THE TOWN OF LEWISBORO. 459 



the hermitess, is taken from a newspaper printed in Poughkeepsie in 1 804 : 



" As you pass the southern and elevated ridge of the mountain, and 

 begin to descend the southern steep, you meet with a perpendicular 

 descent of a rock, in the front of which is this cave. At the foot of the 

 rock is a gentle descent of rich and fertile ground, extending about ten 

 rods, when it instantly forms a frightful precipice, descending half a 

 mile to the pond called Long Pond. In the front of the rock on the 

 north, where the cave is, and level with the ground, there appears a 

 large frustum of the rock, of a double fathom in size, thrown out by 

 some unknown convulsion of nature, and lying in front of the cavity 

 from which it was rent, partly enclosing the mouth and forming a cover. 

 The rock is left entire above, and forms the roof of the humble mansion. 

 This cavity is the habitation of the hermitess, in which she has passed the 

 best of her years, excluded from all society. She keeps no domestic 

 animal, not even fowl, cat, or dog. Her little plantation, consisting of 

 half an acre, is cleared of its wood and reduced to grass, where she has 

 raised a few peach trees, and yearly plants a few hills of beans, cucum- 

 bers, and potatoes. The whole is surrounded by a luxuriant grape vine, 

 which overspreads the surrounding wood, and is very productive. On 

 the opposite side of this little tenement, is a fine fountain of excellent 

 water. At this fountain we found the wonderful woman, whose appear- 

 ance it is a little difficult to describe. Indeed, like nature in its first 

 state, she was without form ; her dress appeared little else than one con- 

 fused and shapeless mass of rags patched together without any order, 

 which obscured all human shape, excepting her head which was clothed 

 with a luxuriance of lank grey hair, depending on every side as time had 

 formed it, without any covering or ornament. When she discovered 

 our approach, she exhibited the appearance of a wild and timid animal. 

 She started and hastened to her cave which she entered, and barricaded 

 the entrance, with old shells pulled from the decayed trees. We ap- 

 proached this humble habitation, and after some conversation with its 

 inmate, obtained liberty to remove the barricades and look in ; for we 

 were not able to enter, the room being only sufficient to accommodate 

 one person. We saw no utensil, either for labor or cookery, save an 

 old pewter basin and a gourd shell ; no bed but the solid rock, unless it 

 were a few old rags scattered here and there ; no bed clothes of any 

 kind, not the least appearance of food or fire. She had indeed a place 

 in one corner of her cell where a fire had at some time been kindled, but 

 it did not appear there had been one for some months. To confirm this, 

 a gentleman says he passed her cell five or six days after the great fall 

 of snow, in the beginning of March ; that she had no fire then, and had 

 not been out of her cave since the snow had fallen. How she subsists 

 during the severe season is yet a mystery. She says, she eats but little 

 flesh of any kind ; in the summer she lives on berries, nuts and roots. 

 We conversed with her for some time, found her to be of a sound mind, 

 a religious turn of thought and entirely happy in her situation. Of this 

 she has given repeated proofs, by refusing to quit this dreary abode. 

 She keeps a Bible with her, and says she takes much satisfaction and 

 spends much time in reading it." 



