The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1899-06-17
THE WOLF CHILDREN.
HUMAN BEINGS CARED FOR By
.~ss5#s ANIMALS. -

"aaGE@5FGss EE', AM lNAISs r+ 49, 2
Look, Act ana Eat Like tho Beasts with
wheue They Have Been-All ATTEMPTS
to Csvnize Them Have Been Ca
successful. .s.N.r ~
1t lbs well-known that the Hindpo as
4 race have strong aversion to TAX
ing life of any kind. Strange as 1t
may seem, the wolf is regarded in some
parts Of India with a peculiar supersti-
tiOus reverence, which makes the she'd
ding Of his blood sometimes iniQuitous.
AS consequence the wolves are bold
and numerous, especially in the dis
tricts where there is little or no Euro
ipean influence. Children, also, are nu-
-merous, and the wolves, having no
sscruples about the sacredness of life,
ahave on countless occasions not only
lraided the village -sheepfolds, but have
"carried off children. The vast ma
jority of the latterihave been devoured,
but here and there poor victim, by
the agency of some occult. influence,
has been resermed;for fate worse than
death. In 1852 what was probably the
first circumstantial and authoritative
account of the ''twolf- children" of India
was published by Colonel Sleeman, a
British officer especially distinguished
for the leading part he took in putting
down the thugs sand dacoits. Accord
ing to this authority, the first authen-
tic case of wolf acting as a foster par
ent to human child was discovered
accidentally by a trooper who was rid
ing along the banks Of River Goometee
in northern india. AS the ravines in
that region were :all infested by wolves
the soldier was not surprised at seeing
she wolf accompanied by three cubs
come out of a covert and go down the
river to drink. What surprised him
very much, however, was the presence
of another creature which had the ap-
pearance of a little boy, but was evil
IDENTIFY on the .friendliest terms with it's
brute companions and was treated ap-
parently just ''like one of the family
The creature went on all fours and
drank from the stream like the others.
The trooper tried, though unsuccessful
ly, to intercept the phenomenon before
it escaped with the wolves into their
den. He secured the help of some ma
tiVes and dug several feet until the lair
wsss almost reached. The wolf family
made a bolt into the open and it was
only after stiff chase and something
of fight that the "wolf-boy' was cap
To nH tn ho hot
years of age
'They took the boy to the village,
said Col. Sleeman, '"but had to tie him
for he was very 'restive and struggled
hard to rush into every hole or den
4 bey came near. They tried to make
yhim speak, but could get nothing from
him but an angry growl or snarl. He
was kept for several days at the village
and large crowd assembled every day
to see him. When a grown person
came near him he became alarmed and
tried to steal away, but when a child
came near he rushed at it with a fierce
snarl, like that of "a dog, and tried to
bite it,
For about three years this being liv-
ed in charge OF "a British officers ser
wants. During all that time, in every
instinct and habit, he remained a wild
animal. He was inoffensive =, except
when teased and could never be induced
to wear any kind of clothing, even in
the coldest weather. Very rarely was
he known to walk in a semi-upright
position, but he always ran to his food
on all fours. Raw meat he devoured
greedily and would often take as much
as half lamb at one meal. He was
very fond of uncooked bones, which
he used to crunch and gnaw like a
dog, holding them ON the ground under
his hands just as a dog uses his fore
paws. He would gnpwl angrily if a hl-
man being came near him while he was
eating, but seemed to have no objec-
tion to dog or a jackal; in fact, he
would sometimes share his meal with
such. He was never known to laugh
or even smile, and once only was he
known to speak. This was just be-
fore his death. He put his hands up
! to his head, complained that it ached
and asked for drink of. water He
drank the water and expired almost
Immediately afterward. Another
wolf boy had been carried off from
a field where he had been placed while
his father and mother were at work
He was then about 3 years old. Moth
ing was heard of him for six years
His mother was by that time widow
She happened to hear Of wild boy
who had been captured at place
several miles away while entering a
4 den in company with wolves, Curiosi-
ty drew her from her native village to
visit the place where the boy was kept
She recognized him by some indubit-
able birth marks as her lost son and
# took him home with her. She found
him quite irreclaimab1e, however, and
after a few months abandoned him to
the public charity Of the village.
.5. He was fed on hares, bfsds, etc. A
fayorite amusement Of the village boys