A Strange History, Watertown Republican (Article, 1879)
Full Text
A STRANGE HISTORY.--News has reached Delhi, N.Y., of the death of Lucy Ann Lobdell Slater, known throughout the Delaware Valley as the "Hunter of Long Eddie." She was the daughter of a Delaware river lumberman, and in 1851, at the age of 17 years, was married to George Slater, a raftsman. After the birth of her child Slater deserted her and she donned male attire to seek her fortune in the [mountains] of the Delaware river counties in this State and of Delaware, Sullivan and Ulster counties in New York. She built cabins at various points. Her supplies were obtained in exchanges for game and skins. She wrote a book detailing her adventures in the woods and giving an account of her sufferings from cold, hunger and sickness. She recorded in this book that she had killed 168 deer, 77 bears, 1 panther and a numberless wild-cats and foxes. Once she got up a singing school at Bethany, in this State, and, while teaching the vocal art, won the love of a young lady scholar. Upon the discovery of her sex the Bethany people threatened her with a coat of tar and feathers, and she fled. In 1868 she was joined by a woman named Marie Louise Wilson, and they hunted together until 1869. Then the former took the name of the Rev. Joseph Israel Lobdell, and attempted to deliver backwoods sermons in Monroe county, this State. They became nuisances and were lodged in Stroudsburg jail. In 1876 the two were living in a cave in the Moosic mountains, near Waymart, Pennsylvania. While preaching in Waymart she was arrested and taken to the Wayne county jail. The Wilson woman wrote a petition to court for the release of her "husband" using a piece of split wood for a pen and pokeberry juice for ink. The two were living together as man and wife at Mrs. Slater's death.
