Wild Men

Wild Men

By William D. Gibson

Copyright 2016 William D. Gibson

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Chapter 1 - What is a ‘Wild Man’?

If you think of a wild man like I do, you’re most likely thinking of a feral man, not a wild one. They're different. Feral animals were once part of a domesticated world. Wild men are those that have been wild all their lives. That's not what we're talking about, but I wasn't going to call the book 'Feral Men'. That just didn't have the same ring.

And when we’re talking about wild men, let’s be frank. We’re talking about wild women, too, even though there are far more stories or sightings of wild men than women.

For whatever reason, some humans decide to depart from civilization. They escaped to the woods, the forests, or anywhere else to get away and live ‘in the wild’. They often lived on the edge of civilization and sometimes crossed paths with it.

Wild men became wild men for many reasons. They were escaped convicts, runaway slaves, military deserters, criminals, insane persons, homeless, vagrants, or just those who were enticed by the call of the wilderness.

Of course, there were other ‘wild men’ that witnesses thought to be too hairy, large, and ape-like to be human. Sometimes the newspaper stories, based on witness accounts, were too difficult to determine whether the wild man was human or not. Often, traveling circuses or menageries were blamed for their escaped gorillas or other apes. Based on the number of stories written, apes were escaping from their cages all over the country, so much so that it should have been a public safety concern. Personally, I don't think so. Huge, hairy, muscular bipedal creatures that are described by witnesses might have been something else; something that people hadn't heard of or seen before in the 1800s or early turn of the century 1900s. You can be the judge.

Many cultures have a wild man theme that has existed for centuries. It shows up in literature, flags and pennants of states, countries and provinces. It's part of the history of the countries of China, Indonesia, Africa, and Mongolia, as well as that of Native Americans and Europeans, just to name a few.

Those arriving in America may have expected to see wild men. America was the wild frontier for its immigrants in the 1800s. The Wild West, cowboys and Indians and related adventure tales filled the pages of newspapers, books and periodicals, here and abroad. Those coming to American were headed for the unknown. This was the time of Gulliver's Travels, the tales of Jonathan Swift, the stories of Robinson Crusoe; and Tarzan, the ultimate wild man. Newspapers were growing rapidly, numbering in the thirties in the late 1700s in America to over 1200 by the mid 1830s. Every city of any size had one, even two. Articles of anything adventuresome or unusual were put into print and passed from paper to paper. Stories about wild men were no different.

The stories had several themes. A wild man was a male, of course. There were a few stories of feral women or children, but they were rare. Wild men were usually naked or almost so. They almost always traveled alone. They were often described as completely hairy. They were sometimes seen with a club or a knife, but nothing more than that. Sightings of wild men often created some tension and fear among the witnesses. As a result, newspaper stories often conclude with a locally organized posse or group of armed men whose mission it was to capture the trespasser. Sometimes they did and we'd be treated to a tale as to the reasons for the man's wanderings. Often, lunacy and insanity were attributed to the wild men.

Wild men were mischievous. They were blamed for stealing food from barns or farms as well as taking live stock. Although not the norm, occasionally wild men were accused of more serious crimes, such as kidnapping, murder or assault.

Chapter 2 - The Stories by State, in Alphabetical Order (Alabama-Nevada)

The following are 220 or so stories going back to 1829. They cover 42 states, some Canadian provinces and a few countries. If you don't see a state heading, then there were no stories for that state. You will note that the language and format of newspaper stories back then was a little stilted. The sentences were longer, often run-on, and the words used were in a vocabulary above the sixth grade level of today's papers. At the end of the book, I have created a brief glossary of terms used that I thought might be helpful to list. I tried to use caps where the headlines were in capital letters. The articles are in alphabetical order, by state.

United States

***Alabama***

A WILD MAN'S DEEDS., Pittsburgh Dispatch, August 2, 1890.

Graphic Story of the Mysterious Capture of Five Confederate Soldiers by

A MANIAC OF THE MOUNTAINS.

The Strange Being Whose Mad Antics Caused a Reign of Terror in Bragg's Army.

DRIVEN INSANE BY A CRUEL WORLD.

He Made War Upon the Troops and Finally Met a Most Horrible Fate.

