Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-07-01
Supposed to Have Been Stolen i'm His
Babyhood Days by a Female
Wolf.
Rescued When Five Years Old. and
Civilized With the Greatest
Difficulty.


whose history wise men have profoundly
pondered. The reverend gentleman's
last letter contains some very interesting
information about Sani,har, the resuets
of whose early associations have caused
them much anxiety.
Sanlchar is the child of human paI ents,
lost in his babyhood and nurtured by a
female wolf. He was first seen by party
of hunters, who were in pursuit of wolf
in the unfrequented juggles of Buland-
shade. They came upon him suddenly
while he was summing himself upon rock
near cave. The strange little creature,
with face covered with matted hair,
naturally amazed them. A closer survey
showed him to be a child about FIVE years
old. Instantly he had taken flight,
scamperlng off on all tours after the flying
wolf. Both sought shelter in the cave.
Being afraid to penetrate into what they
knew to be the lair of wild beast the
men decided to report 1.-THE occurrence to
magistrate Of the district. who immediate.
ly gave directions that fire be built at
the mouth of the cave and the inmates
smoked out
This Was done with good OBJECT Pre-
senty large female wolf made dash
for liberty, scattering the burning embers
in every direction. She was closely fol-
lowed by the boy on all fours, as the
hunters had first observed him. He got
over the ground with astonishing swift
ness and was capture with great Difficult
ty. He hit and scratched with the Zero
city of a wild animal, which he was in all
respects excepting his human form. He
had lost all the attributes of his race,
could not stand erect and did not possess
the power OF speech A subsequent &C
quaintance proved that he had only the
appetite of an animal.
He would tear raw meat to pieces and
gnaw bones as ravenrusly as auy beast
He Tapped water in the sane manner. At
first lie was rut in an Enclosure, like any
dangerous creature Here he lay curled
up in corItr all day, but as soon as night
caue be began to prowl around, seeking
free IN and gnawing whatever came In
his way. The mag s.rate who received
hin. applied, after an interval of few
weeks, to the English missionaries to re-
lieve him OF his charge, which they did.
Sanichar happened to arrive at the
orphanage of Secuudra on Saturday, and
from this circumstances he was named
S,nlcha' native name for the day.
His benefactors now ,evoted themse Yes
to human'zing him, but for long time
b 'ir efforts wr, without success. The
Clothes they put upon him he would tear
into shreds and fling from him.
He persisted in eating his food from the
floor, picking it up with bis mouth, and
viciously resented all attempts to make
him sit up and use his fngers. But by
and by his int ligence dawned. He sub
,:,itted to wearing clothes, and learned to
walk erect and eat like human being He
became very docile and OBJ die n, aud as
be grew older seemed to understand all
that was said, bat made no attempt to
acquire speech himself. He lost all desire
for uncooked food as well as all DISPOSE
tin to escape. He has been taught 10 do
a little work, but has never learned to
like it,
Sanichar is not considered an idiot by
those who have him in charge, although
his forehead is very low and his eyes retain
their wild and restless look B ,ng
brought up amidst religious Surroundings,
it mas oten a matter of in crest tc e I'm
what com reAens on h. ha o. he :: ter.
Inat be inks and reasons is evidenced
by his actions after the death of one VINO
had shown him kindness and to whom he
was much attached. At the funeral, as
the body was lowered into the grave, he
gazed bes aechingly at the mourners, as if
he would wiring from them some under
standing as to what it all meant. By
signs they tried to make him understand
something of the mystery Of death and
future life. They were afterwards sd lis
fed that he cemprehended, because when
sick himself he lay down and feigned
death a moment, then pointed to The earth
as his grave and waved his hand heaven
ward.
He is strong in his personal likes and
dlslikes and can easily make himself
if he is hungry or wants a
cigar, of which he is fond. Sanichar has
now outgrown his boyhood and supposed
to be more than twenty years of age. He
is 5 feet 2 inches in height and is naturally
very awkward in his gait. He las a
peculiar manner of lifting his feet when
walking, and swings and Jerks his arms
as If he depended on them to a. sist him
IN locomotion.
1t is much to be regretted that, with
his gradually expanding intellect, he has
rough usage from his brute companions is
demonstrated by the seares on his body
as we'll IS two marks on his face, which
we're evidently severe bites.
The theory as to how he cam, into the
possession of the wolves is best told in
the words of Rev. A. II. Wright himself.
In the letter before referred to he saws:
"Ihe only theory which can account for
this freak OF nature is that a wolf carried
him away when sleeping in the open air
during the hot weather. Its material in
stincts (perhaps it had lost Its own Off
spring., did the rest. There are many
here who remember his being brought in,
and the wild, untamable character of
Sanichar at first"
And now the question arises, had he
never been rescued from his wolf associ-
ates would he have remained entirely up
on the level of wild beast of the forest.
His tendencies were undoubtedly all that
way when ne was captured, and for long
time he chafed savagely against his state
OF bondage. Freedom and the depth of
the Jungle we're all he sought, and hum an
presence was hateful to him.
The scientists have here field for in
vestigation, but the "wolf boy" lives on,
oblivious of his remarkable personality
and unable to comprehend the interest
s. rangers evince In him. Another of the
clergymen interested in his welfare writes
If him:
81 think visitors are at first disappoint-
ed in him, having expected to find him
bearing a greater resemblance to the lower
creation than he really does. In fact,
people who visit him for the first time, ex-
pect to see wolf who spent his early
years among boys, rather than a boy /
whose infancy was spent among wolves.
: / saw him Immediately after he