Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-02-27
Dakota Outdone.

Nearly all of the monster stories
which appear in print are laid TO the
charge of Dakota; but the following
from the Newton uowa) Herald. places
Iowa far in the lead in the story telling
business:
The widest excitement ever known
in Iowa. amounting almost to frenzy.
now prevails on Skunk river near os-
kaloosa. The excitement began Tues
day, and though somewhat abated, still
exists, and there are now several hum
| bred persons there and many others
hurrylng TO the scene. Early Tuesday
morning Mr.. James Wright, living
| few miles from 0Skaloosa, rode into
town and informed the authorities OF
what he had seen ut his fam. His
statements, which were subsequently,
as follows:
His farm is situated four or five
miles from the city, ON the south side
of the river. His feed lot. in which
ten days ago there were about one
hundred hogs, is situated about eight
rods ut the nearest point TO the river.
During the last twenty days ten of
his largest hogs weighing from $50 to
400 pounds, have very miSteriously
disappeared. The fence was new and
made of native lumber, with posts
every six feet; also truSty bull dog
slept four rods from the lot, and there
was no evidence that the fence had
been touched orthe dog aroused, the
my Stery surrounding the missing hogs
| Was becoming darker each day. Last
| night he, armed with Henry rifle and
his dog by his side, from partially
concealed spot watched the pen or lot.
Nothing whatever was seen during the
night, and nothing heard except vio-
lent plaShlRg in the river. Just as the
sun rose, and he was in the act OF
starting for home there came from the
river up over the bank, and slowly
moving toward the hog lot, Il gigantic
| animal or reptile, large enough and
hideous enough TO appall the strongest
man. And had not subsequent meas
urements verified his estimates of size,
| length, etc, those having he ard his
excited statements would have Still
| believed that his eNaggerations result
ed from fear. 1t approached the pen
IN which the hogs were kept more
| slowly than II emmerged from the
river, and carried its head several feet
above the fence until about fifteen 10
twenty feet of its head and body was
| beyond the fence when with n quick
decent of the head. 4 hog weighing ut
least 800 pounds was grasped III the
mouth of the monster. The entire.hog
| disappeared i'll the mouth, except the
head, which projected out of the side
of the animals mouth about fifteen
inches from the tip of the nose. 1t then
turned around, without seeming to
| move its hind legs or tail, carrying its
head ut least twelve or fifteen feet
| high; its fore legs, not touching the
| ground during the time it was getting
over the fence. 1t then ran down the
river bank fifteen or twenty rods and
| plunged into the water. lie estimated
Its entire length to be IS feet; the dis
lance from the fore legs to the end of
the nose ut Is feet; the distance be-
tween the fore and hind legs at 10
| feet; and the tail at ~ feet. Its legs
were ) feet long and rs thick rs a mans
body. Its body was from to ; feet i'll
diameter. making the animal when
walking, about or 5 feet high.
| Although no one believed his state
ments accurate all believed that some
| wonderful animal had been. seen and
| that it had carried large hog into the
river. The report spread rapidly and
III one hour forty or fifty men on horse
back and several hundred on foot were
| hurrying to the Wright farm. The
/ animal was first seen mile below the
| farm. Several shots were fired into
| him which produced no other effect
than to cause him to approach the bank
| slowly and unexcitely, but when vi it'll
| in ten or fifteen feet of the bank sud
| IDENTIFY he made a lunge and grasped
| by the head and neck Il horse rode by
] VIM. Smith, and was jerked with such
force as to carry him into the river.
and SO deep did his teeth go that the
| flesh was mangled and the neck bone
exposed Ill many places back to the
body. WIN. L. Smith was only saved
/ from being carried in with the horse
by being caught by the arm and held
| him The animal then plunged into
apparent from the connection in the
water (and his body was seen every
few rods) that he was going down
streem rapidly. Every man with gun
or revolver at every opportunity fired
| at him. The numbers increased so that
at two o'clock there were two thous-
and following his movements. The
| firing along the bank became SO fire.
quent and reckless or perhaps though
less, that it seemed like battle field.
Neither the roar of musketry nor the
/ impact of bullets against his body
seemed to disturb him.
by this time it became apparent the
revolver and rife ball would not pene-
trate his body, as it was roughly esti-
mated that up to p. m. ten thousand
shots had been fired. without even
| having Infatuated the terrible monster.
| and it was decided to make the best
possible time TO town and bring a
twelve pound cannon, a key of rail-
road spikes, and plenty of powder. The
/ cannon arrived at p. IN. Capt. VIII
Der who commanded the 23d Indiana
| took command of the gun. 1t was
heavily loaded with powder and rail
road spikes, aid put in position cover
ing the river at shoal half mile
below, and all waited impatiently the
result. AT twenty minutes past five
| the huge river reptile exposed large
part of his body in crossing the shoal,
when at distance of SO feet the can
non was fired Even before the roar
of the cannon had died away in the
distance. a piteous wall. or gToan, loud
and long, came from the water: the
head and tail dashed the water furious
ly; the water near the middle of the
animal was seen to be deeply tinged
with blood. In few minutes all mo-
| ton had ceased, and it could be seen
that the rail road spikes had taken
effect just behind the foreleg and that
a large stream of blood gushed from
the wound. A ditching team, consist
ing of II yoke of oxen, were a mile
distant. They were brought, and
| chains were thrown around its head
and it was drawn upon the river bank.
Al. Swain and DR.. Huntsman made
accurate measurements, which are as
follows: Entire length from end of
tail to tip of nose, 81 feet; from the
forelegs to tip OF nose, Il feet: body.
from fore to hind legs, 40 feet. its tail
20 feet. Its heart weighed 80 pounds
and had four cavities, and was pro-
nounced by Huntsmen to be the heart
of an air breathing animal, and not
reptile The lungs and all the other
organs seemed like the viscera of ami
mails. 1t was found that not one of
the bullets had penetrated the skins.
1t was skined, and taxidermist is
employed to stuff it, and it will be
sent to the Academy of Natural Sci
ence, at Philadelphia. The flesh is be-
ing carefully removed from the skele-