Wild Men in the press

A collection of miscellany clippings relating to Wild Men, including all manner of individuals, be they identified or no, from hermits to escaped mental patients.

[NOTE: This is a reprint of an article from the Boston Daily Times, originally published 1 April 1839.]



From the Boston Times. Wild Man of the Woods.

Robert Lincoln Esq., agent of the New York Lumber Company, has just returned from St. Peter's river, near the head of Steamboat navigation, on the Upper Mississippi, bringing with him a living wild Man of the Woods, with two small cubs, supposed to be three months old.

Mr. Lincoln went out to the North West as agent of the New York Lumber Company in July last, with a view to establish mills on the pine lands near the Falls of St. Anthony; & he has given us a detail of the operations of the company, and the circumstances which led to the capture of the extraordinary creature mentioned above.

The company set out on their expedition in July last. The workmen and laborers with the principal of the machinery went by the way of New Orleans, and at that city they chartered a steamboat and proceeded up the Mississippi. The whole business was under the direction of Mr. Lincoln. They had on board all the necessary tools and saws, together with the apparatus for a gristmill horses, cows, a good stock of of provisions, arms, ammunition, &c. &c.&mdash; These passed directly up the river, & reached St. Peters in safety.

During the winter, Mr. Lincoln, and several of his workmen made frequent excursions, in pursuit of game, which was very abundant, and their camp one continued scene of festivity. The Indians brought in large quantities of furs, which Mr. Lincoln purchased for a mere trifle, and lined his cabin throughout, which rendered his rude hut very warm and comfortable.

About the fourth of January two or three of the carpenters who had been out in pursuit of a gang of wolves, that had proved very troublesome, came into the camp and reported that they had seen a huge monster in the forest, on a branch of the Mississippi, having the form of a man but much taller and stouter, covered with long hair and of a frightful aspect. They stated that when seen he was on a log, looking directly at them, and the moment they raised their muskets, he darted into the thicket and disappeared. They saw him again in about half an hour, apparently watching them, and then they turned towards him he again disappeared. Mr. Lincoln was at first disposed to think lightly of the matter, believing that the men might be mistaken about the size and height of the object, or supposing it might have been a trick of the Indians to frighten them. He was informed however by some of the natives that such beings had often been seen on the St. Peters, and near the falls on the Mississippi; and they proposed to guide a party of workmen to a bluff where it was thought they might be found.&mdash; The men were already for the adventure, & arming themselves with rifles & hunting knives they started in pursuit under the direction of Mr. Lincoln and the Indian guides. On the way they were joined by several of the natives, and the whole party numbered twenty three.

They arrived at the bluff in the afternoon, on the 21st day of January, and encamped in a cave or grotto at the foot of the hill.&mdash; Early next morning, two of the Indians who were sent out to reconnoitre, in about an hour returned, and said that they had seen the Wild Man on the other side of the hill. The whole party immediately prepared for the pursuit. Mr. Lincoln gave positive orders to the men not to fire on him unless it should be necessary in self defence as he wished to take him alive. The Indians stated that although a powerful creature, he was believed to be perfectly harmless as he always fled at the approach of man.&mdash; While Mr. Lincoln was giving his men their instructions the Wild Man appeared in sight. He ordered them to remain perfectly quiet, and taking out his pocket glass surveyed him minutely. He appeared to be eight or nine feet high, very athletic and more like a beast standing erect than a man. The Indians had provided themselves with ropes prepared to catch wild horses, with which they hoped to ensnare and bind the creature, without maiming him.

