Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-07-19
An Extraordinary Tale.

account of the dcprc,lations and capture
Of monster snake:
"Durins the last two months il has
| been matter of frequent complaint
among the inhabitants Of the districts
cast and north of Arima that their do
mcstic animals Of all kinds were being
lost in strange, unexplained manner,
usually at night. Scarcely day seemed
to pass without goat or Il pig, II calf
or donkey being reported missing, and
attcrly even larger animals, some valu-
able mules and horses, hml gone to join
The smaller domestic fry that had Il sap
pcarcd. Among the sufferers, Mr.. John
Agostini Of Aripo, lost two mules within
five days on his cocoa planta
lion, and Mr.. j. G. dc Cannes, in Wis
ting some young cocoa cultivation Of
his in Tururc, had lost his horse which
nc had left to Craze for only half an
hour, nj n distance of about hundred
yards from the spot where he was talk
ing with contractor. AT first the pco-
pie OF the district were incline TO lay the
blame on thieves Of novel and daring
description, but the evidence soon be.
came clear that ii was some wild mon
strous animal that was working the
havoc among the stock. A strange
feature OF these dcprclatiors was that
no trace of blood was ever found at the
spot visited, or in the ncighborhood. to
show sign OF some struggle with giant
cayman or cnrnivorous beast, which Tie
monster was Mt first supposed to lie.
Besides no animal of the sac rcouircI tn
carry of n horse or mule was known to
exist in the island
Sin many Of the cases, however, il
was noticed that the ground under the
cocoa ;rcss and the forest underground,
showed signs of having been cru,lc /.
not trampled upon, 10y the body of some
smooth but gigantic beast. The people
began TO watch at night, no alarm us yet
making known the passage Of the mon
stcr on his raids, save the barking of
dogs, few Of which had also eliSap
pcarcd with dismal howls. 1t was also
noticed that the trace, through the vcgc-
tation always stopped mt streams, AMI
seemed TO vanish alto ;cthcr after that.
TINS feature WAS clearly csiablishc in
the case OF the Aripo, Tururc, and Arima
Rivers. Up TO Saturday last the beast
had succeeded in GLIDING notice, trans.
ferrlnS his attention to quarters unvisited
by him, rs if aware Of the watch kent
for him in those he had already visited;
and the neighborhood Of streams con-
tnued to be his favorito resorts from the
mountains north OF Arima and Tururc.
ION Sunday morning the inhabitants
OF Arima were thrown into consternn-
tion by the news TINT three children had
disappeared in the ward of Guanapo
during the past week, and they were
supposed 10 have become the victims of
the raiding monster. Their names were
given as Maria Conception, Marc An
tome and Carmen Baptista. Tnc grief o f
the parents and relatives of the missing
children was described rs hearlrendinr
in tho extreme. Mr.. IIarragin, the
Warden, accompanied by the mag ;strat c
and others, fastened mt once to visit the
scenes of the casualties. The news was
tolegraphcd TO Port of Spain, and the
Warden WIS instructed by the Govern or
TO continue his efforts to track the
monster, especially by collecting an
armed posse and instituting energetic
pursuit.
''Latcr in the afternoon news was
brought from Arpo that two children,
Paul and Rose Lcgrand, brother and
sister, had been lost, one on Saturday
and one on that very morning. In this
instance the mother had been the terror.
stricken eye witness of the carrying of
- AANt AieIio IVY hSco llTcC years. III
seems that while sitting in state of semi
stupor, mourning the loss OF her little
daughter Rose, five years old, who had
disappeared in the grounds round hcr
hut Saturday Mt noon without any trace
being found of her, she was startled by
the screams of her child Paul, who YVES
playing few yards from her. Rooted
with horror, she then saw her child en-.
velopcd in the coils Of tho upper part
of the body of colossal snake, which
glided away with its prey into tn,
depths Of Tie forest. A number o.
residents of tho district, armed will
guns, to whose ranks new acccssorie
were continually coming, began to scou
the country after tho snake, among
them Jose Conception and Paul lie
grand, Sr., fathers of two child vic
tins, on whose grim features was writ
ten quenciiless determination to wrea.