Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-19
SATAN PERSONIFLED.


Terrible Nonstrosity Born to a Pennsylvania
Couple-A Very Picture of the Devil
\ student in the theological seminary
at Gettysburg, Pa, writes to the New
York Herald as follows: "To the north
and west;of this tity, about fifteen miles
away, dividing this county from Cumber-
land and Franklin counties, is q ridge of
mountains. In some of the mountain
valleys the people are in state of dense
ignorance, seeing little of the outer
world ana scarcely touched by the civili-
cation that is all around them. In one of
these little corners of the mountain i,
about two weeks ago, was born Il mon
strositv that has filed the mOuntaineers
with terror and dread. Among many of
them superstition is religion, and they
believe that the devil has appeared among
them incarnate in the monster born, in
Their midst. y
''During the past week rumors have
reached this city of fabulous creature,
born in the mountains, and of the intense
excitement prevailing in the neighbour
hood of its birthplace The excitement
spread to the lowlauds, and those who
had the courage to overcome their super
stitious fears who visited the creature de-
scribe it as being somewhat larger than
the average newborn infant, and, al
though the offspring of Il white father
and mother, dark in color. and covered
with short, black hair. From either side
of its head grew short horns. A long
tail hung to its feet, which strongly re-
sembled the clOven hoof. In fact, to use
the words of one who saw it, 1t was the
very picture of the devil.
''There are many stories Us to the Incl
dents attending the birth of the monster,
but the following story is the one which
seems to have SO fixed itself in the minds
OF the mountnineers that they cannot be
convinced that the devil has not lived
and been among them in the flesh. From
what they say il appears that the father
of the creature had some sort of n super
stitious religious belief, and tried to per-
suade his wife, who did not agree with
him, to accept his opinions. Finally she
declared that she would not do as he
wished. and in blasphemous language
declared that she would rather see the
devil than 10 ha e a cross always before
her eyes. Shor Y after this declaration
she gave birth t J horrible monster, as
described above.
In terror the father summoned sew
eral nelghborS, ana one OF them, more
brave than the rest, offered to open
vein in the arm of the creature and bleed
it TO death. As he took his knife
from his pocket the. creature
raised itself, got down from the bed,
walked across the room, and, returning,
addressed his wOuld-be eXecutiOneT in
most terrible language and threatened
him with dire misfortune if he attempted
to do il harm and then declared it would
live for seven days, and, having revealed
its object in coming into the world, would
then die. 1t lived for seven days, and
on last Monday, the eighth day, died,
but without having spoken again. As
strange as it may seem, this story has
many believers, and there are few who
do not shun the little cabin in the mount
ain in which lives the poor mother of the
miserable creature whose birth and death
have filled her neighbors with such I'M
easiness