Litchfield enquirer., 1834-12-04
WILD BTLL-or the Mississippi Orson.

 interest with the eloquent history uf mind in the case of Casper Hauser, it may, nev~rthe- less, fparlrssly presen, enc claim to attention ; it is literally matter of fact, without the slight est admixture of coloripg of any sort, and within the knowledge of citizens of the high est standing in Mississippi and Louisiana Judge Butler, of the latter state, is capable ol furnishing many more dctails than have been enabled to obtain. Although ! have heard the oral statements nt many persons who have seen the subject of the narrative, am indebted mainly for the facts it contains with which the statements referred to unl- f0rmly agree-to one uf the first planters 'n the parish of Rapides, in Louisiana. H" be- came a temporary resident at Woodv'i'r, a 1 considerable village in the interior of Missls- sppi, in 1911. Here he first saw the boy called
 Wild Bill, " ho then resided with Mir. Bcnja-
 min Rollins. He had at that time made so much progress in learning to converse. that he was quite inteIligible. It is believed that he had then been taken about 18 months OF years.
 He was secured in the Mississippi swamp, not far from the present site of l'lnckneyVIl'e' The circumstances that lei to his being taken were these :-Some settlers who had been recently settled in that vicinity, saw on the margin of the swamps inc prints of the naked foot of boy. This led them to closer "b- servatfon, which soon discovered [" them naked boy, walking with the gait and in the manner of hunting animal, on the shore ot one of the lakes that abound in that region. His object was to catch frogs. a species "t hunting at which he seemed very expert. When he had caught them, he devoured them raw. The discoverer attempted to approach him: but SO soon as the wild lad saw him he fed with the usual terror of an Untamed creature at the sight of man, towards a lake, into which he plunged, diving and swimming with the ease of an amphibi"us animal.
 These occurrences naturally excited much interest among the settlers. and they collected in body to make m united effort to take him. After hunting for hlm for some ti.ne' they at length discovered him under pers'm- mon tree, eating the fruit. AS soon as ne observed his pursuers he fled as betore' donh ling the hush like fox. and making again tor the water. Excusing themselves ny the mo tive, the hunters adopted their usual expedI- ent for catching animals-they put their dogs on the trial of the strange game. They soon tired him down and brought him to bay. Though no metaphy ysicians to form mental iheorems out of the case of their new con- quest, they discovered that the two legged, unfeathered creature, had the natural animal instinct of fght-for he made battles upon dogs and men, with the full amount of cour- age and f+rocity that might be expected to result from his age and hysical strength.
 But although he fought like any other ani- mai, he was compelled to yield to numbers. and was fairly caught and bound. He was then, it is supposed. not far from years old; naked and perfectly speeches.. His form was slender but well proportioned. and capa- ble of extreme agility. His eyes were brill jant his hair sandy and his complexion flor i'd a circumstance which may be accounted for. from his having lived almost entirely in the deep shades of the forest. Woodville was the nearest considerable settlement. and thither he was carried, for the experiment of ...-.
 Eighteen months, or two years after his capture-the period. as have said, when my informant first saw him-he had still a look perfectly indicative of his name. He was yet soild, although he could now make him self understood. It was more difficult to O. vercome his appetite for raw fiesh' than to learn him to speak.
 The love of the excitement of alcohol seems to be another common appetite of the man of nature, for he soon manifested an un- conquerable longing for spirits in any form- especially when rendered very sweet-upon which he became intoxicated whenever he had an opportunity. Whether he discovered the usual development of the other animal propensities. my informant does not know but he always remained wild animal in the fcrceness of his temper. When playing with lads of his age, the moment his passions were reused in any way, his first movement was to strike them with whatever instrument was nearest at hand. After his partial domestica- ton, they attempted to put him at work but he showed truly savage disrelish for labor. He was sure immediately to run away; generally making for the town, where his amusement was to mount on horseback whenever he was allowed the opportunity. Riding was his passion; and he wonid mount every horse in a livery stable in. succession. merely for the pleasure of riding them tO wa ter. ln other respects he was quick and in- telligent. His appearance was rather agreea- ble, and in his favor.
 The training which he received was either unfavorable to,a good moral development, or it had been originally denied him ny nature for he became quarrrlsome, addicted tO drunkenness, and not at all a lover of truth. Consequently great deal of dorbt and un- certainty must rest upon the history 0f his early recollectiOns; though they wrre SD often repeated, and so nearly in the same form, as to have gained credence with the people among whom he lived. He stated that he had a dim -remembrance of coming down the Mississippi with his fathers family in a flat boat-ihat the boat landed-that his father killed his mother--and that he fed in