Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1871-11-18
The Father Owns Fifty Acres Of
Land but is s.TOO Poor TO Provide
for his Offspring.

Yesterday we paid visit to the 'Wild
1 Mutes," rs they are called, on exhibition
in the store lately occupied as the agency
of the Elias Howe sewing machine. When
the attention of the public was first called
/ to the history and condition of these extra
Ordinary specimens of humanity, we were
| inclined, as were great many others, to
deduct about lwo-tiirdo from what had
been said concerning them, in order to get
at the truth, and place the amount deduct
ed to the credit of the Imagination or dis
position to eXaggerate of those who first
threw light upon their condition. But we
find that little has been written concerning
! them that is not true, and taking into con-
| sideration all the incidents attending their
existence, their history is one that has few
| parallels, and is one of the strangest ano-
males Of civilized life.
The circumstances of their discovery by
| the outside world are these: a party of
gentleman had been out on a hunting eX-
! pedition through the wilds of Monroe town
ship, in Wyoming county, and one of .heir
number happened to come across the girl
1 in state of nudity short distance from
the hut where she lived. The other men,
bers of the party were notified of the dis
covery made, and the girl traced to her
! home, where two other members of the
]
| Their discovery was first published in the
! TUnkhannock Republican, and excited the
attention of Mr.. j. Freeman, of the Pitts
ton Comet. This gentleman in company
| with some others under took to test the
| truth of the story, and learn further parti-
culars, and succeeded in finding the habi-
tation ofihese extraordinary creatures, and
also, that not one-half had been written
that might be concerning them, as was ev-
| ident from the columns of the Pittston
| Comet a short time after. The researches
of Mr.. Freeman excited still further won-
der and another visit was paid to the
"wild children of the woods" by third
! party of gentlemen. These were of prac-
! tical turn of mind, took in the whole situa-
| ton at a glance, and the result was con
tract between the father Of the children and
| the parties of the second part, which has
| led to their introduction into Scranton So
ciety and wherever else they may 90. We
may state in this connection that il was
with the utmost difficulty that the father
was induced to consent to an exhibition,
believing as he did, for some time, that il
was merely scheme to get his children
away from him. His dislike was, however,
at last overcome, chiefly by the arguments
and persuasions of his neighbors.
Before introducing our readers to the
eni'uren' We SUSPECT .iia' ,hey Wou.u iho
W e'Ao s"auoe y. ',o'I ntner, III MhoSe
eonl'uionsn'p anu unuer Wnose contro'
.noy na,e oevn ;ro'h '',1 hns'. VI .hSr, r pil'h
W W. tie os' mn 'it'e' i,'s W na'u0 "'.,as i
"."' a'ns' M so s'i"', 'n'n "ny
nun, nun, unu s ABOUT ni'y'phe years oi ne
i i's ha'i is ilSns, nnu On aoSount VI no, oe-
lns ln'G''.reu h M''u nnuch oy .,le eon,o; Is
e'sposeu 70 cur, ~ Is possioe lllat ms
iaoe may nlvo 'haue an ncqualntahSe Win
snap anu water AZ some pefioI OF ms lIe,
pus u ea ions Vhl9 since ana TIC s.ands