Ohio Wild Man

The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer 26 August 1891 Source: Chronicling America

Originally, I was going to stick to only our West Virginia Wild Men in this Wild Men Wednesday feature, but since this story comes directly across the river from Moundsville, I thought I’d go ahead and include it. It’s a nice contrast to last week’s tale. Whereas the Weston Wild Man was obviously a human, this creature’s identity is a little more dubious. Is it a man wrapped in robes or furs, or is it an escaped trained bear? The fact that the creature runs sometimes on two legs, and other times on four AND is slaughtering livestock further compounds the mystery. Oh, and apparently the livestock killings are accompanied by blood-curdling screams. 

This is a huge departure from the non-violent wild man running around the Weston area, not really bothering anyone. But, let me know down in the comments below: What do YOU think the Ohio Wild Man was…wild animal, escaped trained animal, Bigfoot or other monster, or simply a guy donned in animal furs?