Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-10-19
The Boss Yarn.

specimen Of the Imaginative capacity of
the city reporter, when he has room to
spread himself
Mr.. Jabez Smith is well-to-do farm
er on small scale, whose place is stu
ated in the American Bottom at point
SIX or seven miles southeast of Cahokia
MIR. Smith is gentleman well known in
this locality as an upright and thorough
ly reliable citizen.
Mr.. Smiths exciting account is to the
effect that the strange river monster
which has caused such commOtion on
the Mississippi, was on Friday afternoon
seen again, not near Memphis this time
but near Cahokia; and not in the water,
but on land! 1t appears that at about
4 o'clock on Friday afternoon, Smith S
boy was sent by his father to pasture
near piece of woodland, about half a
mile from the house, to drive home a
brindle bull there confined. The bull,
though small, is an extremely vicious
animal, and young Smith, who appears
endowed with discretion beyond his
| age, took occasion to enter the pasture
at point some distance from the ami
NAL, in order to test the bulls probable
humor by shaking stick at him, while
leaving margin for safe retreat should
the bull prove ugly. This, as subse-
quently appeared, was very fortunate
circumstance for young Smith. Scarce
ly a moment had elapsed before the boy
saw from his place of concealment the
horrible solution of the mystery of the
sound. From the edge of the woodland
there appeared a hideous head upon a
swaying neck at least twenty feet in
length. The head was that of wolf or
dog, save that there was prolongation
into a huge bill or horny jaws. This
bill the monster opened at intervals,
displaying Il row of immense fangs on
each division, while as he opened it upon
each occasion there was kissing noise
loud enough to be heard for great dis
lance. From the back of the head and
adOwn the neck depended name of
coarse reddish hair. The monster re-
tanned its position for moment or two,
swaying it's head gently back and forth,
when its eyes fell upon the bull; then
it at once showed signs of great excite
ment. 1t snOrted tiercely, the kissing
sound became almost continuous, and it
would repeatedly open its immense jaws
and snap them together with sound
like the report of a rife Its hesitation
did not long continue Maddened by the
sight of the bull, the monster advanced
at once and swiftly to the attack. Rails
ing it's head still higher, it shot forward
over the fence, and thence came over
in swift, billowy undulations, the fence
seeming no obstacle at ALL As the ami
NAL entered the field its whole body
could be distinctly seen. The great neck
terminated in body of somewhat less
length, supported upon four short legs
armed with immense claws, though the
motions of the animal seemed to resem-
BILE rather those of snake than of
thing with legs To the body was join
ed a tail quite as long as the neck, and
terminating in huge barb, hard, appar-
emily, as iron, and having the bright red
color of boiled lobster. The neck and
entire body were sheathed in scales of a
dark blue color, and as large as dinner
plates. Most remarkable of all was a
pair of huge membranous wings, which
were folded along the body on either
side. The appearance of the great rep
tile was indescribably fearful and repul-
sive. 1t moved toward the bull, kissing
loudly, and sweeping about the appar-
emily doomed animal in circles of de-
creasing extent.
The bull meanwhile retained his posi-
ton, with lowered head and an OCCASION
al response to the kissing by short
below He was alarmed, but evidently
full of. fight. AS the monster swept
about in circles the bull turned slowly,
always keeping his front toward the en-
envy. Suddenly the reptile raised its
head to an immense height, opened its
huge jaws, and darted forward.
The boy in the fence corner saw the
shock OF the encounter and nothing more.
Instantly there arose such cloud of
dust as almost to conceal the powerful
combatants from sight The ground
shook as with some internal CONFUSION.
The air quaked with commingled bel
lowing and roaring. Dimly discerned
through the dust-cloud could be seen
portions of bull and reptile and tufts of
flying hair and chips of shattered scales.
There could be heard the snap of the
monsters jaws and the rattle of the
bulls horns upon its mailed sides.
Flashing here and there through the
dingy nimbus could be seen the blood
red dart upon the reptiles tail as it
sought to transfix its active opponent.
1t was panorama of desperate battle, a
volume of sound, of fierce encounter.
The tide of battle shifted insensibly to
the vicinity of huge oak stump which
was near the center of the field Then
the boy saw the tail of the strange mon
ster suddenly whip outward and upward
and dart the great barb downward with
the speed of the thunderbolt. There
was crack like the report of a cannon.
The barb had again missed the bull, and
this time had encountered harder sub
stance. The boy peering through the
fence gave wild yell of satisfaction.
The barb had buried itself in the stump!
Then suddenly rearing it's head again, it
unfolded for the first time the great
membraneOus wings that were folded
along its sides, and rose in the air like a
gigantic bat. With a Wild hoarse cry it
darted upward to the hei ght of hundreds
of feet, and took a southwesterly direc-
ton toward the Mississippi. A few mo-
mcnts later, from the direction of the
distant river, came the sound of ire
mendOus splash and swash of waters, as
though some heavy body had fallen into
the river from a great height The baf-
fled monster had reached again his native
element.
Cautiously the boy in the fence cor
ner emerged from his retreat and APP
preached the scene of the late encoun-
ter. The BULL nearly skinned, with but
one ear and one horn remaining, stood
there, weak but fearless still, stamping,
flashing it's sides with what little remain
ed of it's tail, and gazing in the direction
where it's antagonist had disappeared
over the wood There was hair enough
on the ground to stuff mattress with,
and fragments of great scales were scat
tered about over an area of half an acre,
while the great oak stump was absolute
ly riven in twain in the effort Of the
monster to release it's forked tail from
the tough wood The boy fourished his
stick and the bull started home quietly.
1t had been engaging in too grand a
struggle to fool with boys any more
The next United States Senator.
Gate City.
The Republican majority on joint
llloA -, +Go Iowa | orie ,4rra will Ia