The instant the company moved toward him, he sprang forward with a horrid and frightful yell which made the forest ring.&mdash; The Indians followed close upon him, and Lincoln and his men brought up the rear. The pursuit was continued nearly an hour, now gaining upon the object of their chase, and now loosing sight of him. He finally darted into a thicket, and they were unable to find him. They then began to retrace their steps towards the place of encampment, and when within about a mile of the cavern the Wild Man crossed their path within twenty rods. They immediately gave chase again and accidentally drove the creature from the forest to an open prairie. At length he suddenly stopped and turned upon his pursuers. Mr. Lincoln was then in the advance. Fearing that he might attack them or return a the woods and escape, he fired upon him and fledged a charge of buck shot in the calf of his leg. He fell immediately, and the Indians sprang forward and threw their ropes over his head, arms and legs, and with much effort succeeded in binding him fast. He struggled however most desperately gnashed his teeth and howled in a frightful manner, They then formed a sort of litter of branches and limbs of trees and placing him on it they carried him to the encampment. A watch was then placed over him and every effort made that could be devised to keep him quiet but he continued to howl piteously all night. Towards morning two small cubs about three feet high and very similar to the larger monster came into the camp, & were taken without resistance.

As soon as the monster saw them he became furious &mdash; gnashing his teeth and howled, and thrashed about until he burst his cord and come very near effecting his escape. But he was bound anew and after that was kept more carefully watched and guarded. Next day he was placed on his litter and carried down to the mills on the St. Peters.

For two or three days Mr. Lincoln says he refused to eat or drink, or take any kind of food, but continued to howl at intervals an hour at a time; at length however he began to eat but from that time his howl ceased and he remained sullen and stupid ever since. The cubs took food very rapidly, and became quiet and playful.

Mr. Lincoln is a native of Boston and some of the workmen engaged in his mills are from this city. He arrived here on Sunday afternoon in the Brig St. Charles, Stewart, master from New Orleans; with the Wild Man and two cubs, and they were all removed from the vessel that evening. By an invitation of Lincoln, who is an old acquaintance, we went down to his rooms to examine this monster. He is a horrid looking creature, and reminds us very strongly of the fabled satyrs as we have pictured them to our own mind. He is about eight feet three inches high when standing erect, & his frame is of a giant proportion in every part. His legs are not straight but like those of any other four footed animal and his whole body is covered with a hide very much like that of the cow.

His arms are very large and long and ill proportioned. It does not appear from his manner that he ever walked on all-fours.&mdash; The fingers and toes are mere branches armed with stout claws. His head is covered with thick coarse black fur, like the main of a horse. The appearance of his countenance, if such it may be called, is very disgusting &mdash; nay, almost horrible. It is covered with a thinner and lighter coat than the rest of the body &mdash; there is no appearance of eye-brows or nose, the mouth is very large, wide, & similar to that of the baboon. His eves are quite dull and heavy and there is no indication of cunning or activity about them. Mr. Lincoln says he is beyond doubt carnivorous, as he universally rejects bread and vegetables and eats flesh with great avidity. He think he is of the ourang outang species; but from what we have seen, we are inclined to consider him a wild animal somewhat resembling a man. He is, to say the least one of the most extraordinary creatures ever brought before the public from any part of the earth, or water under the earth, and we believe will prove a difficult puzzle to the scientific. He lies down like a brute and does not appear to possess more instinct than common domestic animals. He is now quite tame and quiet, and is confined with a stout chain attached to his legs.

It is Mr Lincoln's intention to submit these animals to the inspection of the scientific for a few days in order to ascertain what they are; and after that to dispose of them to some person for exhibition. Mr. Lincoln himself, will return to the St. Peters in the course of three weeks.



Wild Man of the Woods. &mdash; A gigantic man of the woods has been discovered in Green county, Arkansas, and a party has been organized to endeavor to catch him. When last seen he was pursuing a herd of cattle, who were flying in a state of great alarm, as if pursued by a dreaded enemy. On seeing the party who discovered him he looked at them deliberately for a short time, turned and ran away. With great speed, leaping from twelve to fourteen feet at a time. His footprint measured thirteen inches each. He was of gigantic structure, the body being covered with hair, and the head with long locks that fairly enveloped his neck and shoulders.

