Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-08-19
THE HUMAN WOLF.
ADVENTURES WIZ A HAN WHO GREW
UP WILD.
His Hatred OF Human peings- Tremendous
Strength and Agility Fsroci'y
and Revenge
New York prsssl


While with the aninisl-hunters in the
iunrles and foothills to the north OF
fenares we heard OF mau-woli. ON
two former occasions wo bad received
Ike reports, but had given little Atten-
t,on 10 thom. The superst,tlous natives
of India have many strange beliefs. One
Of them is that brother who has muir
dered a brother turns into a man-wolf,
and roams the jungles ono hundred years
rs penarce. While they hold th's ani-
nal in fear and terror. as we'll thsy may,
thew reason that il he is killed another
relative Of the family must take bus place
and serve out the remainder of his sen.
tepco. Therefore, while they would
talk 10 us ot these monsters, they were
always very careful not to locate them
and bring them into danger.
Wa had long before made up our
minds that there WAS nothing 30 very
oueer in finding a wild man in the JunglcS
OF Indie. Children are carried Oh by
semi.wild men or by wild animals almost
daily, and even the civilized countries
have their Wild mon roaming through
the forests. We were Wiling 10 pay
round sum for tho capture OF man
wolf believing he would turn ont to DC
only a Wild man, hut ~ the game time u
crester curiosity than a gorilla.
We had been making our headquarters
in a village for several days, batting oar
trsus for hyenss and having natives on
the lookout for serpents, when one mid
afternoon / got into a hammock siung
a
the village and dropped OIL TO sleep
Myt white mon were already asleep
in hammocks some distance away sho
sueh of the natives ~ were nos out LOT
Ms were living by to pass the heat OF ine
dav. There we're two or three children
,,lsvipp at the door OF hut near me,
making little or no noise. u was as
oulet IS If spell had bsen placed upon
every inhabi.ant. 1 had not slept over
half an hour when a mosquito bit me on
the check and started me up.
| Law on nv right side, snd through
the rneshes OF the hammock could see
the edge of the Jungle, about forty rods
away. The children were stu az pay
and we're a hundred feet nearer the
Jungle than was. Almost as soon as
opeuel INV ewes saw dark object leap
from the cover of the thicket to the shei-
fer of a single bush on the cleared
ground. 1t looked to me in the brlei
glimpse had like gorllls. ! measured
the leap afterwaTd with tape-hne, ana
II was twcntv-three feet.
/ did not start Mp, but rubbed my eyes
wide open To identify the strange crea-
ture. IL had covered until l could see
nothing but black spot, and 1t was two
or three minutes before II moved again.
Then it suddenly leaped into view,
bounded for the children exactly as a
monkey leans. and before l could call
ont il had seized little boy about two
and half years old and was retrealng
with him. Il was on its hind legs, both
arms around the child, and running with
srreat swiftness. The body was naked
and hairy. bat | was convinced that IL
vas that Of human being. | yelled
out. and the creature whirlet about,
raised the child on high, and with II
shrll scream of anger dashed 1t down
on the hard, baked earth with terrible
force. -,
Then it shook It's fists at the villagers
swarming out, ard, dropping down on
all fours. bounded away into the Jungle
We found tine child gasping ITS Last
That fling had broken almost every bone
in its h0Gv. II was not until the VII
layers were convinced that ! he'd seen
the creature and was assured of Its lden-
tity that the head man acknowledged II
10 be a man-woli, and that 1t had long
been menace TO the Locality. was
he said, his cousin, who had Killed "a
brother fifteen wears before. As ,he
creature had now killed three children.
agalnst whom il seemed to have par
ticular spite. and as IT'S presence menaced
the safety of the village, he would give
his cons, ut for us to seek his capture. !
helped HIM TO reach this conclusion by "a
present valued at $50 and by agreeing
not TO give the matter away III any other
village.
The first thing TO he done was to learn
the habits of the creature. lie was
known to eat meat, roots, barks, and
almost anything else which came IN ms
way. He must sleep, but no one could
saw when. as he had been seon proving
arouud ut all hours Of the day and night.
He was very strong and fierce, and 1t
wag doubted ii one OF the tiger cages
would hold him. We decided 10 tempt
his curiosity. and to this end ono CT the
cages was placed in the jungle and the
door so arranged rs to shut the creature
in if he but entered. But he took No
notice of the curiosity, or II he dld IL was
10 fight shy OF the suspected trap
Twice in three days he WAS seen again
ON the borders of the village, evidently
bent on further mischief, and the natives
finally found path which the msn-woil
used in going and coming from water
hole. AS soon as they came III with the
news we started out to set a different
tran for him. The steel-traps to catch
wild animals have no teeth, and the jaws
come together in q way to give one {
leverage on the other. 1 have known oil
q full-grown tiger being caught by the
foot and firmly held in trap no larger
than the BOYS set for mink and mustrat
We replaced the chain with halfincl
rope made Of native grasses, and rs soon
as a suitable spot had been selected W.
excavated hole, buried the trap out o.
sight. and tied the end OF the rope to it
This saping was held down by trigger
which a sharp pull would release.
When the trap had been set no eye
could detect anything suspicious around
the spot. and we felt certain that th'
creature would get into trouble il he
passed that way. When We could do NJ
moro We retired to the village. about {
mile away. 1t was about shutdown wher
we arrived, and we were just IN time t.
see wonderful proceeding. A large ano
savage looking hyena came out OF The
Jungle and shifted aud snuffed and growl
edat MS from distance of about twenty
rods We RETAINED FROM shooting TO
fear the reports would brighten the man
wolf away, and while 100 of us stoo'
gazing at tho beast another suddenly ap
pesred. 1t was tho same creature saw
from the hammock.
at is the man wolf " mosned scor'
of natives in chorus, and at least dozeI
Of them skunk away into their huts
Rant tba haaat had not come 10 disturb