Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-03-26
An Instance Showing How Rapidly
Man May degenerate aud Live
Like Animals.
Human Beings Have Been Found in
Three Very Distinct Forms of
RetrOgressiOD.
Children Found Living With Animals,
Running Wild, With Lost Men
tai Faculties.

But meantime, let US give, a. we find it
recently quoted in the Anthenian paper,
tale which comes from Thessay, of the
wild boy on Mount Ptndus: "Demetri.
adese, worthy f honor, the warden of the
king forest on Mount Ptndus, was out
shooting on the mountain Being tired.
be left the chase of the deer and turned up
path which led through a steep glen TO
some shepherds bats, where he hoped to
drink a cup Of milk of Plndus, milk which
is famed to be the lest of any. While he
was walking quietly up the path he heard
rustllDg in the underwood, and stayed to
listen. Through the branches he saw an
unknown animal moving very quickly in
the Same direction as himself and made
ready to fire at it, but was stopped by
shouts Of the shepherds on the hillside
above, who called to him not 10 shoot. He
then followed this strange creature, which
had the form, indeed, of man, and was
wholly naked, but ran very fast, some
times on its feet, but more often on all
tours, and reached the sheep cote before
him. There he found it eagerly drinking
the buttermllk from trough into which
1t had run while the cheeses from the
morning milking were being pr ssed
When 1t saw him near, II ran into the
wood, and the chief of the shepherds told
him its story.
He is hov, he said; "a Wallachian,
the son of Wa!lachian, who lived at Cas-
tania, on Mount Pindus. The man went
hack to Wallachia to seek work, aud there
he married. He lived there some time,
but afterwards came back to Mount Pin
dus. Six years he was absent, and he
brought back four of FIVE children. Then
he died and left his wife and children to
the Eve roads, j. e. to fortune. The
woman saw no way of keeping her children
10 Cdstania 80 she distributed them among
her neighbors and went back to her
own country. But one of them ran
away from the person with whom
he was left, and has lived in this part of
the forest for four years. lie lives
even as you saw him, without clothes In
summer be lives well, and drinks our but
termilk daily. la winter he lies in the
caves, and lives on roots and nuts. He
has learned no form of speech, neither has
be name. The forest warden determiu-
ed not 10 leave him to endure another win.
ter on the mountain, so babe the shepherds
to catch the boy, and fastened a rope to
him and took him back to lrikaae, where
he clothed him, and has done what he can
to civihze him, He always keeps him
with himself or un or the care of me one
who can talk, because he seems unable to
learn to Speak any word, though he imi
tates the voices OF many wild creatures.
Nor does he learn to Understand the names
OF things. But animal sounds he mimics
well, and he mas learned to ride. AS his
real name is not known, his guardian
called him Seron. "
R5apsed man is found in hree forms
one, the most marked and least human, is
that which ensues when he has, as a child,
been carried off and kept often for sever.
al years--by wild animal This is the
acute form of relapse, and exhibits all the
symptoms Of the Pindus boy, with several
others, among them wholly carnivorous
appetite, the voice of wild beast, extreme
ferocily and temper quite impossible to
harmonic. The second and milder form
occurs when young child has run wild or
been deserted and manages to keep itself
alive without bumsl aid, to which form
the case of the Greek boy belougs The
wild boy of Hanover found in the last
century, ate nothing but roots and nuts,
now very rare in Europe, but not uucom-
mon in the Ardennes and other districts
where the wolf still lives, is clearly the re-
suit of the mental malady of ycanthropy,
sufferers from which are yearly brought
to be touched by the holy stole Of
st. Hubert, who, if less potent
than his votaries imagine TO drive
the latent poison of hydrophobia from
the tainted blood, can still minister
to a mind diseased. and with mystic and
consoling rites cures sufferers who EXHIBIT
beyond a doubt all the worst traits by
gFica relapsed man is marked In the
competest form of retrogression. What
these characteristics are may be judged
from the curious complete instances of the
capture of children living In wolves den
in the province nf Onde, collected, 1t is
believed by Col S.pem8n, the able officer
who took a leading part In the suppress
sion Of tbe thugs of India, 10 the first
case, which occurred near the Goomtee
river. in district where wolves abound
and are never killed by the natives from
fear OF the I'D luck which their death viii
bring upon the village, a native trooper
saw j large she wolf leave her den, fol
lowed by three wheIps aud a little o1y
The boy seemed on the best 20 sJble
Terms with the Old dam and the three
whelps and the mother wolf seemed 10
regard all four with qsal care. roej al.
went down 10 the river and drank, after
which they were chased bY the trooper, but
they escaped over rough ground into den,
the boy running on all fours quite as fdsta as
the yourg wolves The an then got AS
sistsnee and dug the whole purity out; the
wolves and boY b0Iied together, and the
boy was laoght, fastened 70 a roEe and led
to tie village. He could not SPEAK, but
rrowled and snuled like a wolf, an tried
to bolt toto every Lole or shelter that w IS
passed After f1ur davs was sent to an
English officer, Capt. Nicholetts Though
kindly Jrestte, be re er learned to spsak,
ran away from grown mp people,
flew at the children AND tried to bite ,h-m,
and ran 10 eat his food on ali-fDurs. But
u