The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-05-26
wild Bill OF Mississippi.

Reading of the discovery recently of a
wild man in the Antelope range of noun
tains in this State, recalls to memory the
capture of wild white human being in
the swamps bordering the great river Of
the West below the city OF, Natchez, in
the State of Mississippi, in the year
1924, who had grown from childhood up
to mans estate without seeing single
person of his own species until he was
found by his captors. Believing that
the incidents of the story will prove of
interest to the readers of the Examiner,
they are herewith given: In Wilkinson
county, in the State above named, just
above the old town of Fort Ada rs, there
is a strip of country known as Old River,
which was seldom visited by the pioneer
settlers of that region, and then only for
the purposes of fishing and hunting, as
both game and fish were there to be
found in abundance. In that year a
party of hunters to their establishment
discovered the naked footprints of
human being leading through the mud
and water of the old bed of this river.
Their curiosity was the more strangely
excited from the fact that no one
resided in the immediate vicinity OF
that place, and the settled portions were
but sparsely populated. To discover
who it was that made the footprint they
hunted several days in succession with
their dogs, and finally brought to bay in
q drove of wild hogs, tall, sinewy hui
man being in a state of perfect nudity.
He brandished in his hand stout stick,
with which he defended himself against
the dogs, the hogs rallying around him,
seemingly for his protection. He gave
utterance to no Ineligible sounds, only
yells of rage and screeches. They bound
and carried him to the town OF Wood
vile, the seat of justice of the county,
some twenty miles distant. He was in
every respect veritable human being,
with good coating of hair over his body
which, it is to be inferred, nature fur
nishes ali creatures, otherwise unpro-
tected, to shield them from the elements.
He had lost the power of speech, which
indicated that he had been left to himself
when very young. By kind treatment he
soon became domesticated, his faculty. of
speech was restored, and he gave this
account of himself: When quite boy,
supposed some six or seven years, his
father presumably came down the
Mississippi river from some of the
Western States and Territories in fiat
boat with his mother, his elder sister
and himself, and landed at the mouth
of Old River, near where the town of
Fort Adams now stands, where they re-
NAMED for several days. One day the
father killed his mother and sister with
an axe. Instigated by fear the boy ran
off and concealed himself in q hollow
log. His father hunted him, calling him
Billy" but he remained silent in his
place of concealment. Being unable to
find the boy. he loosened the fatboat
from its fastenings, and ioated down the
river, as was supposed, to New Orleans.
Left alone at so tender an age, in wild,
uninhabited section, the law of necessity
became to him the law of existence.
The climate being mild, made it favora-
BILE to him. He selected magnolia or
bay tree, hollow at the base, which, in
that section, grew to great size and made
himself bed of leaves and moss, where
he STAYED at night and took shelter when
it rained. For food he subsisted on frogs,
tadpoles, such fish as he could catch and
the wild fruit that grew there in the
summer. Thus he managed to live
u0Ill the tlIue VI ulo CuPtuiC' AAO
habits of this unfortunate being, and the
changes winch took place in him
from the time his intellect began to de.
velop by coming in contact with civil-
zation, is interesting to contemplate.
At first the emotions of shame he knew
nothing of, and it was difficult to make
him wear clothing when the weather was
warm. Whenever hunger pinched him.
and he could obtain nothing else to sat
isfy his appetite, he would return to his
original diet of frogs. raw fish, etc. An
amusing instance of this kind occurred
on one occasion. It was the fortune OF
the writer of this to be in the family who
had "Wild Bill in charge. On one
Saturday he, with Bill, each on horse.
with bag of corn, were sent to mill
some miles in the country. Being de-
tanned by the miller until evening, Bill
became hungry. Returning home, he
heard frog croaking in lagoon by the
wayside. Instantly he sprang from his
horse and cautiously waded into the
water, stopping until it reached his chin,
so as not to alarm the frog. Guided by
its croaking on the opposite bank. he
moved slowly until he came within
reach of it, and darting forth his hand,
he seized the frog, and taking it by the
legs, tore them asunder and ate it with
a relish. For a long time he was ire
sponsible, and required to be in charge
Of some one to keep him out OF mischief