The Lewistown Gazette (Lewistown, Pa.), March 12th 1857
A Wild Woman.
Linden, Marengo county, Ala., is all astir on account of a wild woman that 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 that 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. – Savannah Georgian.
Disclaimer: This 1857 newspaper article was published prior to 1931. Under United States copyright law (specifically the 95-year rule), this work has entered the public domain and is thus free to use or republish. It is presented here as an interesting and folkloric newspaper oddity.
Context: “Wild Men” or “Wild People” were purportedly “feral” people who lived in the wilderness in European folklore, representing nature. They were often depicted as tall and hair-covered. In the 1800’s and early 1900’s, stories of encounters with people in or from the wilderness including hermits, houseless people, or people going through a mental health crisis, were often reported in American newspress and labeled “Wild Men” as a popular newspaper curiosity genre.
Source(s): https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83032276/1857-03-12/ed-1/?sp=1
Categories: Newspapers, Wild People, Alabama (AL)