The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1882-12-23

food, including raw meat. The creature
was q boy of about nine years OF age; and
| it NAV here be stated that no female
wolf-child has ever been heard OF or
seen. 1t is not easy to assign suffl-
Gent reason for the fact that females
have never been SO discovered, unless we
suppose that, being less vigorously con-
stituted, they have been unable to with
stand the terrible hardships Of such an
existence, and have very soon sickened
and died.
In appearance this boy was exceed
ingly repulsive; his features were blunt
and coarse and their expression brutal
lied and insensible. As for his habits,
they were exactly those of wild ami
NAL.
Mr.. H caused minute inquiries to
be made throughout the neighboring
villages as to whether the inhabitants
had lost any children through their be-
| ing carried of by wolves, and il so,
whether they could recognise the human
waif that had been recovered, by means
of birth-marks, moles, or other such in
delible tokens. In the course OF few
DAYS the father and mother of the lad
were discovered. They identified him
by certain well-defined marks about the
breast and shoulders, and stated that
he had been carried away when about
| two years of age. His parents, how
ever. found him very difficult to man
age, for he was most fractions and
troublesome--in fact, just q Gagged wild
beast. Often during the night, for
hours together, he would give vent to
most unearthly yells and means, destroy
ing the rest and irritating the tempers
of his neighbors, and generally making
night hideous. On one occasion, his
people chained him by the waist to a
tree that stood near the hut, which was
situated on the outskirts of the village.
Then rather curious incident occurred.
1t was a bright moonlight night. and
two wolf-cubs-undoubtedly those in
whose companionship he had been capt
ured- attracted apparently by his cries.
while on the prowl, came to him, and
were distinctly seen to gambol about
and play with him, with as much famili-
arity and affection as if they considered
him quite one of themselves. They
only left him on the approach Of morn
ing, when movement and stir again arose
in the village.
The wolf-boy, however, did not sur
vive long. Accustomed to the wilds for
at least half q dozen years. captivity and
the change in his mode of life appeared
not to agree with him, for he gradually
pined away and died. He never spoke
a word; nor did a single ray of human
intelligence ever shed its refining light
over his poor debased features.
The next story taken is from q work
published some five-and-twenty. years
ago, by a then well-known Indian po-
litical officer.
There is now at Sultanpore a boy
who was found in q VOLTS den, near
Chandour on the Goomtee River. about
two and a-half years ago. A trooper,
sent by the native Governor to the dis
trict OF Chandour to demand the pay
ment of some revenue, was passing along
the banks of the Goomtee, when be saw
large female wolf leave her den, fol-
lowed by three whelps and boy. The
boy went on all fours and was on the best
possible terms with the dam and her
whelps; and the mother seemed to guard
all four with equal care. They went
down to the river and drank without per-
ceiving the native. who sat upon his
horse watching them. As soon as they
were about to turn back the trooper
pushed ON. intending to cut of and Sc
cure the boy; but the latter ran quite as
fast as the whelps and kept up easily
with its foster-parent. Eventually they
all re-entered the den. The trooper then
assembled some people with pickaxes
and attempted to dig them out. When
they had dug some seven or eight feet
into the bank the wolf escaped with her
cubs and the boy. They were pursued by
the trooper, followed by the fastest young
men Of the party on foot; the former
headed them, and turned the boy back
on to the men, who then captured him.
They took him to the village and tried to
make him speak, but could get no answer
save an angry growl or snarl. He was
some weeks at the village, and large
crowds assembled each day to see him.
On the approach Of grown-up person,
he became alarmed, and tried to steal
away; when, however. . child came near,
he rushed A. it with fierce snarl and
attempted to bite it. He rejected cooked
meat with disgust; but when raw meat
was offered, he seized it eagerly. put it
under his paws like dog, and ate it
with evident relish. He would not let
any person approach him while he was
eating, but had no objections to dog
coming and sharing his food with him.
1.-The lad was handed over to the Rajah
of Hasanpore, and soon after sent BY him
to Sultanpore, to Captain Nicholetts, the
European officer commanding the first
regiment of Dude local infantry. The
latter made him over to the care of his
servants. who take great care of him, but
can never get him to utter q syllable.
He is inoffensive, except when leased
Captain Nicholetts says), and viii then
growl surlily at the person annoying
him. He now eats almost anything
thrown to him, but prefers raw flesh,
which he devours greedily. A quilt
stuffed with cotton was given to him,
when the weather became very cold this