Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-12-15


who We're hunting big game surprised
stroy wolf which they followed to Il little
hilICck. Ont OF this hillcck rose a rock,
and on this rock, evidently summing itself,
sat n dark, curious looking object. To
the establishments OF the hunters this Job
iect' turned out 10 have the Semblance or
IA human being When they approached,
II jumped from the rock, ran ON al fourS
and entered u cave along with the wolf.
The hunters smoked the cave. Both the
wolf and its humanl!ec companion rushed
out. After z short, sharp struggle, in
which several II.on were bitten, the latter
was captured.
On Feb. 4, 1867, he was sent by the
magistrate Of the district in which he was
taken TO the Secundra orphanage, and be-
eause the day he arrived there happened
TO be Saturday he was named Sanichar.
At the time Of his capture SanichGr seemed
TO be about years old. He was entirely
nude but for the short, thick hair which
covered his body. His behavior was al
together that of brute, and it was long
before he could be induced to wear any
clothing whatever or in other ways con-
quot himself like 4 human being. He ate
his food from the ground, putting his
hands on it as Il dog does his foropaws,
enawing the flesh from the bones and
crunching the Zones themselves with ease
and evident enjoyment. A medical mis-
sionary has thus described this creature:
His head is small. his brow uncom-
monty low and contracted, while his eyes
in proportion 10 his head and face are
large. They are of n grayish color and
squirting. lie has II small, thin, wrinkled
face, on IS ich are one or two large cica-
triCcs, marks no doubt of severe bites. On
other paI:s of his body also are evident
signs Of the rough treatment to which he
was subjected when living in the cave with
his unamiable companions. His height
when he stands erect is feet 2 inches. II
walking he lifts his feet like one wading
through wet grass, and as he moves along
all the muscles of his body seem to be
undergoing a series of jerks, while his
arms are thrown about in such n manner
as to convey the impression that they must
materially assist him in his progress.
His head also is continually in motion,
turning from side To side with great rapid
jty, while his eyes, which have at all times
= hungry appearance, glare as if he eN-
pectcd an attack from some unseen enemy.
When viewed from behind rs he walks or
when he stands in front of you with his
head inclined to one side, rolling his large
gray eyes, beating upon his stomach 20
show that he is hungry or initiating the
smoking of u cigar, of which he is very
fond, grinning and uttering inarticulate
and uEintcIligible sounds, he certainly
presents strange dlpClTsiilcC
Two facts noticeable about the wolf
children" hitherto discovered seem easily
enough explained. One is that they have
al been males. 1t may of course Just
have happened so" that only male chill
dren have ever had the distinction of a
wolf foster mother, but were it otherwise
then the more rugged constitution of the
male child, enabling it the better to with
stand the terrible experiences Incident to
such n life would be n reasonable Xplana-
ton of why males only have survived the
ordeal When enc thinks how weak and
helpless thing the human child is, even
the strongest tOGdlers of years old, it
seems miraculous that even ono such child
could exist for u single day or even for u
few hours in the unnatural environments
of q VOLTS den.
The other fact is that all such creatures
when found have been children. The old
est OF them at the time OF capture could
hardly be more than 8 or 10 years old.
This no doubt is accounted for Ly the va
rioUs moving accidents OF food ard
field" to which all such foster children
would be more and II ore continuously cN-
posed as they grew older and TerC more
entirely thrown on their own resources.
They wOuld neither have the instincts nor
the strength and endurance to contend
successfully in the struggle for existence
" 18th their brute comrades and competitors.