The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1869-03-12

pIcNenlcu, pN tSliinS tito party tAAsAt "C
can ,rhip out all The frogs. IN creation y
We wendell our way slowly to the place
nay sons saw the frog, and sir, / do say
TO Won, without aexagerafion, that athe
frog was mos near as large as when my
children saw Il, but it is undoubtedly
the largest specimen 1 have ever seen or
heard ofbefore in this or any other State.
We. advanced to- withinl about twenty
feet and halted. Itwas then setting with
its side to US, and when all of the torch
es were brought up it turned slowly
around facing us-and such hideous
sight! never before beheld. Its eyes,
as they glistsaed in the torch light, made
such an impression upon me, and in fact
upon the whole party, that We trembled
as if in the presence ofd real demon, for
in all my imaginations of the, appear
ance of demon, j must acknowledge,
that never conceived of anything that
would be calculated to fill the mind with
such horror as. this, We stood in the
position we had irst for some time.
Mr.. Matthews threw 8 small stone to-
wards the frog, it rolled and struck him
lightly. 1t bowed or dueked its head
twice towards the ground in rapid sue
cession and made aleap towards US; and
if tell you he leaped ten feet 1 do not
believe thatI would miss it six inches.
As soon as it struck the ground, an in
slant retreat was simultaneously agreed
upon, UiGtour consultation The torches
were thrown to the ground and in an in
slant Egyptian darkness reigned and a
struggle was made to gain the entrance.
The noise and excitement was intense
amongst the little boys who attended us,
and above the din Of confusion the voice
of Dick McCanless could De heard: us
a frog bite poisonous ?"
Mr.. Porter having some matches the
candles were soon lighted, and with the
light came back the courage OF the little
boys. An advance of few steps brought
US in sight of the monster again. A
9 9ls1 n itFcsHtHEe yy.z saoR, ietsraieed
for large goods box, which soon after
arrived. The box was dragged in and
the top removed. The box was pushed
by Messrs. Dixon and Due towards the
frog; Mr.. Mathews using the top as a
shield, succeeded in getting behind the
frog, and by throwing stones at it for
some little time, made it change its po-
sition 10 a place near the wall. The box
was then pushed slowly up and covered
it the top was slipped down, the box
was turned over and secured by few
nails, and the prize was ours. Right
| glad did we all feel at our success, and
with light hearts we commenced the
work of dragging the box out Of The cave,
which we accomplished after much Ia
Dor; and we lifted it into cart and
started for the residence of Mr. W. d.
Mathews, to have it weighed, rs l had
no balances that would draw enough at
NV house. 4 rope was tied around the
box and the frog and box were weighed
together. The frog was then turned out
into chicken coop and the box weighed
and showed that the frog weighed eA'
actly ninety-tlsrce pounds.
1 will be willing to make an affidavit
of this fact before any Justice of thu
Peace in Maury County. Those presen
and saw the weighing can attest to this
1t is, dare say, as rare a curiosity a
was ever found IN our county before
Mr.. Mathews measured it while it wa
in a sitting posture and its height wa
exactly three feet four inches. Its eyes
as near as we conld guess, were two an
, one -half inches in diameter. The colo
of the breast or belly was dark yellow
while its back was a dark green, and al
parently messy, around its neck is tw
distinct red and one dark stripe. FroI
the centre of the head or rather con
mencing from the top centre ofthe nos
there are apparently thousand sma
; light stripes sprangling out from a con
mon centre like rays of light Its fe'
. are of large proportions and are perfect
black. -----s -i-.i' f-s'.a,-.-ss ~
, Ilaid claim to it, as my boys were ii
. first to discover it, which claim was m
= objected to by any of the party WI
= went with me, If nothing happens to
!. viii bring ft TO Columbia next wee
and give your town people an opportl
nifty of seeing something worth seein
= Twill probably come TO town on Tue
, day, and it will remain at Mr.. w.
Mathews until that time. l would Iii
very much for you to zee this frog befo
it is moved. If you come 10 Mr.. Ma
"a thews on Sunday evening | viii p-oni
Il you that I will be there. .ss..@ -
m -,.-.f.e Your fiieiid - 5sR