Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-10-03
H WILD MAN.
He is interviewed by Mark Twain
and Tells his Story.

he IS Interviewed by Mark Twain
and Tells his Story.
There has been so much talk about
the mysterious I" wild man T" out there
in the West for sometime that I finally
felt that IL was my duty TO go out and
9~interview'i him. There was some
thing tOuchingly romantic about the
creature and his strange actions, ac-
cordiug to the newspaper reports. He
was represented as being hairy, long
armed, and Ofgreat strength and stat
ure; ugly and cumbrOus; avoiding
men, but appearing suddenly and I'M
expectedly to women and children;
going armed with a club, but never
mOiesting any creature, except sheep
or other prey; fond of eating and
drinking, and not particular about the
quality, quantity or character Of the
Beverages and edibles; living in the
woods like a wild beast; seeming OPP
pressed and melancholy, but never
angry; moaning, and sometimes howl
ing, but never uttering a~rticulate
sounds. Such was "Oid Shep," as the
papers painted him. l felt that the
story of his life must be a sad One-a
story of suffering, disappointment,
exile-a story of mans inhumanity
to man in some shape or other-and /
longed TO persuade the secret from
him.
"Since you say you are a member
OF the press" said the wild man, "I
am willing 10 tell you all you wish to
know. By and by you will compre-
bend why il is that I am 50 ready TO
unbUsOm myself TO a newspaper man
when / have so Studiously avoided
conversation with other people. ]
will now unfold my strange story. /
was born with the world welive upon,
almost. lam the son of Cain"
"Whatl"
81 was present when the food was
announced
(WHICH"
"I am the father Of the Wandering
Jew"
SsSir!D
l moved out of reach of his club,
and went On taking notes, but keep
ing a wary eye on him the while. He
smiled a melancholy smile, and re-
summed:
"When I glance back over the
dreary waste Of ages, / see many a
glimmering landmark that is familiar
to my memory. And oh! the leagues
| have travelled; the things / have
seen; the events l have helped to en-
phasise! | marched upon Mecca with
Mahomet. l was at the assassination
of Cesar. Twas in the Crusades, and
was with Godfrey when he planted
the banner of the Cross upon the bat
Elements of Jerusalem. II
lone moment, please-have you
| given these items to any other jour
nal? Can /"
"Silencel l was in the Pinta's
shrOuds with Columbus when Amer
lea burst upon his vision. l saw
| Charles L. beheIded. ! was in Lon
don when the GunpOwder Plot was
discovered. / was present at the trial
of Warren Hasting. Twas on Amer
lean soil when Lexington was fought
when the Declaration was prOmulga-
ted-when CORVALLIS surrendered
when Washington died. I entered
Paris with Napoleon after Eliza, /
was present when you mounted your
guns and manned your fleets for your
wal VI lCA@-hA NEI AAAC 54LlA AALNt
upon Sumter-when Richmond fell
when the Presidents life was taken.
In all the ages, l have helped to cele-
brate the triumph5 of genius, the
achievements of arms, the havoc of
storm, fire, pestilence, and famine"
"YOur career has been 4 stirring
one. Might l ask how you came to
locate in these dull Kansas woods,
when you have been so accustomed
to excitement during what l may
term such a pr~otracted period, not to
put too fine a point upon it,
Listen. Once | was the hOnOred
servitOr of the noble and the iIlustri-
Gus" there he heayed a sigh aud
passed his hairy hand across his eyes,
''but in these degeneratedays lam be
come the slave of quack doctors and
newspapers. L am driven from pillar
to post, and hurried up and down,
sometimes with stencil-plate and
paste brush to defile the fences with
cabalistic legends, and sometimes in
grotesque and extravagant character
for the behest of some driving Journal.
| attended to that Ocean Bank robbie
~ some weeks ago, when l was hard
ly rested from finishing up the pow
WOW about the completion Of the Pa
cific Railroad; Immediately l was
spirited off TO an ~atroeiOus murder for
the New York papers; next to attend
the wedding of a patriarchaI million
aire; next 10 raise a hurrah about the
great boat race; and then, Just when
| had begun TO hope that my old
bones were to have a rest, / am bun
died off to this bowling wild rnCss to
strip, and jibber, and be ugly and
hairy, and pulldoWn fences, and way
lay sheep, and scare women and chill
dren, and waltz around with a club
and play Wild Man generally-and
all to crafty the whim of q bedlam of
crazy newspaper scFibblers2 From
end of this continent 10 the other,
I am described as a gorilla, Witha sort
of human seeming about me-and all
to crafty this quill-driving scum of
the earth!"
"Poor Old carpet-bagger!n
q have been served UNANIMOUSLY,
often, in modern and semi-mOdern
times. l have been compelled by
base men to eFeate fraudulent history
and persOnatea all sorts OF impossible
humbugs. | wrote those eraZy Junius
Letters; | mOped in a French dungeon
for fifteen years, and Wore a ridieu-
lous iron mask; { poked around your
Northern forests, among popr vaga-
bond Indians, q solemn French idiot, /
pefs0natmg the CHEST of a dead
that the gaping world
wonder if we had a Bourbon
among u.s.; / have played ~sea-serpent
off Nahant, and WOOlly-HOrse and
What-is-It for the museum; l have
interviewed politicians for the Stn,
worked all manner of miracles for the
Herald, ciphered up election returns
for the World, and Numbered pOliti-
cal economy through the Tribune. l
have done all the extravagant things
that the widest invention could CON
trive, and done them well, and this is
my reward-playing Wild Man in