A small group of fishermen were out fishing for carp when a wild, hairy man appeared and made strange noises at them. Terrified, the fishermen ran away and returned with a posse of men bearing bricks.
Lair of Wild Man is Found in Cave
CRUM LYNNE (formerly known as Leiperville), Pa., September 20, 1919. – The Meiperville wild man today bids fair to rank with the far-famed, but mythical Jersey devil.
Posses of brave men are drumming the woods for the strange, hairy creature, which is reported to walk on all fours repeating blood-chilling cried of “Oh-ooh!” and “Mag-mag-mag!”
But the supposed lair of the average man – a forbidding rocky nook, spotted with bushes and tangled with briars, on Crum Creek, midway between Leiperville and Avondale – is being given a wide berth by the timid.
In Ridley Park it is believed the wild man is a patient who escaped from an institution last spring, after having been struck on the head with a blackjack.
News that a hairy creature of terrifying mien at large was first told by a quartet of carp fishermen – High Duffy, John Wiley, Mike Dillon, and Lawrence Scott.
Fishermen Tell Tale
The encounter with the wild man occurred on the banks of the creek, near Avondale, say the anglers. Carp were biting. Suddenly appeared a strange creature – wild, hairy, and nude, approaching on all fours.
The quartet became stiff with fright. Duffy disappeared. Then there were three fishermen.
“Mag-mag-mag,” groaned the wild man. Dillon vanished. Then there were two fishermen.
Wiley fell into the creek and swam to the other bank. Then there was one fisherman.
“Mag-mag-mag!” Snarled the wild man, shaking its shaggy head. Scott, speechless, slipped into the bushes.
How the wild man terrified those who attempted to invade its cavern fastness following this encounter was described today by James F. Dougherty, fight prompter and “Baron of Leiperville.”
Supposed to Live in Cave
“This wild man is supposed to be in a cave above the Baldwin Locomotive Works,” said the Baron, dryly. “When the fishermen came back here yesterday and told the fellows in the poolroom about seeing it, there was a posse organized to capture it, see?
“This gang of heroes goes up to where the cave is. They got bricks and commenced whooping and hollering for anybody who was in the cave to come out and be captured. They were kind of brave fellows, see?
“They would have captured it, alright, but something stuck its hairy head out of the cave and all the brave heroes fell in the creek. Of course, they would have gone back into the cave and dragged the wild man out, see? But it wasn’t a flashlight affair and they were doubtful about groping around in the dark.”
Evidence that there may be a family of wild men at large in the district came today when a wild-looking individual, with red hair and whiskers, appeared at the home of P.G. Scott, at Toughkenamon, and demanded a piece of bread. He wore clothes, however, and seemed appeased when Mrs. Scott gave him the bread.
Source: The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]), 20 Sept. 1919.
