The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1854-04-27
An Abduction Indeed.

before the American Geographical Socie-
'ty by Captain Gibson, lately returned from
the East Indies, and bringing with him
some new facts as to the tribes of ourang
outangs inhabiting the deserts Of that
part of the world. He says:
"My statement of the extraordinary
pccullarities of these apparently semi
human beings has led to the expression
of SO much curiosity to know more of
them by some, and of skepticism as to the
fact of their existence on the part of 9th
ers, that have deemed it due to mvself
and topublic curiosity togive some addi-
tional facts, along with all the corrobora-
tive evidence that has fallen under my OBJ
servation. - 1888
While at Mintok, Palembang, and Ba-
tavia, / heard many remarkable stories of
the agility, audacity, and especially of
the superhuman strength of the ourang
outang.a will trespass upon your atten-
ton by relating one of the most extraor-
dinary, at the same time one of the best
attested, which | had heard while at Ba-
tavia. Lieut. Shoch, of the Dutch East
India army, was on a march with small
detachment of troops and coolies on tn
southeastern coats of Borneo. He had
.no,,,padt ~, ann ooooe;oo A., .bo
MONDAY heat, on the banks of one of
the small tributaries of the Bangramas-
sin. The Lieut.. had with him his domes-
tic. establishment, which included his
daughter, playful and interesting girl
of the age of thirteen. One day, while
wandering in the jungle beyond the pro-
scribed limits of the camp, and having,
from the oppressive heat, loosened her
garments and thrown them off almost to
nudity, the beauty of her person excited
the notice of an ourang- -outang, who
sprang upon her. and carried her off, Her
piercing screams rang through the forest
to the ears of her doing protectors, and
reused every man in the camp. 4ro
''The swift, bare footed coolies were
foremost in pursuit; and now the cry rings
in the agonized fathers ears that his
daughter is devoured by bingatang-
again, that an ourang -outang has carried
her off. He rushed, half f-frienzied with
the whole company, to the thickct from
whence the screams proceeded, and there,
among the topmost limbs of an enormous
banyan, the father beholds his daughter,
naked, bleeding, and struggling in the
grasp of powerful ourang -outang, who
held her tightly, yet easily with one arm,
while he sparang lightly from limb, as if
wholly unincumbered 1t was in vain to
think of shooting the monster, SO agil was
he. The Dyak coolies, knowing the hab-
its of the ourang-outang, and knowing
that he will always plunge into the nearest
stream when hard pressed, began asystem
of operations to drive him into the water;
they set up great shout, throwing mis-
siles of all kinds, and agitating the under
brush, while some proceeded to ascend the
tree. By the redoubled exertions of the
whole company the monster was gradually
driven toward the water, yet still holding
tightly to the poor gill.
At last, the monster and his victim were
seen on an outstretching limb overhang-
ing the stream. The coolies, who are
among the expertest swimmers in the
world, Immediately linked the banks; the
soldiers continued the outcries and throw
ing of missiles. He clasped his prise more
tightly, took survey of the water and
of his upward gazing enemies, and then
leaped into the flood below. He had hard
y touched the water ere fifty resolute
swimmers plunged in pursuit; as he rises
a dozen human arms are reached out to-
wards him; he is grasped; others lay hold
upon the insensible girl. The ourang-
outang used both arms to defend, and af-
ter lacerating the bodies of some of the
coolies with his powerful nervous claws,
finally succeeded in diving beyond the
reach of his pursuers, and in escaping
down the stream, while the bleeding, in
sensible Ledah was restored to the arms
of her father and nurses, in whose hands
she was ultimately restored to conscious
ness, health, and strength once more. This
savage version Of the classic story of Plu-
to and Prosperine is well authenticated,
and the girl, now grown up woman, is
living at Amboyna, in the Molucas.
Victory AND REwARD.-"A decent
country woman" said an English divine,
"came to me one market-day, and begged
to speak with me. She told me, with an
air of secrecy, that her husband behaved
unkindly to her, and that knowing me to
be wise man, I could tell her what would
cure him. ''The remedy is simple" said
[, "always treat your husband with a
smile' The woman thanked me, drop
ped courtesy, and went away. A few
months after she came again, bringing a