National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1868-09-11
The Last Monster--A Mormon Ser
pent.

NeCS, puDllSneu III Salt Lake City,
tells the marvellous story of a spe-
cies of monstrous animal in Bear
Lake, Utah territory. He says:
"The Indians say there is a mon
ster animal which lives in the lake
that has captured and carried away
Indians while in the lake swimming;
but they say it has not been seen by
them for many years-nOt since the
buffalo inhabited the valley They
represent it as being of the serpent
kind, but having legs about eight
cen inches long, on which it some
times crawls out of the water a
short distance on the shore. They
also say it spirits water upwards out
of its mouth.
'Since the settlement of this val.
ley, several persons have reported
seeing huge animal of some kind
that they could not describe; but
such persons have generally been
alone when they saw it, and but lit
tie credence has been attached to
the matter, and until this summer
the monster question had about
died out.
'About three weeks ago Mr.. s.
Nj. Johnson, who lives on the east
side of the lake at a place called
South Eden was going to the Round
Valley settlement, six miles to the
south of this place, and when about
half way he saw something in the
lake which, at the time, he thought
TO be drowned person. The road
being so little distance from the wa.
ter's edge he rode to the beach, and
as the waves were running pretty
high he thought it would soon wash
i'll to shore. In Il few minutes two
or three feet of some kind of an an
imal that he had never seen before
were raised out of the water He
did not see the body, only the head
and what was supposed to be part
of the neck. 1t had ears or lunches
on the side Of its head nearly as
large as Il pint cup. The waves at
times would dash over its head,
when it would throw water from it's
mouth and nose. 1t did not drift
=, landward, but apI cared stationary,
l with the exception of turning its
head. Mr.. johnson thought por-
p ton of the body must lie on the bot
t tom of the lake, or it would have
e drifted with the action of the wa
e ter. This is Mr.. Johnson's version
i as he told me.
= "Tne next uay an animal or Il
l monster KIND WAS seen near the same
/ place by IL man and three women.
who said lit was swimming when they
first saw it. They represent it as
{ being very large, and say it swan
II much faster than horse could run
on land.
{ "On Sunday last, as n. c. Davis
II and Allen Davis, of St. Charles
y and Thomas Slight and j. Ceilings
Z of Paris, with six women, were re.
I turning from Fish Haven, whel
ahont midway from the latter named
g place to st. Charles their attention
II was suddenly attracted to a peculiar
motion or wave in the water, abou
three miles distant. The lake wa,
not rough, only a little disturbed h,
q light wind. Mr.. Slight says h,
I distinctly saw he sides of a larg
animal that he wolld suppose to b,
not less than ninety feet in length
u Mr.. Davis don't think he Davis
. saw any part of the body, but i
positive it must have been not les
u than forty feet in length, Judging b,
IT, the wave it rolled up on both side
of it as ii swan, and the wake i
o' left in the rear. 1t was going south
and all agreed that it swan with
VI speed almost incredible to thci
III senses. Mr.. Davis says he nevc
W. SAW Il locomotive travel faster, an
" thinks it must have made a mile
minute easy. In few minutes a
re ter the discovery of the first a SCI
d. ond one followed in its wake, br
seemed to be much smaller. appear
ing to Mr.. Slight about the size of
''' horse. n larger one followed thi
, and so Oh till four larger ones in a
u and six small ones had run soutl
an ward out Of sight. One of the lar!
III er ones, before disappearing, mac
Ill sudden turn to the west Il sho
distance, then back to its form,
~ track. At this turn Mr.. Slight SAY
- he could distinctly see it was Of
brownish color. They could iud!
IT, somewhat of their speed by obScr
ing known distance on the 9th
y side of the lake, and all agree tn
&C. the velocity with which they pr
PEELED themselves through the wat
Is, was astonishing. They reprcse
isV the waves that rolled up in fro
and on each side of them as bcil
80. three feet high from where tn
.u' I.' stood This is substantially til,
! =, =, statement as they told me. Mess
'omn ~ Davis and Slight are prominc
WV WV men, well known in the county, a
~" ~ all of them are reliable pcrsol
''' whose vcracity standardized. ha
I'll no doubt that they would be will
"" to make aiiidavits to their sta
mcnt."
nal
pa, IL is not probable that Absal'