Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-12-19
THE GREAT MAINE SNA IKE.
AstlsOri tatiye Statement from VIZ. r..
Hall, who Discovered the Monster.


From the Calais Times.
On Friday. Nov. 4. Mr.. Hall and Mr.. William
Libbey, OF st. stephen. were laying ont a log
ging chance on land of William Duren. and in
hunting for certain bunch of spruce unex-
pectedly came out on Chain Lake. Ii was
beautiful day. with only slight breeze ripping
the water, and they stopped on the shore to
take their lunch. Mr.. Libbey soon noticed
peculiar noise. which seemed at first to issue
out of the woods, and next came from the d.
rectiOn Of a cove above. MIR. Hall could not for
time hear the noise to which his attention was
called but when he did finally distinguish the
sound he remarked that crew of men must be
repairing the dam above Just then there ap-
peared in sight around the point, 4 mile away
an object which they took for men in q skill
but soon discovered to be an enormous snake.
With its head elevated six feet above the water.
it came swiftly down the lake. facing the sun.
until it reached position just opposite the
men. and distant less than half mile.
1t then stopped short, throwing the
middle part of its body out of the wafer in
an arch. also six feet high. Its head. which it
had before kept turning in the direction of one
shore and then the other, was pointed for a
minute in the direction of Mr.. Hall and his
companion. who stood motionless. After this
inspection it suddenly Strengthened out again
| and passed by and down into the outlet Its
speed was about a mile in five minutes or
in motion is thus infinitely described: From its
head to the water was six feet; the next twenty
feet or more of its form was under water. then
some twelve feet of its back appeared above the
| surface to the height of above sixteen inches
the remainder of its greater length was hidden
from view. and, as the propelling power was
necessarily attached To the last named part its
entire body could not have been under fifty
feet long. and more likely was over sixty feet"
The head at the broadcast place could not have
xra nd halt fact
and the upright portion of its body, though, of
course. by no means the largest. was las big as
a pork barrel" When last seen in the outlet it
had left the water, and was passing over dis
tant point of land co cred with granite bould-
ers among which were tough bushes The erect
part then Cooked like a man that would weigh
three or four hundred"
Dir. Halls theory is that the serpent travels
and lives on land As well as water. and that its
chief food consists Of deer. On the day named
lit was hungry. and having smelled Us. came
out OF the woods after meal" Coming down
the lake lit passed by the scent. borne on the
wind and when it finally got where the sun
would permit it to see US. We stood so still il
took us for Stubs on the shore. and proceeded
on" Mr.. Hall says the Times was incorrect in
stating that he saw large scales on the snakes
back. He saw nothing of the kind. and if it had
scales they could not have been distinguished
half mile OFF. nor did he say. as one paper de-
liberately reports that it had eyes las big as
saucers." He could tell nothing about its eyes.
Then again the monster was not frightened by
shOal water or some other cause" as it never
approached directly toward him. Finally, he
and his companion We're not demonstration"
They stood still, knowing that neither shoal
water nor flight to the woods would save them.
if the serpent kept the scent and was bent on
mischief. Il had plenty Of time" says Mr.. Hall.
IF worst came to worst. to cut and sharpen q
sapling dozen feet long. and, at close quarters.
l should have plunged the pole down it's throat.
and have let Mr.. Libbey Kill it with the axe /
knew better than to have attacked him with the
axe first"
MFR. Hall says that any man on the st. Croix
who will dispute the existence of the above
described "bOa constructor. in the face of what
his eyes and those of Mr.. Libbey have just wit
messed. is not clear headed. This is not the
first time this snake has been seen. Old Capt
Levy saw it many years ago. and others of the
PassamaquOddy Indians have seen it i'm the Big
Lake at various times. Every member Of the
tribe knows Of it and believes in it. Mr.. John
Of Little river twenty-nine years ago, and his
description attracted much attention at that
time. Mr.. Williams mistOok a part of the snakes
body for an immense log lying across the BOOM
and upon advancing to see how the log got
there, the brute moved away. and in going
across the land made a broad. deep furrow i'm
the grass and soil OF the meadow. Mr.. Hall
now regrets that he ever said anything about
the snake, AS there are SO many fools" among
men who disbelieye and deride. He thinks
some plan to capture the snake. by tying a live
horse on the shore of the lake as bait. may
prove successful and all will then see that his
description was carefully kept within the actual
truth.