Below is The New York Tribune article of April 1919, on the newly-established (formed 1917) rural police for New York State, which inspired Lovecraft to try The Catskills as a setting for horror stories. I’ve highlighted and overlaid the next-page section of the article on Catskill Mountains degenerates (though strictly speaking they’re actually Schoarie Mountains degenerates, a little north of the main Catskill Mountains). The first effect of this article on Lovecraft was to directly inspire his story “Beyond The Wall of Sleep” (written at some point between April-Sept 1919, published October) then “The Lurking Fear” (November 1922)…

Audio book readers may find it useful to know that the pronunciation of the Slater/Slahter surname should rhyme it with “doubter”.

Incidentally, the following Google search modifiers will give you a speedy way of searching just The New York Tribune digital copies at the Library of Congress website…

site:http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/ keyword or "key phrase"