Piles of Dirt and Kaspar

   Sometimes lots full of dirt can be quite pretty.....

   I learned about an interesting historical character recently, a boy named Kaspar Hauser. He was found staggering the streets of Germany with a letter clutched in his childish hand. The letter was addressed to a captain of a cavalry. The letter declared that his father was a cavalry man and the boy also desired to follow in his fathers footsteps. But young Kaspar seemed to have no grasp of language himself. He could only say a couple of phrases which he repeated over and over again. Eventually, a kindly man taught the intelligent youth how to speak German. Kaspar was able to reveal more of his past. He said he spent his life living in a dark room with only a couple of toys as companions. Every morning, he was given bread and water. Sometimes his water would taste bitter. After he drank the bitter water, he would fall asleep and later wake up to find his nails and hair trimmed. At first, everyone was enthralled and sympathetic to Kaspar. But as time went on, people were suspicious that he was a hoaxer and a fraud. But no one was able to prove one way or another if Kaspar Hauser was a fraud, and before people really had a chance to investigate, Kaspar died from a fatal stab wound. Hauser said before he died that he was stabbed by a stranger but many suspect that he stabbed himself. To this day, both his life and death are a mystery. 

Information about Kaspar Hauser found:

Winder, Simon. "Kaspar Hauser: The Original 'Forest Boy." The Gaurdian. 19th September 2011. Web. 21st April 2015.  

"Kaspar Hauser." Wikipedia: The Free Encylopedia. Wikipedia Foudation Inc. 5 May 2015. Web. 21 May 2015.

Jack, Albert. "Loch Ness Monsters and Raining Frogs: The World's Most Puzzling Mysteries Solved." New York NY: Random House Trade Paperbacks. Ebook.