A Louisiana Wild Man of the Woods. &mdash; A wild man of the woods, who speaks French in a manner not at all wild, is furnishing a local topic in the New Orleans papers. He was caught in a clump of bushes on a plantation, thirteen miles below the city, armed with a revolver, which unpleasant instrument he popped at every passenger along the road. Having frightened an entire parish out of its wits, a strong force was mustered to capture him, and that job was safely accomplished. Nobody knows him, nor will he give an account of himself.



<p style="text-align: center;">A Wild Man. A Hideous Monster Roaming About The Neighborhood of Woodhull and Troupsburgh, N.Y. <blockquote style="text-indent: 23px;">A correspondent of a Hornellsville paper tells the following veracious story:

<blockquote style="text-indent: 23px;">For the very strange story I am about to relate, I scarcely expect to, nor do I solicit belief. Indeed were it not that hundreds of reliable men and women in the county of Steuben are ready and willing to vouch for its truthfulness, I would never ask you to put it in print. The facts are as follows:

<blockquote style="text-indent: 23px;">During the four weeks last past a wild man has been prowling around the woods in the towns of Woodhull and Troupsburgh, in the southern part of this county, coming frequently into the highways and cleared fields, to the intense terror of women and children, and even strong men, So great is the excitement in some parts of the towns mentioned, that schools have been broken up, parents not daring to send their little ones along the highways to the schoolhouses. At first the whole thing was considered a hoax, intended merely to frighten old women and children; but as many prominent citizens vouched for the actual existence of the wild man, and the disturbance of the schools was making it a matter of public importance, the people of Woodhull and Troupsburgh determined to ferret the matter out. Accordingly, on the 12th inst., about 200 men assembled at the residence of Mr. S. G. Brown, and proceeded to search the woods in that immediate vicinity, Under the leadership of Capt. J. J. Buchanan and the writer of this article, crowds searched the woods for hours, but with no success further than the finding of camp fire and the track of a barefooted man imprinted in the soft mashy part of the forest; and the whole party, at about 3 o'clock, p.m., returned to Mr. Brown's house, and getting ready their teams started back to Woodhull village. The party had proceeded scarcely fifty rods from Mr. Brown's house, when on the outskirts of the woods, and within 20 rods of the band of searchers, appeared the veritable wild man of the woods! Myself, Capt. Buchanan, and others, immediately started in full pursuit. We approached within six or eight rods of this strange being without attracting his notice, when suddenly, with a wild, unearthly shriek, he notified us that we were perceived. I drew my rifle, intending to halt him or send a bullet through his skull ordered him to halt, when he sprang with the agility of a deer toward the wood. I did not fire, because, on second thought, I doubted my right to take the life of any human being, however wild, until he had at least violated some law.

<blockquote style="text-indent: 23px;">So far I have related facts: which will be vouched for by at least 100 persons, I will now give you a perfect description of this wild man &mdash; or animal &mdash; or 'What is it,'  &mdash; as he, she, or it appeared to me. He was barefooted, bare headed, and wore no clothing except an old pair of soldier's pants; his hair, which was black, sprinkled with gray, was from two to three feet long, frizzly and matted, hanging over his face, neck, shoulders and back, reaching half way to the ground; his beard reaching to the waistband of his pants, was jet black, This, together with a springing, jerking hitch in his gait, gave him more the appearance of a wild animal than a human being; and though I am not of a nervous temperament may all the saints in heaven shield and defend me from ever meeting such a fiendish looking being face to face again. The long matted hair; the thick, black, uncombed beard; the wild, glaring, blood-shot eyeballs, which seemed bursting from their sockets; the savage, haggard, unearthly countenance; the wild, beastly appearance of this thing, whether man or animal, has haunted me continually by day and night; and I do not wonder that when this strange being rapped on the school house windows, children were frightened out of their senses and refused to be pacified; for although I have seen the chiefs of fifty different tribes of Rocky Mountain Indians, painted for the war path, and have looked with wonder on the stuffed gorilla, Barnum's 'What is it,' the man monkey, &c., I never beheld anything halfso hideous as the wild man of Woodhull woods.

