Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-04-29
LOUISIANA'S WILD MAN.
An Interesting Character Whose Principal
Food is Buzzard Flesh.

An Interesting Character Whose Principal
Food is Buzzard Flesh.
A correspondent of The Jeanerette
Miss. Item, of April 10, furnishes the fol-
lowing:
West of the Mississippi river in the
state of Louisiana, in the parishes of st.
Martini Ibera and ST. Mary, lies an in
describable system of lakes, BASES, and
bayous, intercepted with a vast area of
swamp lands. This country has been and
continues to be the source of timber sup
ply for the Teche region, which Is some
times called the Sugar Bowl" of Louisi-
ana.
Since the year 1880 a solitary individual
has lived on and near the borders of Lake
Chicot. This mysterious hermit would
have no conversation with persons who
would chance to meet him. His equipage
consisted of a rude boat, an old musket, a
spear and some fishing tackle. He was
never known to visit the habitation of
man unless he needed ammunition and
this he procured at Bayo Chene. He has
been here so long that he is almost naked,
and presents a horrid aspect with his
shaggy beard and disheveled hair, now
grown to an enormous length. Surely he
is queer citized and has become one of
the chief topics of the swapping camps.
AS the swampers while away their time by
their camp fires when the day is done
often regale strange visitors with fantas-
tic descriptions of the ''Wild man." as he
is termed by common custom.
There are various ideas as to the motive
of this individual for thus banisning him
self from the world, and it is a mystery
as to how he sustains life or endures the
10 .4~o
of temperature. He is about 40 years of
age rudy complexion, with dark hair. 1t
is limited by some that he is a man who
murdered his wife and children, near New
Orleans some time ago. He may be the
man; yet if justice sleeps thus SO near
her duty, doubtless fate is Furnishing her
victim with torments that fiends only can
endure.
The wonder about the matter is that
the authorities do not ascertain who this
incognito is; the assessor is letting this
citizen go by default. This wild man"
seems to be an object of distant curiosity
to the majority of the swampers; they
generally give him a wide berth. His gun
and his boat are his constant companions
and his silence is his chief perculiarity.
Very few men can even get a monOsyll-
able from him. He is truly the great
unknown of this section. Since writing
the above the terror of the swamps has
been captured by small boy by the name
of Semone. Exposure and disease by his
long battle with the elements has quite
vanquished him.
On the fifteenth of last month he pad
died his boat to Mr.. Cassoday's camp on
his timber In a starving condition and
begged for the necessaries of life. He is
truly horrible looking specimen; he has
the leg of pair of pants tied at one end
and stretched over his head as a substi-
tute for hat; his body was an alternative
of rags and nakedness. Mr.. George
Walker, citizen of this place, CHANGED
to interview him. He says he speaks
good English, that his name is John Mill
er, and was born and reared in Seneca
county, Ohio, near Tiffin. At the age of
Is he went with gold-hunting expedition
to Colorado, and drove an OK team across
the plains. He remembered nothing
about his age, but he must be about 40 or
more.
He says he came to this country IN a
boat; does not know date, month, or any
thing; he merely knows the change of
seasons by their visible effects. He has
the appearance of q man who has had his
intellect dwarfed by long strifes with the
elements. His hair has grown to an enor-
NOUS length, and his shaggy beard reaches
his waist. His color when captured re-
sembled the earth upon which he lived.
His hands were also of the same color.
He always hesitates and coughs before
answering a question.
Mr.. Walker asked him if he did not want
to be taken to town, where ne could be
taken care of. He said that he thought
he was living in very healthy place and
would be all right soon. He states that
buzzards are better to eat than owls. His
manner of capturing them is very ingeni-
Gus. He drives three stakes out in the |
lake and sets a steel-tgap on the top of
them; then he procures lirnby twig and
ties piece of putrid fish ON the end of
it; then he secures it in such a manner
that when Mr.. Buzzard lights on the end |
of it sinks down into the water. Dislik- |
ing it he flies upon the trap and is de-
voured by this human hyens. Our gorge |
rises in such manner that we give DER
the task of further treating ON this sub |
ject- The individual is now near Mr..
Cassidy's camp on lake ChFeot,