St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-08-15
LIVING CHAINED TO a TREE:
IN e Beast-Like Existence OF a Far.
mer's Crazy Son.

merss Crazy Son.
correspondence New York World
For years there have been stories told of
a wild man living in the Businesses of the
DIue Ridge mountains. the son of one of
the small mountain farmers, who is
gealously guarded and protected by him;
put the descriptions given of the monster
nave Deen so vague that l determined tG
test their truth for myself.
A rough ride of several miles di.
Tectly up the mountain from the village of
| operryVllle brought our party to a little
farm when had been cleared on the noun.
tam SIDE. In the field an old man. evi.
IDENTIFY the farmer himself, was at work
AS we stopped to speak to him our ear:
were startled by series of the most an.
palllng and unearthly shrieks and wells
coming from clurmp of trees which sur
| rounded the log farmhouse. a little dis.
lance OFF. For some moments the ouiet
country roadside seemed a yerifahle
pandemOnium. Only those who NAV have
visited what are known in a madhouse as
the ''hOllow squares" where the more vio.
lent patients are confined, can form any idea
of the horrible impression made upon the
| mind by the demOniac yells and bowls
which filled the air. The old farmer. in
forming us that it was his son that we
heard, led the way to the house. ''There
he IS, he said, pointing with his long bony
hnger to large oak tree, little ways re-
moved from the house. [ looked and saw
a wild, brutish-looking creature,
whom it would be mockery to
call man, under the tree, to
which he was fastened by a collar
ana chain. He was the yeritable mperson-
atlOn, at last, of Caliban,a strange. uncouth
monster, neither man or brute, but with
Of 80
blended. He was entirely naked though
his body was covered with short growth
of shaggy black hair. Around his neck
was heavy iron collar of homemade man
ufacture, and to this was attached a heavy
chain, fastened i'll the tree trunk bv a
staple. From the constant attrition of his
| neck the collar had been worn perfectly
smooth and bright. He kept up
a steady walk-the mOnOtonous. unreal
SOning trOt of Gagged animal. In his hand
he carried his chain to keep the weight of it
OFF his neck, precisely as monkey may be
seen to do. Now and then he would stop
for moment and give vent to succession
OF piercing screams, accompanied by such
horribly grOtesque cOntOrtiOnS of face
and limb that one was forced to turn away
in very horror from the sight. Around
The trunk of the tree was a path worn
bare and smooth by his restless feet.
lie did not take the slightest notice
of our presence, and we, of course,
stood at respectful distance. The old man
was not at all averSe to talking about his
unfortunate son. From child it had never
shown the slightest spark of intelligence.
and at its birth it was scarcely even Of
human form. 1t was hardly possessed Of
even the instincts of an animal, for it never
evinced any desire or made any signs for
food or drink. 1t had never manifested
the ordinary emotions and senSibiIities of a
brute; it seemed absolutely indff-
ferent to everything. Food is
placed within his reach by
his mother, who is the only person who
dares approach him, and he eats of it, al
though never seeming to care for it. He
only sleeps when utterly worn out by his
mceasing tramp up and down under his
heavy chain to keep him away from the fire
Clothing it is impossible to keep on him
lie Is short but heavily built and possessed
of powerful frame. His arms are of extra
ordinary length and of unusual muscular
power; his hands are large and powerful
and armed with long. claw-like nails. For
forty years has this frightful object lived.
constant SOlicitude and terror to his par
ents. Strangely enough, both his father
and mother are, if anything, rather above
the ordinary intelligence. His health is
good and to all appearances he may live
chained to the big tree for years to come
R. c.. B.