Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-07

spondent in his vain effort to secure en-
ployment of the most menial kind. He
sought the solitude of the woods and de-
scended to the level of the animals that
burrow in the earth for safety and shelter,
obeying instinct rather than intelligence.
One could not have descended lower in
the scale of humanity than he, hiding
in the densest thicket in the light of day,
and then stalking forth in the darkness OF
night into some secluded orchard to gather
the fruit which had become overripe and
had fallen to the ground, or into an already
ravished vegetable garden and there fall
upon his knees and with his bare, bleeding
fingers, dig through the snow and ice into
the frozen earth in search of stray potato
or turnip that might have been overlooked
when the crops we're harvested, and, if for
tunate, to hug his lucky find to his bosom
as earth's greatest treasure.
A Talk with the Wild Man.
It was the writer's privilege to visit this
poor, forlorn creature the next morning
after his capture and receive from his own
lips the story of his life. The officers in
charge of the lookup had been very kind to
him; several good meals, warm bath and
a good nights sleep had changed his un-
couth appearance of the day before into that
of a respectable, civilized being He had
become quieted and was altogether rational,
and, though hesitating and halting in his
conversation with the reporter, spoke intel
ligently about himself and his strange life.
He was glad THE DISPATCH would pub
lish his story, for then it would reach the
IL r1o 80
and give him work. He wanted to be re-
spectacle again and go to church as he used
to do IN the old days when he was with his
mother and sisters in his beloved father
land.
On the farms here in America the hired
men were slaves, he said, and though the
masters drove to church in their fine car
riages the farm laborers, who were nearly
always such poor fellows as he, were COM
PEELED to stay at home and work.
But it will interest the reader most to
read his story in his own words and it is
written here as it fell from his lips in the
lookup at Homestead:
81 was born on farm near the town of
Freiburg, in Baden, Germany, and when I
was old enough attended the burger school
in that time. Besides myself there we're in
my family three sisters and one brother.
We were simply farmer folk, as we're our
kindred for genations back In the spring
of '84 emigrated to America, and having
no training for any kind of work but the
farm, naturally sought employment at
that kind of work, but had hoped that in
time would be enabled to better my con-
dition and save enough money to bring my
mother and sisters to this country.
Not Much Money in Farming.
"But alas for poor me. The life ofa farm
laborer in this free America is a dogs life
at the best and last March 1 found myself
without employment. When asked for
work they laughed at me and so became
discouraged and took to the woods and lived
like the animals. had little money and
with it bought cheap suit of clothes at
store in Homestead and took them with me
to my den in the woods 1 had never worn
them, but put them carefully away in the
woods in the hope that would soon secure
job of work and then I would have the
clothes to put on and look respectable.
"But one day in the fall several men came
along. They seemed to be looking for some
one, and I Judged that some one to be nv
self, and so 1 ran away to the hills and did
not return to my former place of abode in
the ravine where had my hut. I dis
covered then that my clothes had been
stolen and, worst of all, piece of iewelry
that had placed in one of the pockets It
was locket which contained picture of
her face. 1t was the last thing 1 had had in
my possession to remind me of the dear
ones so far away"
Watching the Squirrels Work.
The simplicity of the man was illustrated
when he recited how he had busted himself
watching the squirrels laying in their win