Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-11-23
WILD WOMAN IN ALPINE WOODS.

All the Men of a French Commune
Chase Her For Three Days.
A story comes from Geneva Of a hunt
through Alpine forests lasting three
days for the purpose Of capturing q
wild woman who 1t appears. has been
living alone the life Of an animal for
eleven years but who recently caused
the authorities to take notice Of her
by plundering the farmyards at night.
The mayor Of the commune in Upper
Savoy, which has st. Julien en- Gene
vols, a village five miles southwest Of
Geneva, for its centre, vouches for the
facts.
He first heard on December IL last
that a woman totally without clothing
had been seen in the woods. He gave
a general order to keep lookout for
her and If possible capture her, but as
she was doing no particular harm no
particular effort was made to run her
down.
Then, after some weeks, complaints
robbed, fruit and vegetables were sto-
len. If nothing else eatable could be
found the troughs Of the swine were
laid under contribution. Nobody ever
got near the woman. but she was occa-
sionally seen fleeing over the fields
in the gray light of the dawn and los
ing herself in the woods.
At last the matter came to the ears
of the Prefect Of Upper Savoy. He at
once gave an order that the woman
should be caught and cared for. Then,
about the middle of last month, q
comprehensive plan to beat all the
woods for some miles around was ar
ranged.
The gendarmes were ordered to
lead the operation, but all the men Of
the farms and villages took few days
off to help. They tramped through for
ests and thickets, over rocks and
through valleys, occasionally seeing
what seemed to be signs Of her pres
ence, but never sighting the woman
herself until the third day. Then one
of the parties came upon her suddenly,
fast asleep in a thicket, almost buried
in heap Of leaves she had gathered
as protection from the chill air.
She was taken to a nearby house by
force. 1t was necessary to lock her in
a room and keep guard day and night
to prevent her escaping until she could
be removed to the hospital at ST..
Julien. She presented the appearance
of a wild animal and it was a couple
of days work to restore her to some
thing Of the semblance Of humanity by
cutting and combing her hair and sub
jecting her to a series of baths.
When the mayor went to interview
her she seemed to be partially de-
mented When he asked her name
however she replied that it was Eva.
This proved to be a fancy name
adopted, perhaps, when she first deter
mined to lead the life Of wild wom-
an. Investigation resulted in her iden-
tification as Maria Nicollet. She had
been the wife of prosperous business
man in Agonnax, a considerable town
about twenty miles west Of Geneva.
The woman had always been franti-
cally jealous Of her husband, and elev-
en- years ago she disappeared from her
home after a scene of desperate vio-
lence in which she upbraided him for
some fancied wrong. No trace was
ever found of her and the doctors who
have examined her express the opinion
that she has lived her wild life in the
woods for years, If not the whole time
since her disappearance, probably
moving from place to place and thus
escaping detection.
Her husband died a few months
ago. He never lost his affection for
her and he left his small estate in trust
for her benefit in case she should ever
appear. 1t will be sufficient to provide
for her sustenance.