The west Tennessee star. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1888, 1888-08-31
STORY OF A MAN-WOLF.
His Successful Battle With a
Hyena.
he Is Caught In a Trap, and Escapes From
CRge-He Clubs Three Natives to
Death and Wounds Two
Others.

Others.
While with the animal-hunters in
the jungles and foothills to the north
Of Benares we heard of a man-wOf
On two former occasions we had re-
ceived like reports, but had given lit
tie attention TO them. The supersti-
tious natives of India have many
strange beliefs. One of them is that
a brother who has murdered brother
turns into a man-wolf, and roams the
jungles one hundred years as a pen
ance- While they hold this animal
in fear and terror, as well they may,
they reason that if he is killed, an
other relative Of the family must take
his place and serve out the remainder
of his sentence Therefore, while
they would talk to US of these mon
sters, they were always very careful
not to locate them and bring them
into danger. We had long before
made up our minds that there was
nothing 50 very queer in finding
a wild man in the jungles of India.
Children are carried of by semi-wild
men or by wild animals almost daily,
and even the civilized countries have
their wild men roaming through the
forests. We were willing to pay a
round sum for the capture of a man
wolf believing he would turn out to
be only a wild man, but at the same
time n greater curiosity than a gorilla
We had been making our head
quarters in a village for several days,
batting our traps for hyenas and hav-
ing natives on the lookout for SER
penis, when one mid-afternOon I got
into hammock slung between two
trees on the outskirts of the village
and dropped of to sleep. My two
white men were already asleep in
hammOclzs some distance away, and
such of the natives as were not out for
us were lying by to pass the heat of
the day. There were two or three
children playing at the door of a hut
near me. but making little or no noise.
1t was as quiet as II a spell had been
placed upon every inhabitant. had not
slept over half an hour when a mos
quito bit me on the cheek and started
me up. / lay on my right side, and
through the meshes of the hammock
could see the edge Of the Jungle, about
forty rods away. The children were
still at play, and were a hundred feet
nearer the Jungle than l was. Almost
as soon as l opened my eyes 1 saw a
dark object leap from the cover of the
thicket TO the shelter Of a single bush
on the cleared ground. 1t looked to
me in the brief glimpse had like a
gorilla measured the leap after
ward with a tape line, and il was TWEEN
ty-three feet.
/ did not start up, but rubbed my
eyes wide open TO identify the strange
creature. It had covered until 1 could
see nothing but black spot, and 1t
was two or three minutes before 1t
moved again. Then 1t suddenly leaped
into view, bounded for the children
exactly as a monkey leaps, and before !
could call out Il had seized little boy
about two and a half years DID, and
was retreating with him. 1t was on
its hind legs, both arms around the
child, and running with great swift
ness. The body was naked and hairy,
but / was convinced that it was that OF
human being. l yelled out, and the
creature whirled about, raised the
child on high, and, with n shrin scream
ofanger, dashed IL down on the hard,
baked earth with terrible force. Then
Il shook its fists at the villagers swarm.
ing out. and, dropping down on al
fOurs, bounded away into the Jungle.
We found the child gasping its last
That fling had broken almost every
bone in its body. IL was not until the
villagers were convinced that l had
seen the creature and was assured OF
its identity that tho head man aclxnowl-
edged It to be q man-wolf. and that
It had long been a menace to the
locality. IL was, he said, his cousin
who had killed a brother fifteen years
before. As the creature had now
killed three children, against whom il
seemed to have particular spite, anC
as its presence menaced the safety o.
the village, he would give his consent
for MS to seek his capture. I helpeC
him to reach this conclusion by pres
ent valued at twenty dollars, and bJ
agreeing not TO give the matter away
tn any other village.
The first thing to be done was 4
learn the habits Of the creature. III,
was known to eat meat, roots, barks
and almost every thing else that eam'
in his way. He must sleep but n
one could say when, as he had beer
seen prowling around at all hours o
the day and night He was very stronl
and fierce, and IL was doubted " one o
the tiger cages would hold him. w
decided to tempt his curiosity, and &
this end, one of our cages was places
80 the Jungle, and the door so arrange'
as TO shut the creature in If he bu
entered. But he took no notice Of tn
curiosity, or II he did IL was to figh
shy OF the suspected trap. Twice il
three days he was seen on the border
OF the village, evidently bent on furthe
mischief. and the natives finally foun'
3 path which tho mRp-Wolf used il