The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1883-03-23
A Kentucky Wild Man.
A MAN COVERED WITH THICK HAIR, WHO
REFUSES BREAD, But voRACIoUsLY
EATS MEAT AND REIIsHEs
FRUIT, LIVING AS A HER
NIT FOR TWELVE
YEARS.

Among the passengers recently
bound for New York from the West
was wild man, who occupied seat
in smoking car 1853. He was accom-.
panied by James Harvey and Ray
mond Boyd, his captors, both of whom
belong in Paducah County, Kentucky.
They had three second-class tickets to
New York, which privileges them to
three seats in the smoking car of any
first-class train. They were on their
way to Bridgeport, Connecticut, to
make arrangements with i. 7. Bar
mum to exhibit their prize in conjuuc-
tion with his circus.
When the day express arrived at
the Broad Street Station, at 9 o'clock,
James Harvey ran down the platform,
into the restaurant and purchased
box of sardines and some sandwiches
for the wild mans supper. His COM
panion remained in the smoker in
charge of the wild man.
He was dressed in citizens dress
and wore big cloth shoes. His hair
reaches nearly to his waist and falls
over his shoulders, completely covering
his back his beard is long and thick,
while his eyebrows are much heavier
than those of an ordinary human
being. There is nothing imbecile in
the wild mans manners or actions.
He cannot talk and seldom makes any
sound whatever except a low howl
like leopard. His actions are as
much like those of hyena in the
Geological Garden as it is possible for
anything in human form to be.
Raymond Boyd, who seemed to
have perfect control over the wild
man, said his body was covered with
coarse, brown hair as thick as the hair
on horses hide. The palms of his
hands looked like the paws of n bear,
aud his finger nails, which were over
an inch long, resembled the claws of
an eagle.
THE DISCOVERY AND CAPTURE.
He was first seen in Paducah county
thirteen years ago, and was known as
"Mum, the Hermit" because when
ever anyone accosted him all he would
say was, "Mums the word He
lived in an old pine hut in the woods
for five years, and was seldom seen by
anyone. Finally he abandoned the
hut and took up his abode in a cave
under ledge of rocks known as
"Lizard Rock" A little over six
years ago two or three citizens Of
Paducah county, while out hunting,
saw him running into his cave, with.
out stitch of clothing on him. He
was seen several times after that wear.
ing no clothing Three years ago il
was discovered that a thick coat Of
hair had grown all over his body.
Boyd and Harvey built a big man
trap for him over three weeks ago
and placed big piece of freshly killed
beef in it. They watched the trap fol-
three days before he entered it. He
was not afraid of any bird or beast o.
prey, but ran terrified away from any
human being who approached him. II
took two days to accustom the man
beast to their presence. The tinkle Of
a small dinner bell they used had ;
great influence over him. He watched
the bell intently but would not touch
it.
EATING A LIVE CALF AND TWO SHEEP.
Some time ago farmer missed
calf and two sheep, which had strayeC
Off They were tracked to "Mum's
cave; here all trace of them was lost
and it was supposed he devoule'
them
In his cave, which he had occupie,
for the last seven or eight years, Boy
and Harvey found the skeletons O
small animals and the skins of owe
fifty snakes. Some of the skins be
longed to the most venomous specie
of reptiles. The floor of the cave wa
alive with red and green lizards, an
hundreds of toads hcpped about,
The wild man ate the box of sal
dimes voraciously, and the two sane
wiches which were handed him wer
greedily pulled apart. He ate the har
and threw the bread away. Wher
ever train passed on the opposit
track he crouched down in the corne
of the seat terror stricken. After tn
train had passed he would put hi
hand to his ear and listen with a loo
of animal cunning stealing out of h
restless eyes like panther about t
pounce on its prey,
Every time the engineer blew h
whistle the wild man would grab I'll
back of the seat with both hands an
hold on until the whistle ceased bloy
ing.
Boyd had a little tin music be
, which he manipulated with a Gran
The one tune of Empty is the CIR
die was ground again and again
the great satisfaction of the ex-herm
who sat and looked at it silently, b
! would not touch it
: AFRAID OF THE CONDUCTOR PUNCH,
When Conductor Harry Smith too
out bis glistening nickle-plated pun4
. to cancel the tickets the wild IN,
watched the punch intently until
9 heard it snap. Then he got down
the corner of the seat, fairly shiveril
! with fear, and set up low howl su
posing, evidently, that Conduct
Smith was about to wing him,
Boyd and Harvey said that the
was a story to the effect that the W
man had originally come from Nol
y Carolina, and that during the war
! had been sharp-shooter on Bald MOI
tain, and that shortly after the war
!, had murdered a whole family of s
% tiers in the mountain aud fled.
- u Both Boyd and Harvey appear Ii
y! shrewd fellows, and expect to max,
u fortune out of their prize. Tn
!, great anxiety and fear is that the
IL thorilies will interfere with them, a
49, claim that the man is simply lunat
'o and place him in some institute
= They had the snake skins in box
the baggage car, together with so
other curiosites found in the ca
ne Boyd said the wild man will not tol
h, anything hut fruit and meat, which
oil eats ravenously, and much the same
an wild beast, Segar smoke bottle