"The Wild Wolf of Kostopchin" by Sir Gilbert Campbell (from Campbell's book
Wild and Weird: or, Remarkable Stories of Russian Life, 1899; that book was incorporated into the omnibus
Wild and Weird: Tales of Mystery and Imagination , 1899 [which also included Campbell's
Mysteries of the Unseen: or Supernatural Stories of English Life, 1899, and
Dark Stories from the Sunny South: or, Legends of the Mediterranean, 1899]; reprinted in
Upon the Midnight, edited by R. C. Bull, 1957; in
Book of the Werewolf, edited by Brian J. Frost, 1973; in
The Werewolf Pack, edited by Mark Valentine, 2008; in
Wulf: Tales of Wolves and Werewolves, edited by Chad Arment, 2010; in
Terrifying Transformations: An Anthology of Victorian Werewolf Fiction, 1838-1896, edited by Alexis Easley & Shannon Scott, 2012; in
The Werewolf Megapack, edited by John Betancourt, 2013; in
Black Book of the Werewolf, editor uncredited, 2017; in
Silver Bullets, edited by Eleanor Dobson, 2017; in
Fireside Horror Stories about Werewolves, edited by M. Grant Kellermeyer, 2017; and in
Were Wolf Short Stories, editor unknown, 2025)
Yep. This is a werewolf story. This one looks to be a classic, but does mean that it is any good? let's see.
The author, Gilbert Campbell, 3rd Baronet, was one of the more interesting of the Victorian writers. Born in 1838, Campbell attended Harrow before joining the army and serving as an officer before the Sepoy Rebellion. He succeeded his father as baronet in 1870. He married Esther Selina Maynham. "The couple had one child, Claude Robert Campbell. Shortly thereafter, husband and wife separated. Thereafter, his life descended into a life of crime and literary hackdom. Of the latter, he began contributing work to various periodicals such as Bow Bells and Judy's Annual, translating French detective fiction, writing sensation fiction, and editing Lambert's Monthly. Always struggling for money, Campbell initiated or furthered various frauds such as beginning the Carlist Committee to fund a Spanish civil war, attempting insurance fraud, lending his name to various shaky business schemes, and serving on the board of a fake literary society. The latter drew the attention of Henry Labouchere's newspaper Truth, prompted a criminal trial, and led to conviction in 1892. Campbell was released from prison in 1894 and went on to publish a collection Through an Indian Mirror (1894). He died in the second quarter of 1896 in London. His sone assumed the title before dying himself ion 1900. One of the more colorful characters in Victorian literary life. [my emphasis]."
Also note that some sources list his death date as 1899, the same year that five of his books were published. Other works include In the Shadow of Death (1888), New Detective Stories (1891), and The Vanishing Diamond: A Story of the Himalayas (1891).
An online check finds that Wild and Weird is listed in eBay for $1200, plus shipping. (Gulp!) There is no indication which 1899 version of the book it is. the shorter book, or the omnibus.
About "The White Wolf of Kostopchin":
Paul Sergevitch is the reprobate owner of Kostopchin, an estate in what us now Lithuania. He spends his time drinking, gambling, and living the high life in Moscow, but his vices are expensive, so has to regularly demand money from the estate, where he has not set foot since childhood. A drunken argument with the well-connected son of a foreign dignitary led to a duel in which Paul killed the foreigner. This displeased the Czar, who ordered Paul banished to Kostopshin. the estate is now in sad disrepair due to Paul's wasteful life. He is bitter about having to live in such a desolate and poverty-stricken place. Rather than trying to revive the estate, Paul spends his days hunting, drinking, and cursing both his lot and the Czar. Eventually Paul marries, but he is a violent and bitter man and his wife dies -- perhaps due to his overt cruelty -- several years later, but after giving birth to two children. For some reason, Paul is devoted to his daughter, Katrina, now age five, but he remains bitter and unloving to her brother, Alexis, age seven.
As Paul is about to go hunting one day, Katrina reminds him that he has promised her some gray squirrel pelts. Paul replies that he will into the woods and find an old poacher, who surely would lead him to the squirrels. Old Mikhal, the estate manager, who had been a valet for Paul's family for over fifty years, warned him against going into the woods, citing stories of supernatural beings...and of wolves. Mikhal had recently been in the woods when he was confronted by a large pack of wolves. Mikhal's crucifix had frightened the pack away, except for the leader, an enormous gray she-wolf, who kept her distance from the crucifix, but was obviously looking for a way to get around it. The wolf followed Mikal back to estate, constantly looking for a way to attack him.
Paul poo-pooed the old man's warnings, stating that, if the she=wolf actually existing, she would not be about to stand against his shotgun. Now in the forest, Paul's dog began acting strangely, and led him to a part of the woods he did not recognize. The dog, obviously in terror, was compelled to lead Paul on to an opening, where he found the body of the old poacher, torn to shreds by some wild beast, lying at the base of a shattered stone cross. The only animals found in the forests of Russia that were capable of such damage were the bear and the wolf, and near the body, Paul found the large tracks of a wolf. As he made his way home, Paul felt that some thing, some shadow, was lurking in the distance, watching him.
When Paul had returned home, he learned that a local girl had gone missing. Her father was dying from a venomous snake bite and the girl had gone to fetch a priest. The old man died and the girl never returned. The girl's body was found on the marsh, killed and savaged by wolves. The girl had ben mutilated in exactly the same manner as the poacher. The next day an old man staggered out of the vodki shop on his way home. He never made it and his mangled body was found nearby. Then there were three more deaths -- a little child, an able-bodies laborer, and an old woman.
The serfs demanded that Paul, as master of Kospotchin, do something.
Paul and an army of bearers searched the area thoroughly for the giant white she-wolf with no luck. then one of the bearers screamed. Still barely alive, he told Paul that he had been attacked by the white wolf, who ran off into the thicket. The group was about to set fire to the thicket when a feminine voice called out, asking them tom hold their flames until she exited the thicket. It was an aristocratic appearing woman, fair of face, with titian hair, and wearing a mantle of white fur. She said a terrible white wolf had run past her and dived into a cavity in the earth in the center of the thicket. As Paul ordered his men to dig out the cavity and get to the wolf, he noticed that the woman's hands were stained with fresh blood, presumably from the wolf as it brushed past her.
The mysterious woman claims to have been on the run from the police for speaking out on some sensitive subject. She asks Paul to provide her shelter from the police. Paul, having been exiled himself and having not fondness for the police, agrees. In the meantime, Pal's crew fund no trace of the wolf in the newly-dug crevice.
We all know where this is going. Paul takes her home; the woman gives her name as Ravina. Katrina, ever trusting, loves her; Alexis, however, dislikes her, as does Mikhal, who says she reminds him of the white wolf. Paul proposed marriage. She agrees conditionally: for a month she will stay there and visit Paul for only two hours a day, and after a month she will make her final decision. 'then, shortly before the month was over, Mikhal tells Paul that he has once again seen the white wolf. In the house. Just outside Ravina's apartments. But Paul is getting more and more infatuated with Ravina's charms.
Things come to a head. Katrina is in danger. Paul is uselessly smitten. Mikhals has been banished by Paul. But seven-year-old Alexis has a pistol...
An interesting story. Part fairy tale, part shilling shocker, and part atmospheric thriller. In answer to my earlier question, is the story any good?, I would have to give a qualified yes. if only because the modern reader would see through the tropes which were not that common a century and a quarter ago. Also, I have to admit that I had a constant urge to whack Paul on the side of the head with a large stick; but that's just me -- your mileage may differ.
The story can be read at the University of Pennsylvania's Online Books Page.
