Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-12-30
From the Sioux City Times.l
A wild Man In = Western ROrests
THE CASPER HAUsRR OF DACOTAH-
sPRCULATIONs REGARDIN0 HIS
HISTORY.


We are indebted 70 Mr.. Thompsou,
who resides. ON the Dscotah side OF Ne
Big Sioux, about fifteen miles northwest
Of this city. for the particulars Of the
facts which We are shout TO narrate.
About one month iince, . farmer naaae4
Evuna, Who resides . few miles north Of
Mr.. Thompsou, was engaged In hauling
fire wood from the timber on the Big
Sioux, when he was startled By seeing
what at first glance appeared TO be some
Wild animal, bound out from Q hollow
log, but few yards from where he was
standing A close observation Of the OBJ
iect while he was decsmping sasirfied Ar.
Evans that it was q Wild man, he imme-
diately made pursuit, but the rapidity
With which the wild man ra1, added 20
the thickness of the woods. ~oon put him
out of sight or reach. Mr.. Evans shortly
afterwards returned home. and informed
his neighbors of his adventure and what
he had seen. A small party Of well
mounted men started the next day on the
trail of the wild man. The party first
ransacked the woods in the recent neigh
borhood Ia secluded spot entirely OBJ
scured from ordinary observation by the
thickness Of the underbrnsh, they discov-
cred q fsrure between two rocks. The
fissure penetrated into the rocks eight
feet; ON top was u large lot OF under
brush, limbs of trees and several portions
of the skins Of animals There were no
indications that there had heen fire kim
died anywhere near that place, but from
the pieces of rags, long grass and other
matter found on the ground. they are sure
it is the habitation Of the wild man. Not
being able 10 see anything of the object
of their search, they vent to their homes.
A few days afterwsrd another party Of
horsemen started out on the same mission
"a their predecessors. and with more satis-
factory results. About 3 o'clock in the
evening, while following up n ravine, a
few miles from the place where the strange
being was first discovered, the party we're
attracted by the barking of one of their
dogs. Immediately sfterwsrd the wild
man crossed an open space. closely fol-
lowed by two of the dogs The men put
spurs 10 their horses, and for short dis
lance gained rapidly on the object of their
search but, coming TO = deep ravine OF
gully, skirtsd on either side by under.
brush, their progress was impeded. and
during the delay caused by getting Out
OF their situation the man 0so"P~d. Sine
that time he has not been seen. w.
understand that party OF gentlemen
from this city propose starting out in
few days for the purpose OF catch ng THU
man, or, rather, r.ndescript, dead or alive
We hope that no effort will be spared te
take him alive and nniojured- From 9
conversation with Mr. Thomson, We learn
that this singular being ia entirely
covered with a seemingly heavy coat o.
dark colored hair that he is agile as q
cat, aud a- feet as deer. Old settler,
in the region where the wild man hal
been, state that about twenty-three years
since Frenchmsn, with his wife and
three children settled npon piece of land
upon the banks of the Big Sioux. A
that time the only occupants of this sec
/ ton consisted of the Indians, who wer,
the sole owners of Dakota, some half
breeds and few French settlers, most o
whom took rquaws for their wives 1t il
/ related that the Frenchman We have al
luded Ia did not live agreeably with hi
| family: tLat his affections were lavishec
upon the dusky daughter of an lndiaI
chief; that the white wife learning oi
this, upbraided her husband for the symp
toms OF his warning affections, and tina
| one morning friendly Iudi.u. vi-itin.
the clsim of the Frenchman, discovered
the dead bodies of the wife and children
lying on the floor. An examination dis
covered the fact that the throat of thu
voman had been cut from ear 10 ear, ant
that the children had been dubbed Il
death by blows on the head with the stool
of a gun or some similar weapon. N
clue - the murderer. was ever discovered
The Frenohman has never been seen il
the country since. The supposition nov
is that he committed u triple murder, tina
rejecting ON the horror Of his crime, b
became insane, took to the wood md ha
resided there since, and that the will
man that has lately been seen .nd tn
French settler of twenty-seven, .rs since
is one and the same person. Ii is wei
known that many years since 'e msjorit,
of the Indians who resided n the BIZ
Sioux Valley were, on ace mt of tn
scarcity of game, compelled - 20 furthe
west, and as it is only within the last fe,
. years that the section of country alluded
to has become settled. it was very pos
sible for man,to live there without bein
discovered, or any person knowing hi
. whereabouts. The whole affair
wrapped mp in such -inpultr myster
that we refrain from c"un,ns or surmi-
until we can speak inte'ilsently on tn