Speaking of thrilling incidents of the late war which have escaped the historians, said Captain George Anderson, of this city (Birmingham, AL), to the writer, "did you ever hear the story of the 'Wild Man of the Cumberland Mountain'? In four days that strange individual succeeded in frightening and demoralizing the officers and men of my company worse than the scream of shot and shell or the sight of a whole brigade of Yankees had ever done.

"When Bragg's army was falling back through Tennessee, before the battle of Chicamauga, a stand was made at Stevenson and Bridgeport, Ala. The two little towns are situated at the foot of the Cumberland mountains, near the banks of the Tennessee river. The enemy were close behind us, so when our army went into temporary camp, batteries were placed in position and our rear was well guarded by scouts and pickets in order to prevent a surprise, and to be prepared for any sudden advance. My company was one of those detailed for picket duty. We formed a part of the outer line of pickets some three or four miles in the rear of the main army.

A STRUGGLE WITH THE WILD MAN.

"I had only 60 men in my company at that time. One half of them were on duty at night, the other half during the day. The pickets were placed almost 50 yards apart, as a number of scouts were detailed to watch the enemy in front of us. In placing my men on the picket line I visited each post. Near the center of the line a man was stationed at the mouth of a narrow, dark-looking ravine, which led up somewhere into the mountains. The post was under a large oak tree, and at night the spot was so dark a man could not be seen ten feet away. The first night we were on duty Andrew Mason, one of the best and bravest men in my company, was at the post under the big tree.

"When the pickets were relieved the next morning Mason was missing. His gun was found on the ground at the post, and there were signs of a desperate struggle, but Mason could not be found. His gun had not been discharged, and I thought a small scouting party of the enemy had crept upon him unawares and taken him prisoner. I ordered the scouts in front to keep a close watch for foraging or scouting parties of the enemy, and when the pickets were changed at sundown I cautioned the man who took the post under the big oak to keep a careful lookout and not get captured.

A SECOND PICKET DISAPPEARS.

"That night some of the scouts came in and reported that there was not a blue coat within ten miles of us. The second morning the picket under the oak was gone. His gun was there and again there was evidence of a struggle, but outside of a circle of 20 feet we could discover no foot prints and the man's capture was a mystery.

"The mysterious capture of two pickets somewhat alarmed the men, but the man assigned to the post on the third night did not flinch. He was a strapping young fellow named Brown, as brave as a lion, and when I cautioned him to be careful he answered with a laugh that it would take a whole company to carry him off alive. Next morning Brown was gone. He had been captured and carried off in the same mysterious manner. By this time my men were alarmed by these mysterious captures and I was almost convinced that the men had deserted. I determined to put a man on the post that night that I could trust, and make an effort to solve the mystery.

STILL ANOTHER DISAPPEARS.

"When the hour for relieving the pickets arrived, the day man on the post at the ravine was missing and his gun found lying on the ground. This thing was getting decidedly sensational and I determined to clear up the mystery that night. Calling Sergeant Molton aside I told him of my belief that the men were deserting and asked him to take the post that night and clear up the mystery of the affair if possible. He readily consented, and I retired to my tent confident that the sergeant would be found at his post the next morning. Imagine my surprise when a lieutenant came to my tent and informed me that Sergeant Molton was missing. I hurried out to the post and there I found the sergeant's gun and plenty of evidence that he had not deserted.

"Sergeant Molton was a powerful man physically, and his struggle with his captors must have been a desperate one indeed. The ground was torn and trampled for a space of 50 feet, and there were bloodstains everywhere. I tried to trace the men and their captain, but the ground everywhere around was covered with loose stones, and there were no footprints.

THE MEN TERRIFIED.

When the news of Sergeant Molton's capture spread through the company it caused general alarm. The men swore the place was haunted, and giant ghosts had carried away our pickets. I don't believe a man in my company would have volunteered to go on that post. I made up my mind I would solve the mystery that night if it cost me half my company. During the day I detailed five men for duty at the oak, and they were not molested. When night cam I placed a man there, as usual, telling him I would have an extra guard around the place. Then taking ten picked men, men whose courage I could rely on, I stationed them at short intervals so as to completely surround the big oak tree where five of my men had been so mysteriously captured. My orders were for every man to remain perfectly quiet until he heard a struggle under the tree, then all rush to the relief of the man on the post. There was to be no shot fired if it could be avoided. I wanted to capture the mysterious enemy alive. I took a position inside my line of guards and about 50 feet from the tree.

