The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-04-13
A Kentucky Wild Man.

A Kentucky Wild Man.
| Among the passengers the other night
bound for New York from the west on
| the day express was q wild man, who
occupied seat in smoking car No. 1853.
He was accompanied by James Harvey
and Raymond Boyd, his captors, both Of
whom belong in Paducah County, Ken
lucky. They had three secsnd-class
tickets to New York, which privileges
them to three seats in the sm0king-car
of any first-class train. When the day
express arrived at the Broad Street sta
tlon, at eight o'clock, James Harvey ran
down the platform into the restaurant
| and purchased q box of sardines and
some sandwiches for the wild mans
supper. His companion remained in the
smoker in charge of the wild man. He
was dressed in citizens dress an wore
big cloth shoes. His hair reaches nearly
to his waist and falls over his shoulders,
completely covering his back; his beard
as long and thick. while his eyebrows
are much heavier than those of an or
binary human being, There is nothing
imbecilic in the wild mans manners of
actions. He can not talk, and seldom
makes any sound whatever except a low
howl like leopard. His actions are as
much like those of the hyena in the
Geological Garden as 1t is possible for
| anything in human form to be. Ray
mond 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 a horses hide. The
palms of his hands looked like the paws
of bear, and his finger-nails, which
were over an inch long, resembled the
claws of an eagle.
He was first seen in Paducah County
thirteen years ago, and was known as
''Mum, the Hermit" because whenever
anyone accosted him all he would say
was, "Mum's the word" He lived in
an old pine hut in the woods for about
five years, and was seldom seen by any
one. Finally he abandoned the hut and
took up his abode in cave under a
ledge of rocks known as the "Lizard
Rock" A little over six years ago two
or three citizens of Paducah County,
while out hunting, saw him running into
his cave without a stitch of clothing on
him. Three years ago it was discov-
Cicu tubt d tulCh CUitL vi HdlT lldu OTOWH
all over his body. Boyd and Harvey
built man-trap for him over three days
before he entered it. He was not afraid
of any bird or beast of prey, but ran ter
ritied away from any human being who
approached him. 1t took two days to
accustom the man-beast to their pres
ence. The tinkle of a small dinner-belI
they used had a great influence over
him. He watched the bell intently but
would not touch it.
Some time ago farmer missed calf
and two sheep, which had strayed off.
They were tracked to NUNS" cave;
here all trace of them was lost, and it Is
supposed he devoured them. In his
cave, which he had occupied for the last
seven or eight years, Boyd and Harvey
found the skeletons of small animals and
the skins of over fifty snakes. Some of
the skins belonged TO the most venomous
species of reptiles. The floor of the
cave was alive with red and green liz
ards, and hundreds of toads hoped
about. The wild man ate the box of sar-
dimes voraciously and the two sand
witches which were handed him were
greedily pulled apart. He ate the ham
and threw the bread away. Whenever
a train passed on the opposite track he
crouched down in the corner of the seat
terror stricken. After the train passed
he would put his hand to his ear ard listen
with look of animal cunning stealing
out of his restless eyes, like panther
aboIt to pOunce on its prey. Every time
the engineer blew his whistle the wild
man would grab the back of the seat with
both hands and hold on until the whistle
ceased blowing. Boyd had little tin
music-boX which he manipulated with
crank. The one tune of empty is the
Cradle was ground againand again tc
the great satisfaction of the ex-hermit,
who sat and looked at it silently, but
would not touch it.
When Conductor Harry Smith took
out his glistening niekel-plated punch to
cancel the tickets the wild man watched
the punch intently until he heard it snap
Then he got down in the corner OF the
sat fairly shivering with fear, and set
up low howl surprising, evidently, that
Conductor Smith was about to wing him.
Boyd and Harvey said that there was
story to the effect that the wild man had
originally come from North Carolina,
and that during the war he had been a
on Bald Mountain, and
that shortly after the war he had MUIR
dered whole family of settlers in the
and fled. Both Boyd and
Harvey appear like shrewd fellows, and
expect to make fortune out of their
prize. Their great anxiety and fear is
that the authorities will interfere with
them and claim that the man is simplya
lunatic and place him in some institu-
ton. They had the snake skins in box
in the baggage car, together with some
other curiOsities found in the cave. Boyd
said that the wild man will not touch
but fruit and meat, which he
eats ravenously, and much the same as
, wild beast. Cigar smoke bothered him
= good deal. and he kept drivingit away
from him with his claw hands When
he train arrived in Jersey City the men
ook carriage and said they were going
% take the New Haven night boat from
he foot of Peck slip and avoid daylight
,rowd in New York.-Philadeipht Press.