The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1883-05-10
A Kentucky Wild Man.

bound for New York from the west ON
the day express was a wild man, who
occupied seat in smoking car No. 153.
He was accompanied by James Harvey
and Raymond Boyd, his captoSs, both of
whom belong in Paducah County, Ken
lucky. They had three second class
tickets to New York, which privileges
them to three seats in the sn1oking-car
of any first-class train. When the day
express arrived at the Broad Street sta
tlon, st eight O'clock, James Harvey ran
down the platform into the restaurant
and purchased box of sardines and
some sandwiches for the wild man s
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 low
howl like a 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 ;ls
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 ssLizard
Rock. A little over six years ago two
or three citizens of Paducah County,
while out hunting, saw him running into
his cave without stitch of clothing on
him. Three years ago it was discov-
cred that a thick coat of hair had grown
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 It took two DAYS to
accustom the man-beast to their pres
ence. The tinkle of a small dinner-bell
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 '.Mum'sh 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 veaomous
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
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
ont OF his restless eyes, like a panther
about to pounce on its prey. Every time
the engineer blew his whistle the wild
man would grab the back of the seat with
hnfh hands asr6 h1l Al
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 of the ex-herrnit.
who sat and looked at it silently, but
would not touch it.
When Conductor Harry Smith took
out his glistening nickel-piated 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 supposing, evidently, that
Conductor Smith was about to wing him
Boyd and Harvey said that there was a
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 shortly after the war he had muir
dered a whole family of settlers In the
mountain and fled Both BOYD and
Harvey appear like shrewd fellows. and
expect to make a fortune out of their
prize. Their great anxiety and fear is
that the authorities will interfere with
them and claim that the man is simply a
lnnatic and place him in some institu-
ton. They had the snake skins in a box
IN the baggage car, together with some
other curiosities found in the cave. Boyd
said that the wild man viii not touch
anything but fruit and meat, which he
eats ravenously. and much the same as
wild beast. Cigar smoke bothered him
good deal, and he kept driving it avay
from him with his claw hands. When
the train arrived in jersey CITY the men
took carriage and said they were going
to take the New Haven night boat from
the foot OF Peck slip and avoid daylight
crowd in New York. Philadelphia Ps.ess
For giving tobacco to a giraffe in
Central Park q New York man was fined
$500.