The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-27
WILD NAN At 'HAHA'
Seen Naked in the Woods Again
He Wore Womans
Attire.
Supposed to Be Peter Schotzka Who
Disappeared From the Sol
diers' Home.

Peaceful Minnehaha park is struggling
with a triple mystery. First there is the
mysterious disappearance OF Peter z.
Schotzka, the Soldiers Home gardener,
who is supposed to have committee sui
eide Then there is the mystery OF the
wild man, who, under the impression that
he is a Hiawatha come to life, is seeking
his lost love Minnehaha in the leafy
sha des, naked as when he was born,s save
for the tuft of feathers like those which
the mythical warrior is said to have af-
fected
Lastly, there is the mystery Of the
bearded lady, or, as is more likely to be
the case. the bearded man in feminine
attire. who has been throwing the
scare" into the pupils Of the Minnehaha
school. Are these three personages sep
arate and distinct entities or is Peter
sSchotzka masquerading in the land of
the living in order to continue the be-
lief that he has shuffled Oft? That is the
question soldiers home inmates and resi-
dents of the park are endeavoring to
answer. i'4. ~ @t+-.E-= {.
| The story OF the suicide has already
| been told.
Frightened Photographer.
| A. S. williams, the well known pho
tographer, Il Central avenue, tells the
| story of the wild man. Mr.. Williams is
one of those who have caught fieeting
| glimpse of the strange being now haunt
| ing the stretch Of woods lying between
Minnehaha park and Fort Smelling. That
one glimpse, says Mr. Williams, is. one
he will not soon forget. There was an
uncanny something about the poor crea-
| ture's almost spectre-hke appearance
| wei calculated to impress q less imagina-
tive man than the photographer. .f
Mr.. Williams was gathering wild flow
ers in a deep hollow short distance from
the road which runs south from Mime
haha toward the fort. The afternoon
shadows were coming a little aslant thru
the trees and Mr.. Williams was about to
turn homeward when his attention was
attracted by a weird laugh. AS he looked
up a. stark naked man with maniacany
cleaning eyes, unke1npt hair and whisk.
| ers and a generally wild aspect, darted
| across an open space ahead and sprung
into the undergrowth. A bunch Of feath
ers was fastened Indian fashion in hi.
hair and like an ancient Druid he hae
wreathed his brow In evergreens.
From the clump Of bushes the singulal
being peered out at Williams in such I
way as to cause the latter to beat
: hasty retreat The incident left such al
impression upon him that when a soldie
whom he shortly encountered wanted t.
return to the chase, Williams said ne na'
l been mixed up with crazy man pe1ore
and once was enough for him.
2 The wild man is still at large. but tn
commandant at the home said this morn
ing that close watch would be kept TO
4 him from now on. .,... = ,..'
; School Children Terrorized.
The man who is nasquerading In a!
q Eup- to- date version OF Minnehaha ma
+ been terrorizing the scholars at the Min
- nehaha school. Even a brand new bon
y net with which he has sought to keep u
= the deception did not conceal his masc,l
=, line features He has been PARTICULAR
;, attentive to little girls-so much so tha
= the children of John p. Haas, Minnehah
= avenue and Fifty third street, refused
. . go to school Thursday and Friday 10
, fear Of meeting the ''r1an in woman
!. clothes after he had lost his own.''
- "Mr. schotzka may have gone Graz
= and put on woman's clothes after ne ios
- his own,'' suggested Mrs. Haas th
~ morning.
y The commandant at the home still bt
= lieves that Schotzka committed suicid
I, (which seems to be borne out by the fine
= ing Of HIS coat and hat on the river ban
- above the home.
% The police have received a letter fro,
Ia Anna Poneroy: a daughter OF Scnotzk
20 expressing doubts as to his having con
- mitted suicide. Schotzka disappear'
- !, April 20, and his daughter says that 81
- received a letter from him under da,
of April 81, in which he threatened !
! make way with himself. She thinks th'
: he made the threat as a means Of dissuat
'e ing her from going on the stage, cour'
20 on which she had set her mind against
o+ wishes. 80 d ~. s.@..
~ The commandant, however, says tn
!, = mail is frequently collected a day aft
: being posted at the home and that Il
daughter probably confused the date
OF which the envelope was stamped with tt
at actual date on which the letter was wri
VI ten. s.s.'
y schotzka was drinking heavily the d.
OF of his disappearance. "
u =.