Sharp County record., 1879-12-04
A VERITABLE WILD MAN.
A Sad story of n Wrecked and Wasted Life
i'm the Wilds of California.


came upon rude hut in a small clear
inc, about six miles from Patchen, and
nearly the same distance from the Santa
Cruz stage road. Impelled by curiosity
they approached the structure, and,
finding the door open, went in. Imagine
their surprise and wonder at discover
inc as the sole inmate Of the room
there was but one), what must have
been originally intended for man. The
creature was but partially clothed, the
body from the waist upward and from
the knees downward being entirely
naked. His hair is long and matted,
and his face, brOnzed from exposure,
and scanned and SCARED from conflicts
with wild beasts or enemies of his own
race, presented an appearance that
startled the behOlders. Their cOnsterna-
ton was not lessened when they beheld
his eyes, which, protruding from their
sockets, glared like those of wild man.
His arms, breast and LEGS were covered
with long, coarse hair, and look at him
convinced the hunters that the strange
being was not q firm believer in the
axiom that " Cleanliness is akin to God
liness.n For a moment they gazed and
then were about to depart with
celebrity when the man beckOned
for them to remain, at the same
time muttering in some unintelligible
iargon. The hunters, not without trep-
idation, took seats on huge log, the
only furniture in the room. Casting
their eyer about they were still more as
tonished at what before had appeared to
be black mass of something around
and about the presumed owner of this
habitation. They saw at least fifty cats,
all black and of all sizes; some as large
and as fierce and wild looking as q
wild cat. Some of the larger started for
the visitors with spines erect, when the
man gave q peculiar whistle and all i'm
mediately clustered around him again.
Wondering what was to come next, the
hunters maintained, for some time, a
perfect silence. Then one spoke up and
asked the man how far it was to Patch
en-, but no answer came. Other queS-
tions were asked, but the man only
looked at them with puzzled stare.
All at once he leaped to his feet, gave q
yell that nearly curdled the blood of the
listeners, and bounded out of doors.
The cats followed and the hunters saw
them scampering away over the clear
ing into the brush and out of sight. At
ter remaining for some time in the room
the hunters, noticing a small box in one
corner, took it up, opened it and found
therein several sheets of writing paper,
old and faded and with writing hardly
legible. After considerable effort they
managed to read it, and were re-
warded with the following strange mar
rative, which explained what they de-
sired to know concerning the strange
occupant of the hut:
"ISLE OF JAMAICA, 1871.-My name
is r. E. Venta. My father, native of
Spain, and my mother an English
woman, died many years ago. | fear
that | am going crazy, that before an
other week arrives | shall be bereft of
reason. In order, then, that the world
may at some time know my strange his
tory, | have determined to write it down
while my senses are acute and my mind
clear. | have been for five years steward
on the plantation of Mr.. Morris. Two
years ago / married a creole, Felice
Gallegos, beautiful woman, and one
whom | believed could make me happy.
We lived in peace until our child was
born. An American then came to the
plantation and met Felice. They were
often together. | suspected nothing I'M
til | obtained complete and overwhelm-
ing proof of her infidelity. She came
home one night after meeting with her
lover, and then told her what | had
discovered. | can not remember what |
said. | only know that when | con-
cluded, this she-devil caught her child
from the bed and flung it on the floor
Then she sprang at me with uplifted
dagger and my face will show what re-
suited. / was unprepared for such an
attack, but managed to seize Felice and
wrest the dagger from her hands. Half
mad from the blow she had given me,
l caught her by the throat and plunged
the dagger into her breast; she sank
without a groan on the floor. Then |
must have been mad, for a week after
wards l found myself miles away, in the
forest. feel that | must leave, must
go somewhere, anywhere, and hide my
self. My brain troubles me and | am
afraid that shall soon 90 mad. Twill
write this and keep it with me. The
time may come when it may be given to
the world"
The wording ended here. The pre-
sumption was that Venta came to Cali
fornia, and wandering to the lonely
clearing in the Santa Cruz hills, erected
the hut and lived there alone. The
hunters remained until dusk, hoping to
meet the strange occupant again, but
he did not come. The next day they
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