Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1882-11-04
A WILD WOMAN Of THE WOODS.
Terror Inspired Ina North Carolina
by a BabY-ERting Negroes.
Charlotte, y. C., Special 10 Philadelphia

Terror Inspired ina North Carolina
by a Raby-ERting Negress.
Charlotte, y. C., Special 10 Philadelphia
Times.
For months past there have been
rumors Of a terrible apparitiOn
which has frightened all the women
and children in Clear Creek town
ship, The women say that for two
weeks they have been subject to ter
rifying visits, in the absence OF their
husbands, from a creature like
shiny black negress, with long hair
and cleaning eyes. She asks in
hardly distinguishable gibberish for
IA baby TO eat and makes efforts TO
get hold of the children. The men,
getting tired of the fears of their
wives, determined 10 try to catch
the creature and for the last week
crowds of farmers have been daily
and nightly chasing her, without
success. The first effort to catch her
was made week or two ago by
John Roberts, a blacksmith. The
wild creature had appeared several
times at a fire, which it was the
habit of Corey More, colOred, of
the neighbOrhOOd, to light after dark
in the yard of his house for the prep
aratiOn OF his meals. Roberts was
put there TO watch for her and she
appeared even before the flames
were well kindled. She presented
such a wild look in the half light
and asked for food in such a wild
fashion that Roberts was democrat
lied. He recovered, however, made
an cutlery and attempted to seize
the woman, but she slipped through
his hands and disappeared in the
dark shadows Of the woods, Tues
day morning Mannar Steve Cawell
caught sight of the creature and
chased her across an open field. He
was badly hurt in his efforts to keep
up with her, and reported that she |
Outran buck and cleared four corn |
rows at leap. That same night |
she was again enticI.d from the |
gloom OF the woods by the kindling |
of a fire, and was chased by thirty |
men w1thOutsueceSs. Captain Marsh |
Allen later in the day met her in
the neighborhOod, with her face /
torn and bleeding, and long bloody |
knife in her hand. The creature
was naked, and so unearthly and
terrible looking to him that he says
he is not sure it is human being.
Her hair reached almost to her feet,
but was kinky, like that of the AZ
rican. 1t is not mere fright which
has caused the country people to
organize in their attempts to catch
the creature, which has been living
in the forest and swamps for a year
or more. Some months ago, 1t is
reported, an infant was spirited
away from its parents yard while
they were in the cornfield and was
never heard from, and the diSapper-
ance was from that section of the
country in which the wild woman
has been seen, and mothers, white g.
and black are in terror for fear their
little ones may also become food for
the cannibal negreSs. Yesterday
the farmers, some mounted and
others on foot, assembled for the pur-
pose of surrounding a swamp in
which the creature is known to be
hid. There were four hundred men
banded tOgather for the chase. AT
first il was attempted to run her
down with blOOdhounds, but they (
refused to chase her, which deepened
the superstitious feeling with which {
the men, rs well as the community,
began to regard her. Thementhen 4
made the attempt to catch her, out I
without success. The excitement {
among the negroes and simple {
country folks is intense. BY the
more Intelligent farmers from that {
section the theory is advanced that
the creature is some half-witted !
woman, who has been so long hun
ted down that she lives in terror of |
all human beings, and therefore {
lives like an animal in forests, her
necessities having forced her to eat
she can get, including even
human flesh.