The Lakeland Evening telegram (Lakeland, Fla.), March 8th 1919
Return of Wild Man Revives Old Terrors
Flatwoods, W. Va., March 6. – The belief that a wild man is still lurking in this vicinity, stealing and killing chickens and young pigs, is stronger than ever just now. A story related by Luther C. Douglas has dispelled all hopes that the terrible creature had fled to other localities. Douglas’ story follows:
“I was on my way home from lodge meeting,” said Douglas, “when I heard a noise near Ed Wiley’s barn, which is close to the road. I thought it might be a dog and paid little attention to it at first. Then, as I was passing a vacant house a short distance from Ed’s place, I heard a distant door slam and a wild-looking fellow, in rags and with long hair and beard that others who have seen him have described, came rushing out of the front door of the old house, brandishing a huge knotted club and uttering the most horrifying sounds I ever have heard.
“Being convinced by his actions that I was to be assaulted and possibly killed, I drew my revolver and took two shots at him. With this he turned and fled, screaming louder than ever. I didn’t pursue him. Not me. It would take a braver man than I profess to be to go on the trail of that horrible creature.”
The authorities are again agitating the question of taking some means to capture this much-feared lunatic, or whatever he is.
Disclaimer: This 1919 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 newpress and labeled “Wild Men” as a popular newspaper curiosity genre.
Source(s): https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn95047222/1919-03-08/ed-1/?sp=3
Categories: Newspapers, Wild People
Here is the story in a datasheet summary format that I put together previously:
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⦁ “Wildman” – March 6th 1919 (WV)
Witness(es): Luther C. Douglas
Date: March 6th 1919
Location: Flatwoods, West Virginia
Story: On March 6th 1919, Luther C. Douglas was returning home from a lodge meeting when he heard an odd noise by local Ed Wiley’s barn near the road. Assuming it was an animal, he ignored it. He continued walking only to hear a loud door slam near an old vacant house. A long-haired bearded “wild man” then reportedly exited the front door of the house, wearing rags, holding up a club-like stick and making terrifying noises.
Luther Douglas reportedly fired two shots at the supposed wild man with his revolver. The wildman let out a loud scream and ran off. The Evening Telegram ran an article on the story which implied that other tales like this had been told in the area involving a wild man stealing and killing local livestock.
Note: This story likely has nothing to do with the paranormal and seems that it could easily be a rather unemphatic story about a homeless person.
Wildman stories and the like still share space with sasquatch lore in the cultural imagination and this news story is presented in that context.
Description: Long-haired bearded “wild man,” wearing rags, holding a club-like stick and making loud screaming noises.
Source(s): “Return of Wild Man Revives Old Terrors” Evening Telegram, March 8th 1919
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