Mandrill Attack

Assignment Houston One/Creative Commons

Critic Steven Pleithman mentions a news item that may have helped inspire Poe's "Murders in the Rue Morgue," in which an orangutan invades a Parisian house through a window. In the news article, the invader is not an orangutan, but a mandrill, then known as a "rib-faced baboon."

"New Mode of Thieving"

Mrs. S. retired to her bedroom, and before her husband haddesisted from his supper enjoyments, some of the family was alarmed by a screamfrom her bedroom, and one of the inmates (a female) proceeding thither, wasattacked on entering the door, by a monkey (or a Ribbed-face Baboon) whichthrew her down, and placing his feet upon her breast, held her pinned firmly tothe ground. The screams of Mrs Smith brought up her husband, who, seeing thecondition of the prostrate female, assailed the monkey, and compelled him toquit his hold on the female, and thereby drew all his vengeance upon himself.The brute took up his position on the wash-basin stand; and every attempt todislodge him brought to the ground some fragile articles of furniture. . .till, on Mr Smith attempting to go into another room for his pistols, themonkey leapt on his back with the speed of lightning, made various attempts toreach his throat, broke his watch guard asunder in rage, and, dropping to theground, bit his leg, and again fled to the basin-stand. . . . But where did didthis Baboon come from? The animal had been danced through this town two orthree days by itinerant showmen; and had either escaped from them or been letloose for the sake of his plundering. . . . It appears he had dropped from theeaves of the house to the windowsill of Mrs. Smith's chamber, and got into theroom through the window, which as left partly open. The owner recovered theanimal from the housetops next morning, and escaped to Ludlow.

--from the Ipswich ShrewsburyChronicle (August 22, 1834)

Despite the cynicism of the Ipswich writer, it seems highly unlikely a mandrill would be trained for thievery. For one thing, they aren't particularly good at going unnoticed. This account reads a lot like modern reports of macaques and other monkeys raiding urban kitchens in Asia. 


Related Post: The Fever Called Living