The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-11-24
ABOUT THE WILD MAN
The Wisconsin Press Dispatch Is
Probably Nearly Correct.
MR.. LOSEY KNEW : HE HERMIT
Since Pettingill's Death His Char
aoteristics Are Coming to the
Front as Subjects OF
Conversation.

ment of the death of George Pettingill,
the Montana wild man, has attracted
considerable attention over here and
has aroused anew the interest that was
excited by the account of the man and
his habits printed in the Standard last
winter. In speaking OF the subject to
reporter last evening, Judge Woody
said: Last summer when / went
through the Yellowstone park. one of
my companions was ]. w. Losey, an
attorney from La Crosse. Wis. He was
n man who was unusually we'll posted
on matters pertaining TO the West,
and especially to this portion of the
country. He was one or the most in
teresting travelling companions that
ever had.
zone day he asked me IL I had ever
heard of a wild man here in Montana,
named Pattingill. and IL / knew any
thing about him. I told him of the
story that 1 had seen In the Standard
and repeated 1t to him as nearly as
could. He said that he had seen a
reference to the story in an eastern
paper and had come to the conclusion
that the man was one that ne had
known well in Wisconsin in ante-bel-
lum days. From what Information I
could give him. he said that there was
no doubt OF the identity of the man,
although the Montana mans name
was given as Pettingiil. while in Wis
consin he was called Pattingill. The
story which Mr.. Losey told me of the
early life of the wild man was tits:
In the latter SOS, Patfinglll lived
on the river in one of the timber coun-
ties back of La Crosse, where he work.
ed as a lumberman and a hunter.
There were great many Indians and
half-breeds in the state at that time
and, for some real or fancied griev-
ance. Pattingill had declared war
against everybody of indian blood.
He said that the Indians had wronged
him and he would never relent in his
warfare against them. 1t was said
that he had killed several of the red
skins, but 1 never knew of but one
instance OF the kind. That occurred
while Pattingill was the guest of a
friend up the river. While he was sit
ting with his friend one day i'm the
latter's cabin, a half-breed came on
some trifiing errand. got what he
wanted and had left the house TO go
away
"'As the half-breed stepped out
through the door, Pattingill seized
gun from one corner OF the cabin and
shot the fellow in the back as he was
passing out OF the yard. The half
breed died instantly. / was county at
torney at the time, but the authorities
made no attempt to prosecute Pattin-
gill for the murder. 1t would have
been useless. We could convict man
for stealing from Indians. but no jury
would declare a man guilty who had
killed an Indian. When, at length. the
commissioner of Indian affairs took
the matter up, i told him so, but he
insisted upon the prosecution, so we
brought Pattingill up for trial.
I'VE considered this all the more
advisable as the Indians were becom-
ing restless and were making threats
against Pattingill. So we secured a
jury and the trial began. After we
had the jury, the accused man came to
me and said. It's no use trying me.
You can't convict me- / answered I'll
do the best i can. anyway Well, you
can't get jury to declare me guilty.
was Pattingill'5 reply. And he was
tive against him. the jury declared
him not guilty.
AFTER this trial Pattingill went
farther back into the woods, living by
hunting, and killing an Indian when
ever he could. About a year after
ward, the civil war broke out and Pat
tingill enlisted In a La Crosse COM
pany. He was sent to the front with
his regiment and was probably one of
the most peculiar soldiers In the whole
army.
HE absolutely refused to submit TO
discipline. When he was with the COM
pany in an engagement, he would fight
like tiger but he would go off on a
private raid whenever he chose and
would be absent for three or four
weeks at a time. What he did on these
raids we never knew. He seldom
brought back any forage and II was
always supposed that he had been
fighting the confederates as he had
fought the Indians in the Wisconsin
forests. in this way he served through
rhe war and was discharged. Soon af-
ter, he disappeared and nothing was
known of him in Wisconsin until we
read Of your wild man in Montana.
Then We inferred that he was our
Pattingill'
That is the story which Mr.. Losey
told me. He seemed positive that the
Wisconsin hermit and the Montana
wild man were the same Individual
IT seems TO me mat they must have
been Pautingill. or Pettingill, was un-
doubtedly insane and when the settle
ment OF Wisconsin deprived him OF the
solitude which he desired he came to
the Montana mountains. where he
could be alone"
Elp Hackett of Victor lived near
Pattingill in Wisconsin before the war.
and tells much the same story as that
narrated above. Mr.. Hackett was a
lumberman at that time and knew the
strange fellow well. He says that Pat
tingill undoubtedly killed scores of In
dams before he left Wisconsin and
rhat his hatred for the redmen was
terrible. The very sight of one OF
them would anger him. Mr.. Hackett
says that, during the war. Pattingin
was apparently more insane than while
ne lived IN the woods II was general
ly believed by the men OF his regiment
that Pahtingill assassinated his cap
tain. but there was no evidence TO
that effect and he was never tried.
As to the course OF Pattingill's ha-
tired for the Indians. Mr.. Hackett says
that h grew out Of a raid which
band OF Indians made on his camp.
One Of his companions was snot In the
defense of the cabin and the house