The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-03-22
Wild MAN FOUND NEAR LANES.
{. H. CONDUCTOE TELLS TliRTL-
LING STORY OF CAPTURE.


tory PaniC--iriCl,cn - Puts I'm
Vicious EiSllt.
News ana Courier
- thlllilnS story Of the capture of a
lEpI'ai wild man Of thc JUNGLE. a ne
gro covered from head to foot with
hIa'f' briSllinG hair, as thick ANA LONG
US th"l on som" giant gorilla, on the
'uSc OF Sant"c swamp. in South Car
"linG, near Lanes junction. Gftv miles
norm oi Charleston is told hy w. :.
cannon, conductor in charge Of the
Atlantic Coast Line passenger train
Nh'ch arrived 1T @.25 L. NJ. from irior-
Ch'e yesterday, says the Savannah
morning News of Monday
me wild man, Mr.. Damon states.
driven from Santcc swamp by a fresh
ct in the Santcc river, hid in a barn
hraf the edge OF the marsh lana ana.
Wh"n discovered, fought lcndishly un-
III oNcrpnWCrcd and COWcd into sub
.ccu"n. The man is now chaincl ana
t"d with ropes in the. barn i'm which
II" Was captured, the conductor SAVE.
DETAILS Of the capture of the man,
Mr.. Damon states, arc unknown +,
MN Lanes Junction is division
po!nt Whcr" transfers are made for
columbia, GEORGETOWN and Savannah.
lie Said That when his train reached
me junction Yesterday morning at
lilo O'Clock the little town was in a
stat" of intense excitement over the
capture of the man. The Savannah
lrdIn did not stop at Lanes, however,
lnf longer than five minutes and so
Mr. Damon could get but mCagre in
formation Of the affair. The n""rues
of Lanes are Ianic-strickcn, Mr.
Damon says.
What disposition will be made of
me man Mr.. Damon declares he does
not know. He says that il is his sup
position, however, that the matter Will
be reported to the authorities of the
state Hospital for the Insane at CO.
iumhia and that the man will hc sent
lh"rc for confinement and observation
The man is burly negro and speaks
some English, says thc conductor
1t Is generally thought. the con-
ductor says, that the negro is either
IN escaped convict or q fugitive from
Justice. lie says it rs the general be-
lief at Lanes that the man went into
"antce SW2mp to hide from officers of
he law ana, frightened by the lone
'ln"SS of the place ana the fear Of
capture became insane
Another theory Of how the man
reached his present state OF saVagcry
Mr.. Damon says, is That the negro. al
ready mad, wandered into the swamp
ana remained there. Tho appearance
dicatr that he had been living in the
swamp as a savage for probably many
years.
According to Mr.. Damon, when
members of y family Of negroes re-
siding on u small farm on The edge of
7antcc swamp went out tu n ram
fhacklcd barn in tho rcar IF their lit
ic cabin, about daybrcak yesterday,
they Wer" frightened by the terrible
SiSht OF man over six feet tall
broad ana muscular, with great
hraWny arms and heavy shoulders.
covered from head to foot with thick
black hair and whose eyes cleaned
lN" those Of some wild animal,
"louchcd in ON" corner Of the shack
lS though ready 80 spring .pon tho
uISi living creature which molcStcl
him
The family Of negroes, it is said
were thrown into a panic and went
hurrNing in all directions i'm search
"f aid. Residents Of that ncighbor-
hood went in response to tho fright
rncd cries and pleas for help. \
small mob, il is said. formed around
The barn within half an hour and
plans were hastily made for tho cap
iurr Of tn" man alive, if possible, and
with as little inimE to him rs ncccs-
say.
The negro showed signs Of neht
anu when the effort to catch him con
,iruod fought NiciouslN. Finally.
however, without any Of tho mob be-
n% hurt and without inhictiug any in
iurics upon the man further than n
l'W bruises of minor nature, the
hur!E Siran%"r, more animal in ap-
pCarancc than human was uVcrpoW-
cred ana tied hand and foot
Quickly the news of the fight with
and tn" capture of the man spread
over 'ho surrounding country and
people from adioinin" settlements and
r"sd.n- on small farms and along
lhc railroads in all directions from
Lanes Junction began To pour into
that it'll" town to view the strange
species Of hWnuu held iu the barn Of
,hc negro family.
Little groups and circles of people.
tn" blacks ana the whites 10 them
selves, hogan to form All over the
streets of Lanes Junction, with here
ana there a larger Glthcring Of white
men. with few aWc-,triCkrn negroes
on tho outskirts who would listen for
"A few moments to the trend OF the dis
cuSS.on, and th.n 20 back 60 thos" Uf
ih'ir own rae" to report.
The authorities OF Lanes Junction
are following Up every ease where n
criminal hes been thought to have
hidden IN Sani"o swamp, or where a
negro hasi straycd off and never heard
of again, i'm an effort to identify tho
man.
Thr n'@ro. il is said. viii not talk,
GjuWor.u| in Il r,ru,iuuS, SullCn man
hor mt this uUrStion,rs at times. and
ut others Hpp"lrluS wholly obliViOuS
to the Queries being propoundcd.
Nh"n amy one goes u,nr the man hr
Suains ana tears mt his tcthcrs and