The Beast Of Faudiere -The Investigation Continues -Un cas pour nos amis français

 Since the 1970s I have blundered into one wild canid mystery after another. In some cases, such as Charles Forts mythical "killer canids of Cavan" -there was no such thing. The "Beast of Ennerdale" was another and so was the "Beast of Gevaudan" .

In the Cavan case it took over 30 years to get access to the records of the "Ennis Asylum" where 'victims' were sent. Charles Hoy Fort (who gave his name to the equally dubious "Forteana") was either a very bad researcher, added 'details' that were made up to spice a story up or a downright liar.  Yes, I have read the 1942 edition of The Books of Charles Fort so many times that I know their contents better than my own books!

The Beast of Gevaudan, Forteans and cryptozoologists will give you a number of explanations for and I have read and heard certain Forteans literally dribble over the "childe serial killer who was covering up his sexual crimes". I ought to point out that that particular explanation has absolutely no facts to back it up.  Communicating with French museums I eventually communicated with the curator of one who had produced a paper on the Beast and clearly identified it as a striped hyena.  Wolves were the "great enemy" in France and still are (see the Red Paper 2010 for a history of wolves and encounters in France -not included in the 2022 edition).

But researcher 18th and 19th centuries newspaper and journal archives I discovered many things -including a gorilla brought to England in 1801 (detailed in Some More Things Strange and Sinister).

Frederic Remington "Moonlight Wolf", C. 1909

One thing I discovered and gave details on in Strange and Mysterious Beasts were the number of cases of "Beast of ----" in France and how they may have linked to another incident in England in the late 19th century. As unbelievable as the solution to these various beasts is the evidence points to it being correct.

I may not (very unlikely I do have) another 30 years to dig into this particular case but if any French reader or researcher can help out with archive checking in France it would be appreciated.

It is a very brief item.  Almost unnoticeable if you scan through faded print too quickly:

 “A Letter from Nantes, dated July 19, says,

                    “Yesterday evening about eight o’clock, a wild
                    beast devoured two girls,one about twelve, and
                    the other seven years of age, the daughters of a
                    farmer in the Commune of Chevroliere.  The
                    animal immediately after took shelter in the fo-
                    rest of Faudiere.  It appeared to be larger than
                    a wolf, had a snout about a foot long, and a very
                    formidable set of teeth.”

The account has no thrills or high drama.  Everything is stated precisely.  I have heard the line "ill educated French peasants" used too many times to explain such incidents away.  Peasant or of "higher standing" -all knew what a wolf looked like and the assumption here is that we are only reading about a small part of the incident. The locals knew where the animal had taken shelter and had quite obviously seen it -they were able to state that it was bigger than a wolf and that it had a long snout with a "formidable set of teeth" -indicating that someone got close enough.

What is bigger than a wolf with a long snout and took the time to kill and (partially?) devour two young girls?  Believe me, I would like to say a starving or, maybe, rabies infected wolf.  I covered the history of French wolf accounts in The Red Paper (I) Canids. Again and again there are accounts of people being very familiar with wolves so to say a French person at this time would see a wolf and not be able to identify it is like saying someone sees a fox and is dumb-founded.

Having proven beyond any real doubt just what The Beast of Gevaudan and the Girt Dog of Ennerdale (read Some Things Strange And Sinister) had been, I tried long and hard to identify or even get additional information on a French case of 1800.  If any existing or would-be investigator of the mysterious  could come up with more than a non-French speaking / reading English idiot (me) could then I would give a big cheer.

I have now continuously searched the internet since 2008, originally once a week and then once a month but all I came up with was my account of what happened.  I have scoured as many of the newspaper titles as I can from the United Kingdom at that time.  However, in the early days news was received in letter form from Englishmen or travellers abroad –everything from food shortages, crime and much more.    

It may well be that some other newspaper also published a piece on this but it is more than likely only one did!

However, things to consider: the news of the attack had reached Nantes and was obviously reported on if a correspondent considered it newsworthy enough to go through the rigmarole of sending a letter from France to inform the Caledonian Mercury about it.  One assumes (hopes) that there is some archival record in Chevroliere or, if not, then, hopefully in Nantes?

We even have the date of the attack -18th July, 1830.  So one assumes that anything in print appeared after the 18th, including news of any possible hunts or the burial of the victims.

This is where French researchers who know the newspaper / local record system can help. 

So, if not a wolf, just what was The Beast Of Faudiere?

    

Reference.

1.      The Caledonian Mercury,2^nd August,1800
2.       Some More Things Strange & Sinister http://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper-scharf/some-more-things-strange-sinister/paperback/product-18763730.html