Connecticut western news., 1874-02-06
A Pair of Brutes.
Remarkable and Horrible History of a
 Wild Human Family.

A Pair or Brutess
 Remarkable and Horrible History of a | Wild Human Family.
 William Parks, aged about twenty one years, has been lodged in jail al Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, for re peated attempts to take the life of his father, Stephen Wells Parks, of the town of Monroe. This brings into prominence the history of the Parks family, known as the "Wlld Family oi Monroe" which, without exceeding the bounds of truth in the least, is one o1 the most singular on record.
 In the fall of 1871 party from Pitts ton were hunting in the mountains. IT wild, lonely spot, miles from any habitation, one of them, hearing 6 rustling in the leaves and bushes or one side of him, was astounded to see 6 young woman, perfectly nude, digging among the leaves. apparently for beech nuts. She was on her hands and knees, and was not aware of the hunters presence for some time. When she saw him she uttered harsh cry and started off like deer through the woods and was soon out of sight. Determined, if possible, to find out something more in regard to this singular apparition, the hunter summoned his companions to- gether, told them what he had seen, ,and proposed that they follow in the direc- tion she had taken, and endeavor to learn where she had come from.
 The party walked for about mile through the woods and came to Q small clearing. In one corner of this clear ing was a miserable hovel, built of logs and with roof of straw. They went towards it. Before they reached it the girl who had been seen by their com panion came out of the door, and fol- lowing after her was 8 boy, also en- tirely naked. They jumped about tue door, as if playing, on all fours, pick ing up something from the ground oc- casionally and eating it. The hunters stood for moment speechless with sur prise at the most singular spectacle, and then approached nearer. They were soon seen by the wild beings-for wild they surely were-who at once ran swiftly off and hid in the woods. f.-f
 Coming up to the. door of the hut, the hunters looked in. On 8 bench in the middle of the room sat an old man, reading fromfa large book which rested on his knees. His clothing was scant and ragged, and evidently made by himself. A long white beard reached nearly to his waist, and, like his hair was matted and unkempt. There was no furniture in the room, except the bench. In one corner some straw was scattered about as if for 8 bed. The bare ground formed the floor. Near one end of the room hole was dug, in which there was fire. Over this was | I,s ah you boiling. Everything betokened the most abiect 0retchedness; filth and dirt were on every side. .. ... t .
 The old man arose when the strangers came to the door. He was below the medium height, and had asharp, bright eye and an intelligent face. He invited the gentlemen into his house, and asked them, in polite terms, the nature of their errand. The hunters were at a loss at first to explain, but finally told the old man what they had seen ill the woods and about his door, and expressed curiosity to know who and what the strange beings were.
 The old man laughed and said:
 "Those are my children, William and Melvina-brother and sister. They appear peculiar to strangers, no doubt, but I'm used to 'em. Clothes are of not much account, anyhow, here in the woods" I- a'
 The old man then stepped to the door and gave peculiar shout. Very soon his children were seen to emerge from the woods and come stealthily toward the house, gesticulating and chattering strange gibberish, and now and then laughing idiotically. They came near enough to afford sufficient scrutiny. Both were we'll formed, with the excep. tion of the lower limbs, which were dis torted. The girls face, although lack ing any sign of intelligence, was not unprepossessing The boys features were repulsive. Their heads were small 1 the foreheads slanting far back. Long, matted hair hung from their heads, and their skin was nearly black with dirt and exposure. While the strangers were looking at them, the boy, with no apparent provocation, struck his sister blow in the face, uttering peculir cry. She ran across the clearing and the boy followed her, seizing 8 stick that lay on the ground. The father started after them, shouting, "Let her alone, Bill Let her alone, I say y "BilI' did not catch his sister, how ever, and ran off in another direction. The old man returned to his guests, l who could not repress their astonish- ment and disgust, but solicited an ex- l planation of the extraordinary and I almost incredible scenes which they I beheld.
 The old man, without any hesitation, Il told them the history of himself and his wild children. His name, he said, was Stephen Wells Parks. He was born in Luzerne. county, Pa, and was fifty I years of age. When he was twenty-five 4 years of age he married, and moved, 1 with his wife. to the farm where the hunters found him. His wife's health, Il he said, was 2poor, and her mind very \ weak. His daughter Melvina was born in 1850. She never had any care from her mother after she could walk, and nc clothing except cloth wrapped about her when it was cold. William was born two years afterwards, and was treated in the same way. Parks and his wife believed that it was useless to clothe their children out in the wilder. ness where they lived. Neither of the children ever spoke Q word beyond their strange gibberish, which they ap. parently- understood. They ran wild in the woods, living on roots, beech nuts, berries, and sometimes killing and eating snakes and toads. Walking so much on their hands and knees, hunting their food, occasioned the dis tortion of their legs. Melvina had al. ways been of, @ docile. gentle disposi tion and easily managed. William was quite the contrary. He was vicious and ugly from the time he could creep, and at the time the hunters discovered the family, was getting quite .unmanage able. t, .H.- as} .,. .f Il
 The e farm"a was used merely tc raise enough potatoes and pumpkins tc furnish food for the father and mother