The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-08-05
Beast Men.

The young lad at school, when he be-
gins the study of the classics, and reads
of Romulus and Remus being sucked
and raised by wolf, an animal that he
has heard and read of as being one of
the most ferocious OF all the carnivora,
thinks to himself what terrible lot of
liars these old classical authors were.
But of late years scientific investigation
has unraveled much that renders It not
improbable that the old Roman histo-
rians spoke the truth, for children have
been discovered reared in caves possess
ing animal habits and tastes-wolf char
acteristics-that has led naturalists to
assert that wolves do raise children.
The beast-men and wolf-children of
India and Europe resemble savage races
on the one hand and many wild animals
on the other in the non-possession of
other shelter than that which is afforded
by the caves and forests They have
no proper dwelling, and no capacity
for constructing any. In India they
live in caves just as do the wolves, with
which they associate, and by which it is
believed in some instances they are
brought up. Gerhardt says that at the
Lucknow Mad-house was an elderly fell
low who had been dug out of wolves
den by European doctor. These
wolf-children, as they are called, tear
and eat raw flesh, gather and gnaw
bones like dogs, catch and swallow flies,
bite the heads off live fowls, lap water
with their tongues. One of them is
thus described: He drank like a dog,
and liked bone and raw meat better
than anything else. His civilization
has progressed so far that he likes raw
meat less, though he will still pick up
bones and sharpen his teeth on them
Then there are others who before they
eat or taste food smell it, and when
they don't like the smell they throw it
away. A boy found in company with
female wolf and her cubs rejected
cooked meat with disgust, but delight
ed in raw flesh and bones, putting them
on the ground like a dog, under his
paws, says Colonel Sleeman. Prof
Max Muller, who saw the same boy,
says the wolf-child would devour any
thing, but preferred raw meat. He
even ate half lamb without any eff
fort. Even quilt stuffed with cotton,
given him in cold weather, was torn by
him and partly swallowed.
These children have a number of ami
NAL characteristics that have puzzled
the scientists, such as the squirrel-like
habit of climbing trees, as Peter Of
Hanover and Victor of Aveyron did;
proving at night and hiding in solitary
places and sleeping by day; tapping or
sucking water like an OK, horse or dog,
which the Aveyron wild boy did; eating
raw flesh; swapping at flies and canni-
balism; smelling food before eaing ii
and eating acorns and raw fruits, such
as seeds, roots, bark, leaves, grass,
both of which characteristics were pc
culiar to the two boys above mentioned.
Ferocious biting boy found with
the wolf and her cubs in India flew at
and tried to bite children. Such chill
dren never smile, are insensible to
kindness, and show no signs of Joy and
have no sense of shame. They have
an absolute repugnance to clothing OF
any sort, and do not have spoken
language, only yell, howl and whine
HanoveriOn Peter uttered no sound,
while Victor's voice was imperfect and
gutteral. They can not be educated
any more than an idiot. DR.. Arbuthu-
not at the request of George |. attempt
ed to educate Peter, the wild boy, but
he could not be taught to do the simplest
act without superintendent. One of
couple of wolf children of Dude, India,
is described by Prof. Seely which
died in the midst of Anglo-Indian civil
ization, but the child considered he was
in captivity all the time. His habits in
the woods has been those of a wolf, and |
despite all the reformatory efforts he
died as he lived, a beast-child.
There are some scientific men who |
claim that these children are abandoned |
idiots who have been left to perish; but |
this would not account for the traits |
that are so peculiarly wolfish. 1t is not |
impossible that the common people OF |
India are correct, and that their foster |
mothers are wolves.
There are many savage tribes who |
live as animals do, by grubbing up |
roots. Some relish lice, like monkeys. !
The Digger Indians eat lizards raw,
only pulling ont their tails. They eat |
dead horses and mOldy meat, while the
Apaches love dead horses and asses
The Dokos and Mencopics eat raw food,
and the fierce Zulus eat carrion. Bruce |
and Baker say that the Hamram Arabs
eat steaks cut raw from live oxen, and |
the Medals of Ceylon eat wild honey. |
monkey, deer and boar flesh Cincif-
matt EnaMirer.