The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-11-14
HUMAN BRUTES.
The wild Men of CalIfornia-Their Appear
ance-The story of Old Hunter.

ance-The Story OF an Old Hunter.
correspondent of the Antioch Ledger,
writing from Grayson, California, under date of
October 16, says:-'I saw in your paper, short
: time since, item concerning the gorilla
which is said to have been seen in Crown Canon
and shortly after in the mountains at Orestimbs
Creek. You sneered at the idea of there being
any such critters in these hills, and were not
better Informed, | should sneer too, or else con-
clude that one of your recent prospecting
parties had got lest in the wilderness, and didn't
have sense enough to find his way back to
Terry's. i positively assure you that this go
rila or wild man, or whatever you chosse to
call it, is no myth. l know that it exists, and
that there are at least two of them,
having seen them both at once not
year ago. Their existence has been reported
at times for the past twenty years, and l have
heard 1t said that in early days ourang-
outaDg escaped from ship on the Southern
coast; but the creature have seen is not that
animal, and If it 10, where did he get his mate?
Import her as the Webfoot did their wives?
Last fall was hunting in the mountains about
twenty miles south of here, and csmped five
or six days in one place, as 1 have done every
season for the past fifteen years. Several times
L returned to my camp, after hunt, and saw
that the ashes and charred sticks from the
fireplace had been scattered about An old
hunter notices such things, and very soon
gets curious to know the cause. Although my
bedding and traps and little stores were not
disturbed as I could see, l was anxious to
learn who or what it was that so regularly
visited my camp, for clearly the half-burnt
sticks and cinders could not scatter themselves
about. saw no tracks near the camp, as the
hard ground covered with dry leaves, would
show none. So / started on a circle around the
place, and three hundred yards off, in damp
sand, / struck the tracks of a mans feet as /
supposed bare and of immense size. Now /
was curious, sure, and resolved to lay for the
barefooted visitor. l accordingly took posi-
ton On hill side about sixty or seventy feet
from the fire, and securely hid in the brush. l
waited and watched. Two hours or more sat
nd uunn ndnrn thn nf fln
would come again and whether he imagined
what an interest he had created in my in
quiring mind, and finally what possessed
him 10 be prowlng about there with no
shoes on. The fireplace was on my right and
the spot where l saw the track was on my
left hid by bushes. 1t was in this direction that
my attention was mostly directed, thinking the
visitor would appear there, and beside, ii was
easier to sit and face that way. Suddenly / was
started by shrill whistle, such as boys produce
with two fingers under their tongue, and turn
ing quickly / calculated, 'Good God" as | saw
the object OF my solicitude standing beside my
fire, erect and looking suspciously around. 1t
was in the image of man, but it cOuid not have
been human. was never SO benumbed with as
tonishment before. The creature, whatever it
was stood full five feet high and disproportion-
ately broad and square at the shoulders, with
arms of great length. The legs were very short,
and the body long. The head was small, com
pared with the rest of the creature, and ap-
peared to be set upon his shoulders without a
neck. The whole was covered with dark brown
and cinnamon-colored hair, quite long ON some
parts, that on the head standing in shock and
growing close down to the eyes, like Digger Jn-
dams. As / looked he threw his head back and
whistled again, and then stopped and grasped
stick from the fire. This he swung round and
round, until the fire en- the end had gone out,
when he repeated the manguvre. was dumb.
almost, and could only look. Fifteen minutes
! sat and watched him, as he whistled and scat
tered my fire about. l could easily have put a
bullet through his head, but why should kill
him? Having amused himself, apparently all
he desired, with my fire, he started to go, and,
having gone q short distance, he returned, and
was joined by another-a female unmistakably
when they both turned and walked past me,
within twenty yards OF where sat, and disap-
peaTed in the brush | could not have had a
better opportunity for observing them, as they
were unconscious of my presence. Their only
object in visiting my camp seemed TO be to
amuse themselves with swinging lighted sticks
around. have heard this story many times
since then, and it has often raised an incredu-
lous smile; but met one person who has seen
the mysterious creatures, and dozen who have
come across their tracks at various places be-
tween here and Pacheco Pass"