Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1873-04-16
A TRUE ROMULUs AND REMUS In
INDIA,

Professor J. II. Seelye, in a recent
letter dated at AllahabRd, India, and
published in the Amherst College Sftl-
dent, tells the following strange Ito
ry: t -i
/" Not far from Agra, in Northern
India, is q misslon station Of the
Church Missionary Society, connect
ed with which is an. .orphanage with
several hundred children, now under
the efficient care of the .ReY. E. G..
Erhardt- The region around is infest-
ed with wolves, by which, every year.
numbers Of children are carried of
and devoured. But in two instances,
at least, instead of being killed and
eaten, the children have been kept
alive and nourished with. if not by,
these beasts. Whether the story of
Romulus and Remns be q myth or
not, this Ia an actual reality, for the
children themselves have been cap
tured from among the wolves and
brought to the orphanage above men
toned. They were both boys, and
apparently of some seven or eight
years of age when taken. They were
found at different times, the last one
In March.
Some hunters smoking wolves
out of a cave, were startled when the
wolves appeared by the appearance
among them of g creature locking
strangely human, but running rapid
" ON all foars like the wolves, though
not so rapidly as they. He was caught
with great difficulty, and there was
no mistaking that be was 8 child OF
human parsntage, but with the hab-
its and actions and appetite of 9 wild
beast. The hunters brought him to
the orphauage, where he was received
and cared for. Though his physical
form and features were sufficient to
show that he was q Hindoo child,
there were no other indications of
anything human. In all other re-
spects, in the language of Mr.. En-
hardt, a perfect animal He had no
speech. but whine. He would wear
no clothes, tearing from him eyery-
thing of the kind, whenever put on.
He would eat nothing but raw flesh,
and when he drank he tapped the
water with his tongue. Eeft 70 ohim-
self he would hide in some dark spot
during the day, from which he would
come out at night and prowl about
the enclosure, picking up bones, II
they were to be found, and TaveDOusly
gnaw them. 1t at first seemed i'm
possible for him 10 stand erect, but
after much difficulty he was taught to
dos and also touse fork and spoon,
and to drink like 8 human being
Though treated with the utmost care
and with great patience and kindness
by the Christian hands and hearts
hi ho MI
and died, after he had been in the or
phanage a little over four months. In
all this time he could not be made to
utter a word he was never seen to
smild, nor shc W any signs Of joy, or
shame, or gratitude. But Mr.. Erhart,
who gave me this account, assured me
that his face looked more intelligent
than the average Hindoo children,
and that his color and features indi-
cated that his parentage must have
been of family of high caste.
1.-THE other boy saw myself, a few
days since, at the Orphansge, where
he was brought about six years ago.
having been when captured much the
same as was the frs mentioned boy,
and having shown precisely the same
habits as belonged to him. He has
not vet spoken a word, but has ex-
the whine, which was his |
only utterance, for sounds expressive
of pleasure and apparently. also, of
gratitude. He no longer prefers raw |
flesh for food, but eats bread. and fruit !
with rayenous aYidity He walks
erect, but with q strangely awkward
Qaff. throwing out his hand with ev- /
ery sten. His hands are perfectly |
formed, but he uses them aw kWardly. |
A piece Of bread tossed to him from = |
little distance, which he was eager to |
get, he could not catch, but let it fall |
to the ground. de wears |
to which he was at first as ad-
verse as the first boy. His forehead |
is low, bat he could hardly be called |
dull, and certainly not idiotic. His
eyes have wild and restless but not !
an inquiring look. His jaws are not |
and his teeth are well |
formed and thoroughly human. On |
his left cheek are scars bearing plainly |
the marks OF teeth, where he must |
have been fearfully bitten. He has |
been taught to do some kinds of work, !
but not faithfully. He seems to have
lost all desire to escape. He mingleS I
freely with the other children, among |
whom he has his fayorites. When |
the boy first mentioned was brought /
to the orphanage, this one was made |
to understand that he must teach the |
other how to eat and drink and walk, /
and much of the Improvement OF the
younger one in these respects seemed
due to the efforts Of the older onep
H