The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1874-12-26
2NiscellaneoMs.
JT0lf Children i1t India.

students of natural history aud even practical
sportsmen ,pich. settle for US once for all, while
I the documentary evidence in favor OF the ex-
| istence of such wolf children might exerci Use the
| ingenuity of some of our cleverest lawyers
| When they have done their work. and not till
then, the work of the comE al ative mythologist
will begin. | therefore proceed to put together
| some of the best authenticated cases of wolf
children, without, however, presuming myself
| to pronounce any opinion, either adverse or
| favorable.
The following extract is from letter receiv-
ed from the Rev. Mr.. Erhardt, Superintendent
of tho Orphanage at Secumdra, in reply to his
request for Information regarding boy in that
| institution, who was alleged to have been found
living with wol,
We have had two such boys here, but fancy
| you refer to the one who brought to us on
March g. 1872. He was found by Hindus, who
had gone hunting wolves in the neighborhood
| of Mynpurl. Had been burnt out of the den
| and was brought here with the scars end
| wounds still on him. In his habits he was a
perfect wild animal in every point of view.-
| He drank like dog, and liked a. bone and raw
meat better than anything else. He would
never remain with the other boys, but hide
| away in any dark corner. Clothes he never
would wear, but tore them up into fine shreds.
| He was only few months with us, as he got
the fever and gave up eating. We kept him
for time by artificial means, but eventually
he died.
The other boy found among wolves is about
thirteen or fourteen years old, and has been
here almost six. He has learned to make
sounds speak he cannot but he freely ex-
presses his anger and joy; work he will at
| times, little, but he likes eating better. His
civilization has progressed SO far that he likes
raw meat less, though he still will pick up
bones and sharpen his teeth on them.
Atthe Lucknow madhouse there was an elder
| ly fellow only four years ago, and may be alive
| now, who had been dug out of a wolves den by
| European doctor--when, forget, but it must
be good number Of years ago.
The facility with which they get along on
| four feet-hands and feet-is surprising. Be-
| fore they eat or taste food they smell it, and
when they don't like the smell they throw it
| away.
FERocITY OF THE CHILDREN.
A remarkable feature in all the stories is, that
| the wolves are invariably alleged to have com
| municated much OF their natural ferocity and
notably untamaole disposition to their foster
children, and attempts TO account for their
somewhat unwolf-like treatment of them.
| Stories of the same kind, and supported by
| much more business-like witnesses, have ap-
peared in Indian papers during the last fifty
years. The most important witness is the late
| Col. Sleeman, man of funimpeachablec charac-
| ter, one of those truly great men whose names
are less known than their works. He was COM
missioner for putting down Thuggee, and prob
ably knew more of the real life aud character
of the people of India than any Indian officer.
| According to Col. Sleeman, the number of the
| little victims carried off by wolves to be de-
youred is so great in some parts of India that
people make living by collecting from the
| dens Of wild animals the gold ornaments with
which children in India are always decked out
| by their parents. 1t is said even that the peo-
pie are unwilling to take part in any wholesale
| destruction of wolves for fear of losing their
| livelihood.
From a number of cases, more or less fully
attested, of wolves taking compassion on a
child, and bringing it up together with their
own cubs, l select the following:
A trooper, sent by the native Governor of
Chandour to demand payment of some revenue.
was passing along the bank of the river about
| noon, when he saw large female wolf leave
! her den, followed by three whelps and little
| boy. The boy went on all fours, and when the
trooper tried to catch him, he ran as fast as the
whelps, and kept up with the old one. They
all entered the den, but were dug out by the
people with pickaxes, and the boy was secured.
He struggled hard to rush into every hole or
den they came near. He became alarmed
| when he saw grown up person, but tried to
fly at children and bite them. He rejected
cooked meat with disgust, but delighted in raw
flesh and bones, putting them on the ground
under bis paws, like dog. They tried to
make him speak, but could get nothing from
him but an angry growl or snarl.
CHARACTERISTIC OF THE BOY.
So far the evidence rests on native witnesses,
and might be considered as more or less doubt,
full. But the boy, after having spent short
ward forwarded to Capt. Nicholetts, the Euro
pean officer commanding the First Regiment
Of Dude Local Infantry at sultanpoor. Capt.
Nicholetts made him over TO the charge of his
servants, and their accounts completely con-
firm what was stated before. The wolf-child
vih b.,f
meat. He once ate half lamb without any
effort He never kept on any kind Of clothing
and quilt stuffed with cotton, given to him in
the cold weather, was torn by him and partly
swallowed.
In letter, dated the 18th and 10th of Sep
tember, 1850, Capt. Nicholetts informed Col.
Sleeman that the boy had died in the latter
end of August. He had never been known to
laugh or smile. He formed no attachment,
and seemed to understand little of what was
said to him. He was about nine years old
when found, and lived about three years after
ward. He would run on all fours, but occasion
ally he walked uprghtly. He never spoke !;
but when he was hungry he pointed to his
mouth. Only within few minutes before his
death the servants relate that he put his hands
to his head, and said 'it ached," and asked for
water he drank it, and died.
A REMARKABLE CASE.
Another instance happened at Chupra In
March, 1s43, man and his wife went out to
cut their crop of wheat. The woman was lead
ing her boy, who had lately recovered from a
severe scald on the left knee. While his pa
rents were engaged the child was carried off by
a wolf In 1849 a wolf with three cubs was
seen about ten miles from Chupra, followed by
boy. The 10y, after fierce resistance, was
caught, and was recognized by the poor Guilt.
vator's widow by the mark of a scald on the
left knee, and three marks of the teeth of an
animal on each side of his back. He would
eat nothing but raw flesh, and could never be
brought to speak. He used to mutter some-
thing, but never articulated any word distinct