Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-04-12
A CUMBERLAND RIVER MONSTER,
The Great Sea Serpent supposed TO
Have Reached Nashville
Thrilling Adventure of a Party OF
Fishermen.
They Fire Upon The Monster and
Narrowly Escape.

Wondrous things have been recorded OF
Nashville and the mud dyed Cumberland,
but the latest sensation gets beyond any
thing we remember TO have ever heard or
read Of this mysterious region. The story
is certainly marvellous, aud we tell it as
twas told to US, without undertaking to
vouch for thing 30 strange which we
ourself have never seen.
For some six months past, a gentleman
living not far from the bank of the river,
and about mile below the city,
where little island lifts itself
above the surface of the rapid stream, has
been the loser Of considerable stock, the
cause of the mysterious disappearance OF
which he until recently has never known.
Many a promising pig loosed from the
shetering sty has gone forth for the last
time. and all search for its whereabouts
proved unavailing. The owner attempted
70 account for his loss in various ways, and
finally concluded that his valuable swine,
like those of Holy Writ, had been seized OF
devils and plunged beneath the sweeping
tide near by.
A day or two since, however, the mys-
terry was cleared away. A party of fisher.
men were out in a boat, taking in trot-
line that extended from bank TO bank,
when they discovered only a short
distance from them, an object moving upon
the water which they took to be the head
of some domestic animal which had taken
notion to swim the river. Their curiosity
being somewhat aroused, they approached
a little nearer, when to their horror and
asionishment scaly monster, the like OF
which they had never before seen, slowly
raised itself from the water, which fell 10
a sparkling shower from Its body as 1t rose
full six feet above thesurlace. Ii appeared
10 have ears resembling those OF a human
being, but the head and body were like
those OF mammoth serpent
The party in the boat at once gave chase,
and one Of them fred several revolver shots
at the strange object, but before they could
come upon it, they observed ruihlng OF the
water at distance of what seemed TO
their excited imagination to be thirty or
forty feet from the body Of the monster, and
almost instantly loud splash followed,
and sharp tail like that of huge snake
appeared above the surface, and began
thrashing the water furiously as if the
wrath of its possessor had been suddenly
kindled. The men dropped their oars in
blank amazement, but quickly picked
them up again as the enraged monster
slowly threw its great head and body IN
the direction of the boat and commenced
moving slowly toward them. Ia the mex
pressibly short space of time that a twink
ling il supposed to occupy, the boat was
partially reversed, and shot ont TO the
shore. where the party landed in safety
and put themselves beyond the reach of their
terrible pursurer, which, seeing no danger
threatened, quietly drew IFS scaly body
beneath the water, and as the ruffed sur
face became smooth again, the men who
stood upon the bank began to doubt the
evidence Of their senses, 80 strange was the
sight they had so unexpectedly witnessed.
Exactly what sort of creature the un-
calmly monster could have been, We have
little idea. The persons who saw II state
that il had some Of the characterics of and
a slight resemblance to the whale. Its re-
sembance 10 a serpent would indicate its
relation to the great sea serpent, about
which so much was said and written a
number of years ago, and, for aught We
know, il is the veritsble old Snake
who created such a sensation at that
time. "If this be he" he must have
come up from the Caribbean sea sNer de-
tour of the West Indies, and getting into
the Gulf of Mexico, entered the delta OF
the Mississippi Thence ascending the
Father of Waters to the junction OF the
Ohio, he must have visited Cincinnati and
Louisville, and struck the Cumberland at
Paducah, probably following up some
steamer with a case OF smallpox aboard,
ia hopes of making lunch from the un-
fortunate victim, should the victim be
heaved over the side.
Since his appearance the other day, ne
has not again been seen, aud II IS surlnised
that he has now gone on toward the Upper
Cumberland and only got above water
here 20 take a first look at the new eonn-
try he had reached and to prospect upon
his chances of making living in fresh
water region. The disappearance OF pork
ers and other stock in the vicinity where
he was seen, would indicate thai ne has
been near Nashville for some time. III any
Of our up-rivsr readers get look at him
when he visits them, we trRst they wall
Immediately forward ms an accurate de
scription Of this wonderful denizen Of the
deep, that the excited public may be set
al rest ss to his identity.