Virginia Free Press (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]), March 26th 1868
A wild woman has been seen in the woods near Liberty, Texas. A man on horseback got sight of the strange creature, persued and overtook her ; when she halted, he found her to be a medium-sized, a middle-aged, well-formed woman, with long, dark hair, and clear blue eyes.
She was in a state of nudity, save a girdle of moss around her lions. Her body and limbs were covered with a coat of hair about four inches in length. She was much frightened, and seemed unable to talk. The “solitary horseman” attempted to drive her towards the settlement, when she became enraged, seized a club, turned upon him with the fury of a demon, and it was only by the speed imparted to his steed by a liberal use of the spurs that he kept out of her way. Other parties had previously reported seeing this home-made gorilla, and an organized effort to capture her is to be made.
Disclaimer: This 1868 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/sn84026784/1868-03-26/ed-1/?sp=1
Categories: Newspapers, Wild People