Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-10-23
A WHO NAN.
Living for Years In a Cave Under the
Ground and EvadinE Pursuft-A
Remarkable Story.


Remarkable Story.
How is your wild man getting
alengin asked an American reporter
the other day OF the gentleman who
gave him an account recently of the
excitement IN Marshal county over
the appearance of a ventable wild
man in that section.
why, hadn't you heardi" he am
swered IN some apparent surprise, 1--WE
have captured him
How did you get himi' asked the
reporter.
We'll, I'll tell you the whole story"
said he, you see the moraing after
we had run the wild man to his den,
as you stated in your previous article,
four of US got our lamps and candles
and determined to fad out what it
was. We went to the den or cave and
started in not knowing anything
about where it went to. After going
down two or three hundred yards we
came to a wet, marshy place where
we found footprints and we knew then
that we were on the trail and it gave
us renewed courage. We looked to
our firearms to see that they could be
depended on 1t moments warning,
and moved along cautiously until we
came to narrow pass, sort of fat
for moment.
But one of our men said he was
going through whether we went or
not, and we ali squirmed through and
found a very large room, beautiful to
behold, but as we had something else
in view we did not stay to look around
but moved on until we came to creek
where we found crossing made of
chunks and a log washed in there
somehow. This gave us renewed
courage. By this time we supposed
we were about two miles from our
compass going north, and we were
getting uneasy, as cur oil had given
out and we had started on our candles
Nc had but half dozen candles 10 go
ahead with.
Suddenly one of the boys says.
What is that2' We stopped and lis
tened, when we coul1 hear voices
that made US feel uneasy. We were
looking for but one, but we we're
ready for them, for there appeared to
be several. So we moved aloag eau
tiously as before for some distance,
when we could sea daylight, aid then
we were determined to go forward,
let the consequences be what they
would. took a pistol ia each hand
aud went ahead, and Others behind,
until we came TO another small place
| to go through. told the boys to keep
quiet and I would slip through and
see if | could make any discovery.
When l had almost got through !
could see that the mouth of the cave
was Just across this rooa but could
not see any one; so told the boys tc
come on and we would see through
that room. When we all got in and
looked around we found it it to be 8
bar room.
There were several barrels, decant
ers, glasses and anything that would
| be found useful III a place of that
kind. | told the boys to put out the
lights and we would stay there and
for we heard talking, and were salts.
fed some one woald come. We had
not long to wait We heard talking
on the outside and in a moment We
could see some one moving brush
from the cave mouth, and III came
the 6ild man with his long beard and
whiskers off. Just as he and his
partners came in we presented our
pistols and told them to surrender
which they did without word.
told the boys to light up and we would
| see the wild man
'When we saw each other we al
had good laugh. He told me of hi:
last nights trip. He had put on his
long hair and whiskers and was dowr
in the cedars looking for some wagon:
TO bring him some wildcat whisky
when the fox-hunter came upon his
trail. He then told US about the cave
During the late little war the conscript
officers got after him and he ran tc
this cave and lived in there for three
years, and that is why he knew the
cave SO well. Since the four mile Law
came into effect he has been selling
wildcat in this cave, having brush
thrown over the mouth, and If the
revenue officer had found him hi
had nothing to do but drop bscl
through the small hole back of tn.
room and be out of danger. So this i:
how the wild man was found aud who
he was"