Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1898-03-25
A PECULIAR WOMAN.
One of the Man-Hating Kind
Who is HBoSs" of the Balsam
Mountain.
Correspondence Knoxville Journal. J

hater applied to some woman,
but not many have had the
opportunity of seeing and talk
ing to one of these queer speci-
mems of humanity.
The writer a few days ago in
making trip through Western
North Carolina was travelling on
what is known as the Ducktown
branch of the Southern Rail
way, which runs from Ashevi,le
to Murphy, N. c. About fifty
miles west of Asheyille, on the
summit of Balsam Mountain
the train stops for dinner. A
family by the name of Christie
runs the hotel. 1t was here that
the writer learned that at this
place there existed a man -hater
in other words, a woman whose
peculiarities are to be found only
in one person in a hundred
thousand. After being told some
thing about her the CORES pond~
ent became interested and decid-
ed to stop and learn more of the
queer woman who is all the
talk of this whole section. Not
a man travels thro' this section
but what learns Of her.
Her name is Miss Eliza Holtz-
land. She is about 40 years old
and has been the telegraph oper,
ator at this place for the past
four years. Ever since she left
her home in Ohio she hes lived
all alone in / tWO-room house
near the office. She has a lovely
horse, bicycle, dogs, cats, etc.
and lives entirely to- herself, not
even having anything to do with
other women i'll the neighb bor>
hood. She allows no one in her
Office, not even the trainmen. II
there are all, orders to be deliver
ed she takes them out to the train
herself. Miss Eliza spends a
great deal OF her time in fishing,
hunting, horse back riding, etc.
Her costume is rather peculiar,
consisting of loose shirts waist,
boomers an d leggings. In
stature she is about five feet two
inches. VI hen young she must
have been rather good looking.
When she hrst came to Balsam
the railroad and the travelling
men tried to guy her and have
sou1e fun, but she got her gun
and when any one did not at
tend to his own business he was
given to understand that he must
move OH or take the Con.e-
quences, which has resulted in
her becoming master OF the
situation.
Miss Holtzland is we'll edu-
Gated, and railroad men say is
an expert operator. although |
very little business is done from
this office. No one has ever
been able to find out much
about her, as she won't talk of
herself or her people. She has
a brother who visits her nearly
every summer, and it is said that
he once told some parties that
she had been disappointed in
love. When twenty years of
age she was engaged to be mar
ried to a well-to do gentleman
in Ohio, who, when the we'd
ding day arrived, married an
other woman, and that his sister
had been a changed woman ever
since, and that she went to Ball
sam so that she might lead a
quiet life.
Only a short time ago line
man for the railroad coinpany
had occasion to 60 into her Of
fee to place some new instru
ments. She demanded him to
leave as she said the instruments
were all right. He insisted that
she open the door or he would
break it in. After while she
opencd the door, but stood with
a gun in her hand all the time
he was on the inside. She
seems to take a great delight in
sport and out Of door exercise,
and spends considerable time in
reading. She is not afraid of
anything and prides herself On
the fact that she is independent.
One thing sure, she is boss of
Balsam mountain, and without
doubt the most peculiar woman
for hundreds of miles.