"The darkness was intense and the silence oppressive. Not a sound broke the awful stillness until near midnight, when I thought I heard a faint noise among the branches of the big tree. I listened intently, and soon heard plainly the rustling of the branches as though some wild animal was moving about the tree.

IN THE WILD MAN'S GRASP.

"It was probably five minutes after I first heard the rustling among the branches of the tree when some object fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Instantly there was a cry of pain or terror from the sentinel under the tree, and I shouted to my men to rush forward. As we closed in we could only see two forms struggling as if for life. I ordered my men to seize both, and as quickly as possible I made light. My picket was in the grasp of a giant. A man clothed in rags, with long matted hair and beard, had caught the soldier around the body and pinned his arms to his side.

"The strength of this strange being was that of a giant, and it was several minutes before my ten men could completely overpower him. I built a fire and we dragged him to the light, where he was securely bound. He lay there and glared at us like a wild beast, but uttered no sound. All efforts to induce him to talk proved futile. We had solved the mystery of the capture of our men, but now the question was how would we learn their fate. This wild man of the mountain had no doubt captured all of them, but what had he done with them? He probably lived in some cave in the mountain and had carried his prisoners there, but we might never find it unless he would guide us.

HE WOULD NOT TALK.

"I asked him again and again what he had done with the men he caught, but received no answer. Then I tried to make him understand by signs I wanted to know, but he only laughed a wild, unhumanlike laugh. We remained by the fire under the big oak with our prisoner securely bound until daylight. Then I promised him his liberty if he would tell what he had done with the men he had captured or guide us to his den. To both propositions he made no reply. I saw the man was a maniac and decided to try strategy to gain the information I wanted.

"Placing my men around him with fixed bayonets, I motioned him to go on, but he would not move. The wild man was over six feet high and would weigh probably 250 pounds. His hair and beard were long and unkempt and his clothes were a mass of rags and tatters. I noticed an ugly looking scar at the top of his head, evidently from a saber cut, and as I afterwards learned, that was the cause of his insanity.

"Threats, persuasion and force all failing to induce him to talk or to lead us to his hiding place, I decided to try another plan. Telling my men to let the man go, I ordered them to shoulder arms and we started back towards camp. The scheme was successful. The moment the wild man realized he was at liberty he dashed off up the narrow ravine. Calling to my men to follow me I

STARTED IN PURSUIT.

"It was all we could do to keep him in sight, so great was his speed. He evidently did not suspect that we would follow him, for he never once looked back. Up the narrow ravine he led us a lively chase for a mile or more. We had been climbing all the way and were near the summit of the Cumberland mountains when the wild man turned aside from the ravine and started to enter a large cave. Then he looked back for the first time and saw us in pursuit. He stood still a moment, then turned and again went on toward the summit of the mountain.

"Ordering two of my men to remain and watch the cave I pushed on with the others in pursuit of the wild man. He ran probably 300 yards to the edge of a high precipice. There he turned and picking up several large stones hurled them at us with great force and we dodged the stones and pressed on. Seeing escape cut off the man turned and uttering a wild unearthly cry leaped over the precipice. I shut my eyes as I saw him leap into space. We cautiously crawled up to the edge of the cliff and looking down we could see the mangled body of the wild man lying on the rocks more than 100 feet below. There was no chance to reach the body so we turned and retraced our steps to the cave. There we found the missing pickets.

THE MEN TIED TO STAKES.

"The cave was the dwelling place of the wild man, and inside the five men of my company who had fallen into his hands were tied to stakes driven in the ground. They had not been harmed by their wild captor, but had been without food and water since their capture and their limbs were stiff and sore where they had been bound. Not one of them expected to escape alive and their joy can be better imagined than described when I cut the cords that bound them. Not one word had the wild man spoken to any of them, but from his manner and gestures they were of the opinion that he was saving them for some fiendish torture which his crazed brain would suggest.

