Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1873-02-27
A Strange Story.

. 1AA1i1C oG OtUI6Ut cOuUdl0S letter
from Prof. J. III. Seelye, dated Alfalfa
bad, India, Nov. 25, 1872, detailing
strange fact which came under his OBJ
servatlon in his recent travels. The
Professors story recalls the tradition in
regard to the infancy of Romulus and
Kemus, and suggests that Darwin's
theory OF the descent of man may be
superseded by another, taking the
ground that the lower creation is mans
descendant rather than his ancestor.
The letter is as follows:
Not far from Agra, in Northern India.
Is mission station in the Church Mis-
slonary Society, connected with which is
an orphanage with several hundred chill
dren, now under the efficient care of the
Rev. E. G. Erhardt. The region around
Is infested with wolves, by which, every
year, numbers of children are carried off
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
Remus be myth or not, this is an ac-
tual reality, for the children themselves
have been captured from among the
wolves and brought to the orphanage
above mentioned. They were both
boys, and apparently of some seven OF
eight years of age when taken. They
were found at different times, the last
one in March of the present year. Some
hunters, smoking wolves out of a cave.
were startled when the wolves appeared
by the appearance among them of a
creature looking strangely human, but
running rapidly on all tours, like the
wolves, though not so rapidly as they.
He was caught with difficulty, and there
was no installing that he was child of
human parentage, but with the habits
and actions and appetites of wild
beast. The hunters brought him to the
orphanage, where he was received and
cared for. Though his physical form
and features were sufficient to show that
he was Hindoo child, there were no
other indications about him of ANYTHING
human. In all other respects, in the
language of Mr.. Erhardt, ga perfect
animal" He had no speech but a
whine. He would wear no clothes, tear
ing from him everything of the sort.
whenever put on. He would eat moth
ing but raw flesh, and when he drank he
Tapped the water with his tongue. Left
to himself he would hide in some dark
spot during the day, from which he
would come out at night, and prowl
about the inclosure, picking up bones if
any were to be found, and rayenously
gnawing them. 1t at first seemed i'm
possible for him to walk erect. but after
much difficulty he was taught to do SO.
and also to use fork and spoon, and to
drink like human being. Though
treated with the utmost care and with
great patience and kindness by the
Christian hands and hearts which re-
celved him, he pinned away and died.
after he had been in the orphanage a
little over four months. In all this time
he could not be made to utter word :;
he was never seen to smile nor show any
signs OF Joy or shame or gratitude But
MIR. Erhardt, who gave me this account,
assured me his face looked more intel
igent than the average of Hindoo chill
dren, and that his color and features
indicated that his parentage must have
been in a family of high caste.
The other boy I myself saw a few
days since at the orphanage, where he
was brought about six years ago, having
been then captured much as was the
hrst mentioned boy, and having shown
precisely the same habits as belonged to
him. He has not yet spoken a word.
but has exchanged the whine, which was
at first his only utterance, for sounds of
pleasure and apparently also of graft
tude. He no longer prefers raw flesh
for food, but eats bread and fruit with
ravenous avidity. He walks erect, but
with strangely awkward gait, throwing
out his hands with every step. His
hands are perfectly formed, but he uses
them awkwardly. A piece of bread
tossed to him from little distance.
which he was eager to get, he could not
catch, but let it fall clumsily to the
ground. He wears clothes, to which he
was at first averse as the other bow.
HIS forehead is low, but his face would
hardly be called dull, and certainly not
ldiotic. His eyes have wild and rest
less, but not an inquiring look. His
Jaws are not protruding, 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
n.
but not faithfully. He seems to have
lost all desire to escape; he mingles
freely with the other children, among
whom he has favorites. When the bow
first mentioned was brought to the or
phanage, this one was made to under
stand that he must teach the other how
to eat and drink and walk, and much of
the improvement in the younger one, in
these respects, seemed due to the other
one. The inference from these extraor-
binary instances is strangely at variance
with many afirmations now current. 1t
does not point in the least to mans deri-
vation from the lower creation, but ex-
actly to the reverse. If we only look ac-
curately and think closely we shall find
much more evidence, both in nature
and in history, that the lower creation
is mans descendant rather than his an |
cestor.
Automatic Telegraphy.