<blockquote style="text-indent: 23px;">I will close by saying that twentyfive years ago a man named William Little suddenly disappeared from Woodhull, and has never been heard of since; and as the farm on which the wild man spends most of his time was formerly owned by the absentee, it is supposed by some that the wild man is none other than William Little himself, returned: in this disguise to the home of his youth. But I hardly think this theory the true one. I do believe, however, that a woman and a baby are somewhat mixed up in the matter.


 * File:Wild Man (of the Woods, Idaho) - 1870-07-14 - Idaho World (Idaho City, Idaho Terr.), p.1.jpg



<p style="text-align: center;"> Wild Man of the Woods.  A FEARFUL PRODIGY CAPTURED IN THE WILDS OF TENNESSEE AND BROUGHT TO LOUISVILLE FOR EXHIBITION &mdash; HIS BODY COVERED WITH FISH SCALES.

"[Louisville Courier-Journal, October 24.]"

<blockquote style="text-indent: 23px;">The wild man brought to the city yesterday by Dr. O. G. Broyler, of Sparta, Tenn., is truly a mysterious and wonderful creature. He will be exhibited throughout the country by Manager Whallen, of the Metropolitan, who is a third-owner of this remarkable being, who promises to successfully baffle all scientists who desire to give a satisfactory explanation of his unnatural appearance. Before entering into the details of his capture, which form quite a thrilling and interesting episode, a description of the curiosity, which promises to excite more attention than Barnum's "What Is It?" will be given. At a distance the general outline of his figure would indicate that he is only an ordinary man. Close inspection shows that his whole body is covered with a layer of scales, which drop off at regular periods in the spring and fall, like the skin of a rattlesnake. He has a heavy growth of hair on his head, and a dark, reddish beard about six inches long. His eyes I present a frightful appearance, being at least twice the size of the average sized eye. Some of his toes are formed together, which give his feet a strange appearance, and his height, when standing perfectly erect, is about six feet five inches. A nervous twitching of his muscles shows a desire to escape, and he is constantly looking in the direction of the door through he entered. His entire body must be wet at intervals, and should this be neglected he begins to manifest great uneasiness, his flesh becomes feverish, and his sufferings cannot be alleviated until the water is applied. At times he is dangerous, and yesterday morning, when Mr. Whallen attempted to place him in a wagon, in which he intended to bring him to the theatre, it occupied some time. The strange creature acted in the most mysterious manner, refusing obstinately for some time to get into the wagon. He has quite a sharp appetite, having eaten a meal yesterday morning and would have fully satisfied at least four men. With the exception of fish, his meals are all prepared, in the ordinary way, but the fish is eaten entirely raw. Dr. Broyler says that when alone he will sometimes mutter an unintelligible jargon, which it would be impossible for any one to understand, but that, in the presence of visitors, he remains perfectly silent. Yesterday afternoon, from one to four, a private exhibition was given, and a number of physicians were present, among them Drs. Brady and Cary Blackburn, who said that he was a great curiosity. Dr. Blackburn said that his scaly condition could not be attributed to any skin disease, but undoubtedly he was born in that condition. He will be on exhibition in the private rooms of the Metropolitan Theatre this afternoon and to-morrow between the hours of one and four o'clock. Only physicians and those specially invited will be allowed admission. His exact age is not known, but for the past eighteen years he has been running wild in the Cumberland mountains in Tennessee, near the Caney Fork and Big Bone Creek. He has been the constant terror of the community, although he was never known to attack any one until the day of his capture. Dr. G. G. Broyler, of Sparta, Tenn., says that since the surrender of the Confederate army it has been his intention to capture this creature and exhibit him throughout the country. The doctor says the parents of the wild man are respectable citizens of North Carolina, named Creslin. That their son is unquestionably a mysterious freak of nature they did not deny, but they could not account for his scaly skin. At the tender age of five years, having always beep possessed with a roving disposition, he left his home and plunged immediately into the mountainous regions of Tennessee. Here he lived as best he could, subsisting on the products of the country, such as roots and herbs and small animals that he could capture. When in the water he was in his element. He would dive down into the dept of the inland lakes, remaining under water for a considerable length of time, and finally emerge with both hands tilled with small fish, which he would devour at once in the raw state. Dr. Broyler says that until about eighteen months ago he had not attempted the capture, although he had been watching the creature's actions for the past twelve years. 'About the 15th of September' he started into the mountains fully determined to succeed in the capture.

