Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-02

efforts to induce him to talk proved futile.
We had solved the mystery OF the capture
| OF our men, but now the question was how
would we learn their fate. This wild man
Of the mountain had no doubt captured all
of them, but what had he done with themT
| He probably lived in some cave In the noun
tain and had carried his prisoners there, put
we might never find 1t unless he would
| guide us.
HE WOULD NOT TALK.
oI asked him again and again what he
| had done with the men he caught, but re-
ceiyed no answer. Then tried to make
| him understand by signs what L wanted TO
know, but he only laughed wild, pnhu-
manlike laugh. We remained by the nre
under the big oak with our prisoner secure,
ly bound until daylight. Then promised
him his liberty if he would tell what ne mad
done with the men he had captured or gulde
us to his den. To both propositions he made
no reply. saw the man was maniac and
decided to try strategy to gain the informs-
ton wanted.
"Placing my men around him with liked
bayouets, motioned him to go on, but ne
would not move. The wild man was over
six feet high and would weigh probably 25O
pounds. His hair and beard were long and
unkempt and his clothes were mass of rags
and tatters. noticed an ugly looking scar
on the top of his head, evidently from
sabre cut, and as 1 afterwards learned, that
was the cause OF his insanity.
Threats, persuasion and force all failing
to induce him TO talk or to lead us to his
hiding place, decided to try another plan.
Telling my men to let the man 60, I ordered
them to shoulder arms and we started back
towards camp. The scheme was successful.
The moment the wild man realized be was at
liberty be dashed off up the narrow ravine.
Calling to my men to follow me
STARTED IN PURSUIT.
"It was all we could do to keep him in
sight, SO great was his speed. He evidently
did not suspect that we would follow him,
for he never once looked back. Up the
narrow ravine he led us lively chase for a
mile or more. We had been climbing all
the way and were near the summit of the
Cumberland mountains when the wild man
turned aside from the ravine and started to
enter large cave. Then he looked back
for the first time and saw US in pursuit. He
stood still moment, then turned and again
"a on toward the summit of the mountain.
Ordering two OF nv men to remain aud
watch the cave pushed on with the others
in pursuit of the wild man. He ran on
probably 800 yards to the edge of high
precipice. There he turned and picking up
several large stones hurled them at us with
great force and we lodged the stones and
pressed on. Seeing escape cut off the man
turned and uttering wild unearthly cry
leaped over the precipice. I shut my eyes
as I saw him leap into space We caut-
ously crawled up to the edge OF the cliff and
looking down we could see the mangled
body of the wild man lying on the rocks
more than 100 feet below. There was
no chance to reach the body SO we turned
and retraced our steps to the cave. There
we found the missing pickets.
THE MEN TIED To STAKES.
1.-THE cave was the dwelling place of the
wild man, and inside the five men of my
company who had fallen into his hands were
tied to stakes driven In the ground. They
had not been harmed by their wild captor,
but had been without food and water since
the ir capture and their limbs were stiff and
sore where they had been bound. Not one
of them expected to escape alive and their
ioy can be better imagined than described
when cut the cords that bound them. Not
one word had the wild man spoken to any of
them, but from his manner and gestures they
were OF the opinion that he was saving them
for some fiendish torture which his crazed
brain would suggest.
''He had captured the first man by creep
ing upon him in the darkness. Alter that
his plan was to return to the spot during the
night, and, climbing the big oaks, conceal
himself among the branches, where he
would remain until the next night, and
then drop on his victim from the tree.
"a few days later 1 learned the story of
the wild man of the mountains from a resi-
dent of that locality. His name was Bill
Patton, and before the war he had lived in a
small cabin up on the mountain and earned
a scant livelihood by hunting and fishing.
He was a Union man in sentiment and
refused to join the Confederate army.
One day he was captured by a
a squad of home guards while he was SELL
ing some game in Bridgeport and they
started with him to the nearest conscrlpting
Office. On the way he escaped from his
captors, after desperate struggle, in which
he received terrible cut on the head with
a saber. He recovered from the wound, but
it left him a maniac. He took to the
mountain again and lived in caves, subsist-
ing on the game he could kill. In his
madness he had probably planned terrible
revenge for the wound which destroyed his
reason"