I've heard the last case before in more detail, and a very odd story it is. There are a number of similar reports of people hiking or camping alone being harassed and frightened by mysterious pursuers. In some cases they are no doubt tangling with genuine human beings but in others I believe that they have been stricken with Panic in the ancient Greek sense of fear of the wilderness.
Oh and 'The Widow' may have been so called to protect her privacy. A woman living alone might not want her situation publicized and she may have found the entire incident highly embarrassing.