River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1882-11-16
A WHO WOMAN OF THE WOODS.
Terror Inspired in North Carolina by
IA Baby eating Negress-Attempts to
Capture Her.
PHILADELPHIA Times.

/ rapture
Philadelphia Times
| For months past there have been ru-
mors of a terrible apparation, which
has frightened all the women and
children in Clear Creek Township. The
women say that for two weeks they
have been subject to terrifying 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
baby to eat, and makes efforts to get
hold of the children. The men getting
tired of the fears of their wives, deter
mined to 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 ago by John Roberts, a
blacksmith. The wild creature had
appeared several times at fire which
it was. the habit of Corey Moore, col
ored, of the neighborhood, to light
after dark in the yard of his house for
the preparation of his meals. Roberts
was put there to watch for her, and
she appeared even before the flames
were we'll kindled. She presented
such wild look in the half light and
asked for food in such wild fashion,
that Roberts was demoralized. He
recovered, however, but she slipped
through his hands and disappeared in
the dark shadows of the wood. Tues
day morning Mannar Steven 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 out
ran buck, and cleared four corn rows
at leap. That same night she was
again enticed from the gloom of the
woods by the kindling of fire, and
was chased by thirty men without sue
cess.
Car tain Marsh Allen later in the day
met her in the neighborhood, with her
face torn and bleeding, and q long,
bloody knife in her hand. The creature
was naked, and so unearthly and ter
rible-looking to him that he is not sure
it is human being. Her hair reached
almost to her feet, but was kinky, like
that of the African. 1t is not mere
fright which has caused the country
people to organize in their attempts TO
catch the creature, which has been liv-
ing in the forest and swamps for q year
or more. Some months ago, it is re-
ported, an infant was spirited away
from its parents yard while they were
in the cornfield, and was never neard
from, and the disappearance was from
that section of the country in which
the wild woman has been seen, and
mothers, white and black, are in terror
for fear their little ones may also be
come food for the cannibal negress,
Yesterday the farmers, some mount
ed and others on foot, assembled for
the purpose of surrounding swamp
in which the creature Is known TO be
hid. There were 400 men banded to-
gether for the chase. At first it was
attempted to run her dawn with blood
hounds, but they refused to chase her,
which deepened the surerstitious feel
ing with which the men as well as the
women, of the community began to re-
gard her. The men then made the
attempt TO catch her, but without sue
cess. The excitement among the ne
groes and simple country folks is in
tense. By the more intelligent farmers
from that section the theory is ad-
vanced that the creature is some half
witted woman, who has been so long
hunted down that she lives in terror
of all human beings, and therefore lives
like an animal in forests, her necessi-
ties having forced her to eat anything
she can get, even including human
flesh.