Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-07-20
The Wild Man of vt. Landry.


In company with Mr.. James H. Houston, of
this place, we rode out to see the wild man of
st. Landry. And we saw him. He is a living
and breathing curiosity.
"Wild SAM" as he is Familiarity called by the
neighborS, is mulatto. From appearances,
and from the traditions Of the neighbors, he is
believed to be between eighty and ninety years
of age. He formerly belonged to Baptist Bruno.
The oldest men in the neighborhood, who
have known "Wild Sam" for more than fifty
years, do not remember that he ever slept in a
cabin or house, on any place in this country.
He always took to the woods when his days
work was done and came out of the woods in
the morning to perform the laborS of the day.
He was a strong and willing laborer, was an
| excellent ditcher, rail splitter and axeman.
| He had axgentle disposition, and his master
was always pleased with him. His former
weight was about one hundred and seventy-fve
| pounds. He now weighs not more than one
hundred and thirty. He is about five and a
| half feet high.
For many years Wild Sam" has roved about
in the woods from five to eight miles from 0pe-
lousas, sleeping in different places according to
| caprice and circumstances. He was never
married, and never associated with people of
| any color or sex. In spirit and in practice, as
| far as possible, he has always been a hermit of
the wilderness. AT meal times, on the planta-
| ton, he would always take his plate of food,
and go off and eat it by himself
lO llhSo ~ camp III SuPG Vi Tue WOUuS
near plantations. and when he can do so he
drives forks into the ground, puts a pole on
| them, and makes a shed roof of pieux to pro-
| tect him from the rain. At other times he
| stretches himself on the ground like a wild
BEAST and takes the weather as it comes. He
| never minds mOsquetoes or flies. He keeps
| fire and rakes it up with an idea to reproduce it
| when needed.
We found wild Sam" at Alexandra Four
| nier's. Mr.. Fourier has constructed ii rough
camp for this strange character near his own
| dwelling house, under pecan tree by the side
Of the fence.
As we approached the camp, which was made
Of split cypress, eight or nine feet long, the bot
| tom of each piece resting on the ground the
tops meeting and forming the comb of the camp
| about five feet high, Mr.. Fourder took away
some clapboards from the front, and Wild
| Sam" was in full view.
He was lying asleep on broad cypress fence
post about ten inches in width and eight feet in
length, fiat on his back, and nothing under his
head. Each end of the post rested on a rough
| block, raising him foot from the ground.
| There were few other posts and pieux in the
camp, a rough and ragged old oVercoat, broad
| brim hat which had been thrown away as use
| less, about enough rags to constitute suit of
worse than begging clothes, an old banjo of his
own making, a crazy old cane or two, an old
bag which perhaps contains implements for
| plying the cOnjurOr's art, an old tin pam some
Goals, ashes and brands of unburned wood
Besides these and the old wild man there was
| nothing whatever in the camp.
AS Sam is now old and infrm, Mr.. Fournier
and the colOred people in the neighborhood,
| kindly feed him and give him some old clothes,
| which he only wears to cover his nakedness
when he comes out of his den. If he were in
the woods he would not wear them at all, ex-
| cept when the weather is frosty or seN ere.
His whiskers and head are white, and his
| limbs and flesh look hard and weather beaten.
| His face has q wild but firm and fearless ap-
| pearance. He looks stupid, as though are is
| gradually wasting his iron frame, and his eyes
look dull, as though he were gazing at his
| grave.
This singular specimen of humanity was
never known to be sick. He was always very
| fond of tobacco, but would never drink whis-
| key. He never wears shoes, and would never
wear anything but that he does not wish to of
| fend people, when he comes from the woods, by
exposing his person. He carries in his hands,
or ties about his loins, a bunch of black moss,
in bulk about enough to fill a water bucket
Formerly, when in the woods, Wild Sam lived
| principally on roots, berries, and such food as
| he could find, much as a bear lives Sometimes
| he would go without food two days or more,
and then come into the place of those who
| knew him for food He never stole anything.
| He has always been kindly treated, but could
never be induced to put his foot inside Of a
white mans house.
| We have talked with about a half dozen of
Wild Sans ncighbors, Creoles and colored peo-
| pie and they all agree perfectly in relation to
| his character and history,