"
Man Eater" McGowan served as a kind of
B-movie alternative to the commonplace "
Wild West"
shooters.
Around 1880, McGowan terrorized the town of Bodie, California for several months, chewing on appendages and gnawing at cartilage. He managed to bite the sheriff's leg, break a pitcher of water over a waiter's head, and chew or bite off the noses or ears of a dozen people before finally being run out of town.
Source
Tindall, George and David E. Shi. America: A Narrative History, Volume Two
Sadly, this is the only source I've been able to find on this obviously interesting character from history, leaving us to speculate as to what became of him.