The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-08

decided to try strategy { o gain the informa-
ton ! wanted.
Placing nv men around him with fixed
bayonets, mo;ioned him tn ooa, but he
would not move. The wild man was over six
feet high and would weigh Lrobably over
$50 pounds. His hair and beard were long
and unkempt and his clothes were mass
of rags and tatters. / noticed an ugly look
ing scar on the top of his head, evidently
from a saber cut, and, as l afCerward
learned, that was the Gauss of mis- insanity.
Threats, persuasion and force all falling
to induce him 10 ia k o. 90 lead US TO his
hiding place, | decided to try another plan.
Telling my men to let the man go, ordered
them to shoulder arms and We started back
toward camp. Tue scheme was successful.
The moment the wild man realized he was
at liberty he dashed off up the narrow
ravine. Calling my men to follow me
started in pursuit.
1T 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 a lively chase for
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 a large cave. Then he looked back
for the first time and saw Us in pursuit. He
stood still a moment, then tucned and again
ran on toward the summit OF the mountain.
"Ordering two of my men TO remain and
watch the cave l 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 preciplce. l shut my
eyes as | saw him leap into space. We
cautiously crawled up to the edge of the
cliff and looking down we could see the
mangled body of the wild man lying on
was no chance to reach the body, so we
turned and retraced our steps to the cave.
There we found the missing pickets.
The cave was the dwelling place of the
wild man. and inside the five men of nv
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 their capture. and their limbs
were stiff and sore whore they had been
bound. Not one of them expected to escape
alive and their joy can be better imagined
than described when | cut the cords that
hound them Not o 70 word mad the wild
man spoken to any of them, but from his
manner and gestures they were of the
iendish torture which his crazed brain
would suggest.
He had captured the first man by creep
ing upon him in the darkness. After that
| his plan was to return to the spot during
the night, and, climbing the big oaks, con-
ceal hims4lf among the branches, where he
would remain until the next night, and then
! drop on his victim from the tree.
"a few days late- learned the story of
J the wild man of the mountains from a resi-
I dent of that locality. His name was b.
| Patton, and before the war he had lived in
a small cabin up on the mountain and
earned 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 squad
of home guards while he was SELL
| ing some game in Bridgeport aud they
started with him to the nearest conscripting
Office. On the way he escaped from his
| captors, after desperate struggle, in which
| he received a 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 hi:
J madness he had probably planned a terrible
revenge for the wound which destroyed hii
| reason"