The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-08-09
MIR. pENN's STONE FREAK.
U,s,tors are Flooking to See the Bridge
ton Curiosity.
From The Me,o York Sun.

-, freak which Amos Penn unearthed here
tsv DAYS since on the land Of Walter
recon. which he began to quarry for red
-ondstone less than two weeks ago, is stead
H. absorbing all the interest of the inhabit-
-nts of this pretty town. People are flock
Enc to the pit near Ireland's Mill from all
.hocountry round. Il is safe to say that
.rarvbodv in Bridgeton has seen it, but the
sightseers come just the same from the
osst west, north, and south, and stand
eronnd Amos Penn's quarry with their
months vide open. Prof. Heilprln OF the
PniIadelphia academy of natural science
aas come down and viewed 1.-THE thing" with
.%e ave of agnosticism. He shifted con-
Enormously, and declared the gyasticutus
- he nothing but freak of nature, often
sound in regions Astounding in red sand
ltone There was nothing fossiliferous about
70 creature, he said, and when Amos Penn
heard this his opinion of the professor dwin-
died perceptibly.
'' Rnt freak or no freak, the animals out
line is remarkably clear and mystifying
r. lies in its grave for all the world like a
aIantasmagoric giraffe with its legs
rrbopped off. As already related in the san
~ reclines on it's side with the head a little
elevated and resting against the clayey side
Of the pit. The neck is thicker than repre-
sented in yesterdays Sun, but the
General outlines of 1.-The thing" are cor
eyart The muscles of the hind tanks are
we'll defined. The most remarkable feature
If the beast, however, are the legs. The
circulation of the bone where the lower
I5nt of one of the fore feet has been broken
11F it is as natural as life. This freak could
never have been carved by the picks of the
nnarrymen. Amos Penn dug around his
fossil a little more to-day, and exposed more
If its unsymmetrical surface to the light.
He says it keeps growing harder all the
time, and that it will soon be hard enough
10 bear removal. When this happens he
proposes to take it out OF its hole and frame
"Still may let it stay there" said Amos,
"it paws me Just as we'll as it is"
Mr. Penn now charges 10 cents for the
privilege of viewing the petrefaction. He
has erected fence around it and stands at
the door for receipt of custom all day him
self. But his joy is not unconfined. Wal
ter Bacon, the young lawyer on whose land
the quarry stands, exacts tribute of the
descendant of the great Penn. The con-
tract runs that Bacon shall have one-third
of the gross receipts of the exhibition,
and the gross receipts promises to be no
small potatoes Penn speaks bitterly of the
conduct of the people who destroyed the
fossil man which was discovered just previ-
GUS to the prehistoric horse.
"There hain't no Doubt says Amos,
"that that man and that horse was related
to each other. They was in the same ditch
together and was both TUX about the same
timen There is some reason in this, for the
mans sandstone figure was found right be-
hind the hind hoof of the "horse," thus
showing that in their death the warrior was
not divided from his faithful steed. Moth
ing now remains of the man but his head,
which is on exhibition in Bridgeton store
window. The thing that puzzles the Bridge
ton geologist, however, is the horn of the
beast This horn raises straight from the
center of the head, and is as thick round as
the legs. An inquisitive young man won't
down into the ditch to-day and tapped the
horn to see whether it was hard. 1t rang as
truly to the touch as any other part of the
mystery. The sense of Bridgeton ON this
matter is growing to be that the beast is no
hoax but veritable wonder. You can find
man in the town who believes Amos Penn
and his quarrymen constructed 1t with their
own little chisels. Prof. Frank L. Mason,
who came down here to look at the curios-
ity for State Geologist George G. Cook Of
hind hoof, but wouldn't tell Amos Penn
why he did So Prof. Mason did not seem
to think much Of the alleged fossil; but
if he didn't, argues Amos, why did he
take away that hoofa 1t is now said here
that Prof. Cook will shortly come down
himself
Whatever the thing may be, and the
scentific-minded here claim that it posses
seS no characteristics of a fossiliferous re-
main, it is certainly remarkable spectacle,
and we'll worth visit from all who are in
search of the unusual as curiosity. Bearing
upon its fece all the marks of a genuineness,
it knocks the Cardiff giant silly. There is
g story floating about that just after 3
O'clock of Thursday morning, while Penn s
assistant, Lowell, was taking nap under a
tree, and Penn himself was at Arnold's
pond, near by getting a can of water to
refresh himself with after the severe vigil
of the night (Bridgeton is temperance
town. two men pushed their way through
the woods, and made for the fossil with hos
tile bearing. Penn saw them in tim6. and
reached the edge of the pit just as the first
man got his legs over the fence. Penn called
TO the man, whose answer was shot from his
revolver. Penn returned the fire, and for
a time the prehistoric horse had his first
smell of gunpowder. He bore it well, and
never fiinched. But the marauders, ap-
palled no doubt by PENIS determination,
turned and fled into the woods Amos was
very reticent when questioned about this
experience to-day, but he tapped his breeches
pocket significantly and winked. He be-
heves that no more vandals will show them
selves in the future.
Amos has shown clearly that the spirit Of
the great William is strong in his descend
ant For the benefit of the timid visitor
whomay go to Bridgeton to see the mystery,
should be said that Amos is always on
hand to do the honors. He delivers lee
ture on his find about dozen times a day,
and does it with the aplomb of a Bowery
museum swell "Now Just look at them
eyes and that nose" he will say, "all the
doctors in creation couldn't make me be-
heve that wasn't an animal some time.
There's some who undertake to say that
carved that out myself, but if | carved
that there thing out I'd better not hang
around, but go and hang up my sign some
wheren
We'll, Amos, what do you call 1t any
way" asked visitor to-day.
II hain't named it yet" said Amos, "but
It's powerful like hoss.n 1.-THE shoulders,
neck, and body are good" said another
observer. "but l don't like the hind legs.
AS for the horn in the middle of the head
don't think that rightly belongs to the ami
NAL at ALL"
Mr.. Penn had some new wonders on ex.
hibltion to-day in the shape of several pieces
OF sandstone bearing the print of perfectly
outlined leaves. but yet they say" quoth
Amos, that there amt any fossils around
here. Why it's all bosh. That hoss's been
There since before Noah's time anyway"
Amos will sell his fossil for a good price,
Out he won't be bulldozed. He says he is
not anxious to sell and Is content to ex
hiolt 1t at 10 cents head. Ii business keep;