<blockquote style="text-indent: 23px;">The "Wild Man of the Woods," as he was termed by the people of the vicinity, was unusually fleet of foot and possessed of a great deal of agility, bounding over the mountainous ravines in the most fearless manner. During the chase they kept the wild man constantly in, sight, and their plan was to tire him out, in which they finally succeeded. He was pursued through the wild mountainous country, over lakes and precipices, until his pursuers almost despaired of success. Stratagem was finally resorted to. The lariat was thrown at him without success, and then a kind of net-trap was formed, into which he was decoyed and captured. He ran fearlessly into the net, and became entangled in the meshes. Captured, but not conquered, a struggle ensued, in which Dr. Broyler was seriously wounded. The wild man fought with his hands after the fashion of a bear, and bruised and scratched the doctor in a frightful manner. At last they quieted their unwilling victim and brought him to Sparta. The doctor immediately telegraphed to Mr. Whallen, who purchased a third interest in the wonder and had him brought to Louisville yesterday morning. The presence of this wild man in Louisville has excited considerable attention among the doctors, and also a large crowd of curious persons, who are anxious to see the wonderful creature. There will be only one exhibition in this city, which takes place at the Metropolitan Theatre Saturday evening.

1880s

 * File:Wild Man (of the Woods, Idaho) - 1889-09-12 - Lewiston Teller (Lewiston, North Idaho), p. 1.jpg

1890s

 * File:Wild Man (artificial, China) -1893-02-03 - Daily Bulletin (Honolulu, HI), p. 4.jpg
 * File:Wild Man (of the Woods, Maryland, Frederick) - 1897-03-13 - Cecil Whig (Elkton, MA), p. 2.jpg
 * File:Wild Man (of the Woods, Wisconsin, Chippewa Falls) - 1899-06-30 - Little Falls Herald (Little Falls, MN), p. 7.jpg
 * File:Wild Man (of the Woods, Wisconsin) - 1899-08-05 - Carlsbad Current (Carlsbad, NM), p. 5.jpg

1900s

 * File:Wild Man (of the Woods, Michigan) - 1902-02-18 - Yakima Herald (North Yakima, WA), p. 3.jpg
 * File:Wild Man (of the Woods, Wisconsin) - 1906-08-20 - Evening Statesman (Walla Walla, WA), p. 5.jpg
 * File:Wild Man (of the Woods, Washington, Tacoma) - 1907-09-13 - Morning Astorian (Astoria, OR), p. 3.jpg
 * File:Wild Man (unknown, Washington, Bellingham) - 1908-12-03 - Evening Statesman (Walla Walla, WA), p. 8.jpg



1910s

 * File:Wild Man (of the Woods, Indiana, Bedford) - 1910-11-23 - Hartford Herald (Hartford, KY), p. 5.jpg
 * File:Wild Man (of the Woods, Pennsylvania, Reading) - 1913-08-25 - Santa Fe New Mexican (Santa Fe, NM), p. 2.jpg
 * File:Wild Man (of the Woods, Missouri, Moberly) - 1913-11-06 - Day Book (Chicago, IL), p. 30.jpg
 * File:Wild Man (of the Woods, Colorado) - 1919-02-11 - Bemidji Daily Pioneer (Bemidji, MN), p. 4.jpg

1920s

 * File:Wild Man (of the Woods, New York) - 1921-12-23 - L'Anse Sentinel (L' Anse, MI), p. 15.jpg