Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1882-11-04

a Baby.eatiug Negress ia North
Carolina.

a Baby.eatiug Negress in North
Carolina
For months past, says a special dispatch
from Charlotte, \. c., 10 the Philadelphia
Times, there have bees rumors Of terri
BILE eapparition which has frightened all the
womea and children In Clear Greek town.
ship. The women say that tor two weeks
they have been subject TO terrifying visits,
in the absence of their husbands, from
creature like shiny black negrcss, with
long hair and cleaning eyes. She asks in
hardly tlis,ingnishabieg gibberish for baby
to eat, and makes efforts TO get hold Of the
children. The men, getting tired Of the
fears ef their wives, determined TO try TO
catch the creature, and for the last week
crowds OF farmers have been daily aud
nightly chasing her, without success. The
first effort 10 catch her was made week
ago by John Roberts, a blacksmith. The
a. a FIRE, which il Was the habit OF forey
Moore, colored, Of the neighborhood, 10
light after dark in the yard Of his house
for the preparation Of his meals. Roberts
was put there 10 watch for her, and she
appeared even before the danes were well
kindled. She presented such wild look
il the half light aud asked for food la such
n wild fashion that Roberts MAS desnorai-
lied. lie recovered, however, made an
outcry, aud attempted 10 seize the woman,
but she slipped through his hands and dis
appeared in the dark shadows of the wood.
Tuesday morning Mannar Steven Cawell
caught sight of the creature and chased her
across an open field. lie was badly hurt
in his efforts TO keep up with her, and re-
ported that she outran \ buck and cleared
four corn rows at a leap. The same night
she Was again enticed from the gloom OF
the woods by the kindling OF fire, and
was chased by thirty men without success
Capt. Marsh Allen later In the day met
her ia the neighborhood, with her face
torn and bleeding aud 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 II is human
being. Her hair reached almost 10 her
feet, but was kinky, like that Of the Afri-
can. Ii is not mere fright which has
caused the country people to organize In
their attempts to catch the creature, which
has been living Ia the forests and swamps
for year or more. Some months ago, IL
Is reported. an infant was spirited away
from It's parents yard while they were I'm
the corniield and was never heard from,
and the disappearance was from that see
ton of the county I'm which the wild
woman has been seen; and mothers. white
and black, are In terror for fear their little
ones may also become food for the cannlbal
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 together
for the chase. At first Ii was attempted
to run her down with bloodhounds, but
.hey refused TO chase her, which deepen
ell the superstitious feeling with which
the men as well as the women Of the COM
munity began to regard her. The men
then made the attempt to catch her, but
without Success. The excitement among
the negroes and simple country folks ID
intense. BY the more intelligent farmers
from that section tho theory Is advanced
that the creature Is some half-witted wo-
man, who has been so long hunted down
that she lives in terror Of all human beings,
and therefore lives like an animal In for
ests, her necessities having forced her TO
eat anything she can get, including even
human flesh.