Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-01-24
He Saw q Sea-Serpent.

Essay" calculated man as he rushed
up and grabbed Herald reporter by
the arm, shave you interviewed the
man that saw the sea-serpentP"
The reporter replied that he had not,
and asked to be Immediately taken to
the fortunate individual.
Now, If there is anything which Chi
cago has been backward in it is the
production of sea-serpents, and while
such towns as Boston and New Bedford
and Cincinnati and st. Louis have been
giving out tales of monsters of the deep,
Chicago, with ample lake facilities and
any quantity of the breed, has been
strangely silent. The reporter conse-
quenty made haste to interview the
gentleman who, it being sea-serpent's
story, will be hereafter referred to as
ga gentleman of undoubted veracity."
The man who had seen the monster
was interviewed by the reporter in the
not over commodious quarters which he
occupied. He had wild, startled look,
from which the reporter surmised that
he had not recovered from the terrible
sight. His name was James Smithing-
ton, and on being requested to detail
his experiences, he at once proceeded t.
business, first casting furtive glance
around to make sure that the animal
was not in the apartment with him.
al left the lake front about Z o. clock
last evening, in company with friend.
When about two miles off the north end
of the Government pier ut the entranc,
to the Chicago River, my attention was
called to singular looking object
which was advancing upon me at O
terrible rate OF speed. When within a
few thousand feet of us it seemed to
raise its immense body, or neck, some
ten feet out of the water, and at the
same time twenty feet in the rear, its
tail was seen to rise up, and at times
lash the water. All ut once the fish OF
serpent vanished from sight"
At this point in the narrative the gen.
tleman of undoubted veracity suddenly
stopped, and, pulling off his boot, shook
it, and then grasping it by the straps he
suddenly sprang forward and crushed
an inoffensive tobacco quid which lay
upon the floor.
1T had become quite dark by this
time" he resumed, "and when l re-
turned l again saw the terrible thing
advancing upon me at great rate of
speed. When about twenty-five yards
from me it stopped, but in an instant
it shot ahead with ringing and rum.
bling noise. Its single eye, of blood
red color, was directed upon me, and !
was poworless to move from beneath its
baleful glare"
The reporter shuddered first-clas.
shudder.
The rumbling noise increased, thu
glare of its single eye became fiercer,
and seemed paralyzed. Its body was
about ten feet high and equally wide,
and il was nearly fifty feet long. 1t was
bright yellow, and the head resembed
that OF a bulldog. A large flat prong
extended out from either side of its Jaws,
and it was terrible! terrible!"
At this point in the narrative, which
spondcd exactly with that of the
New Bedford sea-serpont, man .appcd
the reporter on the shoulder and drew
him aside. He wore star upon his left
breast.
"Wcll, young Teller, guess ri have
ter take him along. He's got 'em pretty
bad, haiu't hep" remarked the facetious
parsonage with the twinkle on his coat.
al found him a-wrestling wild the red
light on tho grip-csr last night. Ole
Wallace gave him sixty days at the
House."
The reporter silently folded up his
notes and stole away, and the last thing
that he saw when he looked back was
the "gentleman of undoubted veracity"
extracting an imaginary sea-serpent
from the back of his neck. The reporter
wonders IL the men who saw the New
bedford serpent are getting better
Chic rJo Herald
"A fortune hunter stopped in Pitts
bargh, Pa, on his way to Colorado last
winter, and borrowed Si,iO0 from o
friends telling him at the same time that
h. assumed some risk in giving him the
money, rs he wanted TO invest In mines,
which might TURN out well and might
not. A few days ago the Pittsburgh
man received by express q gold brich
worth 1000, Gas token OF friend
ship.'--N. Y, Sun.