Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1891-09-25
"The Man-Eater of the Il ississippi"


Early writeEs snd traysiers in the Missile
sippi valley tell blood-curdItng stories OF
terrible orensure, part beast, part hird, part
serpent aud part mau, which We sre told
formerly inhabited the bluffe and swsmDs o!
the eseh, Fsthsr OF Waters betwesn the
mouths Of the Missouri and the Dss Moines
rivers. Most writers OF later days are OF
the opirion tbas suce creature never ex-
listed, In fact, they put the paternity OF the
story on 90 certain Mulnattons who sre
known to have been fond OF "g!Ving to airy
pothipgs g hablsstioD end name." For
more than century after che advent OF the
white man In the MiSsir ippi valley stories
OF the "man-eater" we're told aod generally
believed, bnt soou these were all to be de.
nIed and reiuted. Then the very e4lssen' !
Of suoh creature wa doubted, 0us there
was Father Maiquette's description 0! the
creature to back those who still believed
that such monstrosity hsd az one time e1-
isfsd In What is now the Central United
States. Then another ciass Of Wonder mon-
gers spraoe up, who claimed TO have seen
picture painted on thu bluff near where al.
ton, III, nov stands. Asyeprs vent on even
this story vss denied. In 1888, when the
question Was no for discussion, J. B. Miles,
OF Miles Station, Ill, wrote ar article for
the Alton Telegraph, OF which the following
are extracts: II first saw the animal, II an
imal is could be called. In 1885, and since
that date l have seen 1t from time to time
hundreds OF times before 1t was destroyed
by the elements or by the hand OF man dur.
ing the civil war" the enclosed
ls an exact picture of It," Follow
ug the Iast sentence quoted, Mr.. Miles
gives picture of the creature, which shows
il with body like lion, except that the
legs are very short and the body long and
1.-THE. like that OF 8 panther. Wings OF
curious pattern, with eight feathers at the
points, ias.en 10 the shoulders end extend to
beyond the root OF the tall. which is long
and slender, seeming 20 be made In imita-
tion OF that Of tiger.
The neck is very heavy, we'll srched and
full, eurmounted by what would take to be
good picture OF the head OF q buck deer OF
or years of age. the horns being broad,
saoh With four polnts After giving his pic
ture, Mr.. Miles goes on TO say: MANY,
many times have I examined the picture
closely, and must say shat II Ia mistake
| for auyone 10 ssy that 1t VIZ painted on the
rocks The bird or animal wss cut, chlsel-
cd or picked into the solid rock, but how.
when or by whom l know not. Its body
was tina. Of q lion, Its head and horns thoee
OF deer and its wings those OF q bird. Draw
your own conclusions as to whatit was In.
tended, TO represent, but believe that shs
above, facsimile ct the picture on the
Rocks,' was the handIcraft aud handtwo7k
OF man, chiseled or cut Into that rock to
commemorate some person o. some thing
y Everybody believes that the sphinx
was built to represent parsonage. Why
not believe that this mythical btrdbeast was
made to represent the noble deeds of CONC
great person OF pre.his.ot!c times in Amerl-
Ca"
With the article sent the Telegraph Mr..
Miles s5o inclosed q picture of the creature
described By Marquette, which Is Identical
With that described above. with tbs excep-
ton that 1t has mao's head, It's fest. four
In number, much resembling birds' Claws.
81. Louis Republican.