Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1903-08-20
THE JUNGLE MAN

Of Bengal with officers belonging 70
the Seventh native infantry we got
word one day that Wild man had
been seen in jungle ten miles away,
The man was native who had
served for several years as a soldier,
and he had good military record
and was known 10 be of peaceful dis
position. One day while on a scout
through the forest with his company.
he was bitten on the neck by a spider
The wound gave him great pain, and
he was sent back to the hospital for
treatment He was under tho sur
geons care for ten days and was
discharged as cured, but one morning
when at drill ne suddenly began
whoopinG and shouting and acting in
n singular manner. When his com
! radcs attempted TO restrain him he be
came violent, and, casting them off, he
boltcd across the parade and down the
road. He was pursued, but he gained
the forest, a mile away, ahead of ALL
and was successful in hiding himself
\ long search had been made for him
at the time, but without avail.
We at once moved across the cOun-
try and located in village, and next
morning a dozen natives were sent out
on q scout They were back before
noon with the news that the wild man
had moved his retreat about Ave miles
to the east. He was evidently afraid
Of us. He had taken refuge in another
jungle near another village, and We
broke camp and rode down to the place
and beat up the thickCts for hours.
We caught sight of the man once or
twice but he was n long way of and
acted rs If he suspected n trap. Next
day he was twelve miles away, and
In the course Of week he had trav-
eled sixty miles When he moved we
moved after him. We attempted no
trick and made no demonstrate to
alarm or anger him.
Our persistent pursuit had the effect
Of putting him in n passion, however,
for on the sixth day of the chase, as
we were en- route TO a village near
which he had gone into hiding, he
entered the place shouting in fury and
Drained five people with his club. He
had stripped off most of his clothing
and was naked from the waist up.
After killing the people he fired sew
eral huts and ran away and hid In Il
ravinc.
1t was now plainly evident that we
must change our tactics. If the man
was cnraged he might attack us at
any moment ana If he did so we
should have to fire on him in self de-
fpnse
The ravine in which he was hiding
was about mile long, and at the
lower end it opened into Il path much
used by the natives. If the wild man
was not hunted out or alarmed he
would probably come down the raylne
and enter this path.
After looking the ground over IL
was decided to dig pitfall and set
some traps along the path, and soon
after noon a force of natives was set
ut work. They dug u pit twenty feet
long by fourteen deep, and when ready
ii was covered over the same as il to
Il
and south Of the pit we arranged
nooses which led over the limbs Of
trees, and by sundown we felt sure
of our man if he came that way. Two
soldiers and three natives were hidden
near the pit TO act as sCntinelS and
give the alarm, and all was quiet in
the camp and village at the usual hour.
At 2 O'clock in the morning we were
turned out by an alarm from the sen
tinels, and our whole force Mt once has
tened to the pit. The wild man had
come down the ravinc and fallen into
the pit Notwithstanding It's depth
he was out again in a moment, and but
for the trap on the north side we
should have lost him. He ran into
that was caught by the leg and sus-
pended in the air, and when we ar
rived he was screaming and shouting
and cursing in q way to make ones
hair stand up.
He was defcnSeleSS, but for a long
time no one dared to go near him. He
made the most tremendous efforts TO
escape, and but for our throwing
noosed ropes over his head and draw
ing them tight he would soon have re-
gained his liberty. When we finally
had him fast and secure he had tired
himself out and was Il pitiable object |
to behold. He had been heard TO use
q few English words but no one had |
heard him make sentences before. His
speech came back to him us we stood
around him, and he used many OF the
commands given a soldier at drill.
We remained in camp four days after
capturing the wild man, hoping TO sub
due him and make him prcsentuble at
headquarters, but he was worse than
a wild beast. Not a stitch Of clothing
could be kept on him, and he had to be
bound hand and foot all the time. He
preferred raw meat TO cooked, and
when fed he would growl and roar as
If the sight of meat put him in a
frenzy.
The surgeon with us could make
nothing of his case, and we finally got
q cart and started for home to turn the
poor fellow over to the proper authori-
ties. On the second day of the journey
the wild man burst his bonds and es-
capped into the jungle. We put in ten
days hunting for him, but got no trace
and finally abandoned all pursuit.
Six months later he was seen once or
twice in the foothills TO the north, but
no pursuit was organized, and if not
dead he is today wandering about the
forests and iungles like a wild beast.
How he could have escaped death
during the two years l write of is II
singular thing, as the country was in
tested with poisonous serpents and
savage beasts, but when he was our,
captive he had not scar on his body
and was evidently in the best of health.
NJ. QUAD.