The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-06-05
Tho Wild Man of Canada.

A number of reporters, a dispatch
from Ottawa says, went on Tuesday last
to investigate the case of the man Zim-
norman, who was said to be running
about naked and destitute on the noun
tains six miles southe list of Grimsby.
Tho trip revealed one of the most as
founding cases of human depravity ever
seen in a Christian country. The idea
OF a human being living for over thirty
six years in log shack, perff city naked,
hopping about likes frog or kangaroo,
and stealing out in the twilight like a
wild beast to get the air, is something
that we'll might make the people smile
with incredulity; but an investigation
of the case proved that the facts as al
ready briefly published were not exag-
gerated. The reporters found the man
and had talk with him after consiera-
BILE difficulty.
Over in the corner oflthe old log shack
was a broken bedstead, with mound of
dirty rags on it. The reporters pulled
them partly aside. and there was mans
face, starring with, blinking, shining
| eyes up out of the dust. twas pale,
gaunt, but rather, handsome face, not
withstanding the dirt unkempt hair and
beard, and the fact was far more start
ling than if the countenance had been
repulsive or idiotic.
''You can't be comfortable here ?" re-
marked one of the reporters.
ooh, yes am" responded the head.
After the interchange of few remarks
the wild man sat up and threw the COW
ering off him. He was as naked as the
day, fifty-six years ago, when he was
born, and he was no more ashamed of it
than he was then. He had finely
shaped head, and his chest was we'll de-
yeloped, but his arms were thin and
long and his hands clawlike. His legs
were shrunken to skin and bone and
crooked up under him like the hind legs
of an animal. His body was not hairy,
but the breast and front of the body
were badly burned and callous with
crouching up against the stove in win
ter. His eyes, too, had suffered in the
same way. With the aid of some diplo-
macy he was induced to set out and
strikea gait. Down he hoped off the
bed and jumped across the floor on his
hands and feet, looking like a cross be
tween kangaroo and a very seedy |
bulldog. Then he bounced on the bed |
again. 1t was the most debased and re-
voting libel on Gods image that ever
threw shadow. In the course of talk, |
during which the strange creature sat |
on the bed hugging lis bony knees, he t
showed that he was possessed of fair
share OF intelligence, and seemed to be
quite clear on all points except the rea-
son why he goes about in such an ex-
cessively simple costume.
II can't stand up,'' he said. "Tve lost
the strength in my legs by going about
like this. l guess if practice ON them
for while l could stand up. lean read,
but my eyes have been SO bad lately /
can't see. l have gone naked like
this since | was eighteen or twenty
years old, about thirty-six years alto
gether. / used to go outside, but l
haven't been away from the house for
over a year. Idon't knowwhy 1 don't wear
clothes. Guess I'll have to come to
them one of these days. My mother tried
to make me do it, but l wouldn't. I
never tasted whiskey."
Thinking. perhaps, it was some form
of religious mania, he was questioned
about it, and he answered very intelli-
gently that he read the Bible and be-
lieved in God, and thought that he be-
longed to the Presbyterian denomina-
ton, though no minister has seen him
within year. Though tried on various
subjects, seemed sound enough, except
that he could give no reason for the way
he is living.
The old man who was living with this
strange freak was quite talkative when
the visitors came out. He said he was
the freaks father and that his name was
Samuel Zimmerman, and he was eighty
years of age. His sons name is VIM. w.
Zimmerman.
He was quite an active lad and could
NOW with the best of them until he got
to be eighteen or twenty" he said.
sew them up again, until at last they
were so small they would not go on.
Then he went about in his shirt until
that all got torn off but the collar, and
when that went he was left as you see
him. We've had hard time here, and
the place is bad, but what can do? l
formerly had ten acres of land, but l
decided it to my son, James K. thinner
man, and he was to keep me in necessa-
ries, but he does not do it. have three
other sons and tive daughters, all living
near here. | don't want to SO to the
home in st. Catharines. We get along
well enough here, and l like the place
because | have lived here so many
years."
The slow-going country authorities
have visited the place recently, and it is
likely something will be done soon to
care for the two men, but it is incom-
prehensible that such a state of things
should have existed SO long in civilized |
community.
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