Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-12-06
A startling story-A Mad Wolf At.
tacks q Village.


The Russian papers publish an almost
incredible story from Russian Lithuania
The following account is from the super
intendent of one of the largest estates il
that region:
On the other side of little river flow
| ing by the estate of Beresina lie some
villages and the forest of Soiki. Iu the
fields between the latter and the village
| of Pocie few women were working sep
arately towards evening, when suddenly
an unusually large wolf sprang out o.
the forest and in few minutes had tori
one of the women to pieces The other
women, seeing this event from the dis
tance, hurried to the village for aid, bu
before the men returned, the wolf had
disappeared. The body of the unfor
| tunate woman presented a horrible ap
pearance. The eldest of the peasants
Immediately informed the police Of the
occurrence, and placed six men in the
neighborhood of the body to watch over
it until the officials came, for q
corpse cannot be removed in Russia
before the arrival of the police. A
few hours later, as the, men were lying
around q fire, the wolf again appeared,
and the peasants made the best of their
way to neighboring house on the edge
of the forest. One of the party a strong
peasant was left behind by his compan.
ions, and was overtsken by the animal
and quickly torn to pieces. Immediately
afterward the owner of the little house, a
forest watcher, who was returning to his
house, was seized by the wolf, and only
reached his dwelling half dead. The
brute then went to the villages of Pocie
and Ptoranie, attacked a peasant farm
house, penetrated the dwelling room
(Which on account of the smoke was usu-
ally left open), and wounded men and
animals. The wolf then sprang upon
the village green, injured three laborers
and number of horses. and thence went
to the estate of Beresins, where he lace
rated the horses to fearful extent.
Altogether the beast wounded ten ami
mails, and as the servants hurried to the
spot he sprang upon them, wounded the
head of one, the hand of another, and
the neck and thigh of the servant girl of
forest watcher named Maukiewiez,
whose horse she was tending. The wolf
then left, and went toward the villages of
Chonytony and Mankanynieuka, killing
O woman in one, wounding dogs, men
and cattle, and then disappearing in the
neighboring forest. In the course of o
few hours the brute had killed three
human beings, more or less wounded
thirty-one grown-up persons, and htty'
four he ad of cattle.
But this by no means describes the in.
jury done, for to all appearance the wolf
was affected with hydrophobia. All the
wounded persons agree that the animal
had foam upon his mouth, and the tail
was hanging down. Only when attack
ing any one did be raise the latter, and
sprang upon the hind legs, always aiming
at the head. The strength of the spring
may be inferred from the case OF
young peasant, who had FIVE teeth
Knocked in by the jaws of the wolf. tits
very suspicious circumstance that the
wolf did not eat the bodies, but fell upon
them from pure madness. All this hap
pened in the night the people we're
seized perfectly unawares, and could do
but little in their own defense. True,
one peasant managed to shoot the wolf
through one of the hind legs, and another
to drive a shoemsker's awl into his car
cass during an attack, and though neither
of the wounds were fatal, they con-
tributed much to the weakening of the
beast, which was killed on the following
day, in q remarkable manner.
A great hunt was arranged, and peas
ants from all the surrounding neighbor-
hood streamed toward the rendezvous
near the forest of Soiki. Not far from
this place, in the middle of the fields,
there is small patch of the torestf
called the Dombrowa. In order to ap-
proaoh this, a division of the peasants
crept amid the young frs, endeavoring
to approach without being seen. Sud
denly one of the peasants thought that
another of his companions had seized
him BY his furs from behind. Without
having the slightest idea of the wolf, he
put his hand behind him in mechanical
way, and seized the brste aceidently by
the throat. simultaneously, be saw one
of the forepaws at bis side, grssped this,
and knew that he bad to do with the
dreaded monster. he managed to press
the bruts's back against the trunk Of a
hr tree, and held him there until his fell
low peasants=who in the first fright had
run away-csme to his assistance, and
killed the animal With their hay and
manure forks.
The dead wolf was found to be Of ex-
trsordinary size, and light in color. The
avl with which he was stabbed the night
before was found embedded in his car
cass, proving that it was the same ani-
NAL that had already committed such
havoc. The peasant whom the wolf had
last seized was only slightly wounded in
The back. Children, fortunately, had not
been bitten, for OF the late hour when the
wolf made his appearance, aud spFsng
into the houses, they we're ell asleep in
their accustomed places-on top of the
great ovens. A number Of other wolves
we're seen in the neighborhood at the |
same time, but their pursuit proved with
Dut result. As soon as the authorities !
we're informed Of the eoccurreDce, the chief
of police and a number Of doctors came
1pon the scene. The wounded
we're taken into the schoolhouse, |
-hara fhafr nou,ds uara oYamfrfd