"He had captured the first man by creeping upon him in the darkness. After that his plan was to return to the spot during the night, and, climbing the big oaks, conceal himself among the branches, where he would remain until the next night, and then drop on his victim from the tree.

A few days later I learned the story of the wild man of the mountains from a resident of that locality. His name was Bill Patton, and before the war he had lived in a small cabin up on the mountain and earned a scant livelihood by hunting and fishing. He was a Union man in sentiment and refused to join the Confederate army. One day he was captured by a squad of home guards while he was selling some game in Bridgeport and they started with him to the nearest conscripting office. On the way he escaped from his captors, after a desperate struggle, in which he received a terrible cut on the head with a saber. He recovered from the wound, but it left him a maniac. He took to the mountain again and lived in caves, subsisting on the game he could kill. In his madness he had probably planned a terrible revenge for the wound which destroyed his reason.

A WILD WOMAN., The Lewiston Gazette, March 12, 1857.

Linden, Marengo county, Ala., is all astir on account of a wild woman that is recently appeared in the woods and hills of that neighborhood to a party of huntsmen. She is a medium sized woman, fair, and quite naked, with the exception of moccasins. She runs with great velocity, leaping on all fours over every impediment like an antelope. The Linden Jeffersonian says:

When discovered by a party of huntsmen, she was concealed among some brush and ran hastily away on their approach. This is, we believe, the first instance of a wild person being seen in Alabama, and with the exception of the wild man said to have been seen in the southern part of Arkansas, is the only instance we remember to have heard of.

Another editor, who was one of a hunting party who saw her, says she was accompanied by a large ram of remarkable whiteness, by whose wool she held on when running up hills and springing over rocks. This ram appeared very much attached to this wild and singular creature and protector. It appears some fifteen years ago a little girl, daughter of a French woman residing on the banks of the Tombigbee river, was lost, as well as a pet lamb of hers. They were never after heard of, so that many supposed the little girl and her lamb had been drowned. The question now is, can this wild woman of Marengo county be the same? It is highly probable, but how she has existed during fifteen years in the woods, away from all intercourse with the world, is a mystery.

***Alaska***

ALASKAN CANNIBALS., Sacramento Daily Union, September 21, 1897.

Gold Seekers Will See Them on Their Way.

Believe in Monsters and Dwell Amid Imaginary Hordes of Horned Demons.

Along the coast of Alaska dwell some vary queer aborigines, as the gold seekers flocking to the Klondike country will surely discover. They do the most of the freighting process across the passes into the interior, carrying loads on their backs, but their population during centuries has been so shut away from other tribes by gigantic ranges of snow-clad mountains that they have developed a peculiar culture and customs unknown anywhere else. Hence the exceptional value of a monograph about them prepared by the Dr. Franz Boaz, a distinguished ethnologist, which is to be published shortly by the National Museum.

These natives may be said to live largely in a world of imagination, inasmuch as their customers and habits of living are based to a great extent upon ideas and beliefs wholly supernatural. Creation, from their point of view, is peopled buy strange monsters and demons, which, while normally hostile to man, may be rendered friendly and even helpful with the aid of certain ceremonials of a quasi religious character.

For example, according to a Washington special to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the most important of these monsters is a serpent which has a head at each end of its body and a human head in the middle. To touch this strange monster these natives believe is death, all the joints of the victim becoming dislocated, but specially favored individuals are enabled to perform wonderful feats be wearing a belt of its skin, while its eyes, used as sling stones, will kill any animal, even whales. Another of these fabulous beings is a wild woman who lives in the woods. She has enormous breasts, and carries a basket, into which she puts children whom she steals for the purpose of eating.

One of the most remarkable of festivals celebrated by the Indians is a carnival of ghosts, which is held each winter. It seems to be derived from a tradition that tells of a journey made by an adventurous individual to a region beneath the earth, inhabited by phantoms. The celebration itself is a mimic representation of the visit to hades aforesaid, and the performer who represents the submundane travelers wears a necklace and headdress set round with skulls.

Cannibalism is very conspicuous in the myths current among these people, who have themselves been eaters of human flesh up to a recent period. Indeed, though the whites are supposed to have put a stop to such practices, it would seem that secret