Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-03-15
A KENTUCKY WILD MAN.
The Newest Acquisition to the Circus
and Menagerie Business.

Philadelphia Press.
Among the passengers last night bound
for New York from the West on the day
express was a wild man, who occupied a
seat in smoking car 1853. He was accom-
panied by James Harvey and RAYMOND
Boyd, his captors, both of whom belong
to Paducah county, Ky. They had three
second class tickets to New York, which
privileges them to three seats in the
smoking car of any tirst-class train. They
were on their way to Bridgeport, Conn.,, to
make arrangements with P. i. Barnum to
exhibit their prize in conjunction with
his circus.
When the day express arrived at the
Broad Street Station, at O'Clock, James
Harvey ran down the platform, into the
restaurant, and purchased box of sar-
dimes 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 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 eve
brOws are much heavier than those of an
ordinary human being. There is nothing
imbecile in the wild mans manners or ac-
tiOns. He cannot talk and seldom makes
any sound whatever except a low howl
like those of hyena in the Geological Gar
den 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
nair as thick as the hair on horses hide.
The palms Of his hands looked like the
paws of bear, and his finger nails, which
were over an inch long, resembles 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 anyone.
Finally he abandoned the hut and took up
his abode in 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, without a
stitch of clothing on him. He was seen
several times after that wearing no
clothing. Three years ago it was dis
covered that a thick coat of hair had
grown all over his body.
Boyd and Harvey built big man-trap
for him over three weeks ago, and placed
a big piece of freshly killed beef in it,
AhCs NotChSu tldD tOI tuT6G udIS
before he entered it. He was not afraid
of any bird or beast of prey, but ran terri
fed away from any human being who
approached him, 1t took two DAYS to
accustom the man-beast to their presence,
The tinkle of small dinner bell they used
had great influence over him. He
watched the bell intently, but would not
touch it,
Some time ago farmer missed a calf
tVVn xtrhin boI n
They were tracked to "Mum's' 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 skeleton of small ami
mails 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
lizards, and hundreds of tOads hoped
about.
The wild man ate the box of sardines
voraciOusly, and the two sandwiches
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 had passed he would put
his hand to his ear and listen with a look
restless eyes, like a panther about to
pOunce on its prey.
Every time the engineer blew his whis-
tie the wild man would grab the back of
the scat with both hands and hold on I'M
til the whistle ceased blowing.
Boyd had little tin music box which
he manipulated with a crank. The one
tune of 'Empty is the Cradle" was ground
again and again to the great satisfaction
M ~ m Saf -
silently, but would not touch it.
When Conductor Harry Smith took out
his glistening nickle-plated punch to can
eel the tickets the wild man watched the
punch intently until he heard il snap.
Then he got down in the corner of the
seat, fairly shivering with fear, and set
up low howl suppOsing, 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 sharp
shooter ON Bald Mountain, and that short
ly after the war he had murdered whole
family of settlers in the mountains and
fled.
Both Boyd and Harvey appear like
shrewd fellows, and expect to make a for
tune out OF their prize. Their great anXi-
ETY. and fear is that the authorities will
AhoSAl WIN theill, anu CHILLI luaJ U1e
man is simply lunatic, and place him in
some institution. They had the snake
skins in a box in the baggage car, to-
gether with some other curiosities found
in the cave. Boyd said that the wild man
will not touch anything but fruit and
meat, which he eats ravenously, and much
the same as wild beast. Segar smoke
bothered him a good deal, and he kept
driving it away from him with his clawy
hands.
When the train arrived in Jersey City
the men took a carriage, and said they
were going to take the New Haven night
boat from the foot of Peck's Slip, and
avoid daylight crowd in New York. In
case they cannot make satisfactory terms
With Barnum, or some other prominent
circus man, they intend exhibiting their
prize themselves as soon as they can ex-
tensively advertise him, beginning in New
York city some time in May.
In the meantime they are going to keep
him in some secluded place on Long
Island.