determined to make her own living
away from all who knew her. She got q
place as stewardess on board sailing ves-
sci, bound for Liverpool, but terrific
storm drove the ship out of her course and
wrecked her on the coast of North Carolina.
Mary was the only woman saved and after
many hardships landed from small boat
on Shepherds Point, tongue of land run
ming out into Beaufort harbor, to which the
shipwrecked crew were guided by fire
burning brightly. Here they found par
ty of trading Indians encamped, who treat
ed them with the utmost kindness. The
men of the party remaining but few days,
shipping as sailors in trading vessel bound
to the West Indies. They would have taken
Mary on board but she had such horror of
the sea that nothing could induce
her to trust herself again to it's
waves and she remained with the
Indians, who soon broke up their camp
and started for their mountain home, TAX
ing her along with them. Gradually her
mind recovered from the shock of the ship
wreck and she determined to get back to civ
ilation, 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 found herself
at the little mountain village where she
dwelt 80 long. Having traced her to the
vessel on which she embarked and heard
that it had been wrecked on the coast of
North Carolina Mr.. Fletcher mourned her
as dead, until he read the account, taken
from the Citizen, of Mary Burt living alone
in the mountains of thit state. Being q
rich man he Immediately started for Ashe-
Vile, found Mr.. Furmrn and as related,
his lost love. It did not take long to in
duce Miss Burt, or rather Howe, to return
with him to Vermont as his wife, but before
marrying she, at Mr. Fletcher's earnest re-
quest, executed deed of gift, by which
she transferred her beautiful mountain glen
to the editor of the Ashville Citizen, stip-
ulating that he should take care of her
faithful dog and cat as long as they lived
and 60 every summer to fish and hunt in
the wilds where she had so long rested
alone.