The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-12-17
s'The Man-Eater of the mississippi. .


St. Louis Republic: Early writers and
travellers in the Mississippi valley tell
blood .curdling stories ola terrible creature,
part beast, part bird, part serpent and part
man, which we are told formerly inha bited
the bluffs and swamps of the great father Of
waters between the mouths OF the Missouri
and the Des Moines rivers. Most writers of
later days are of the opinion shat such a
creature meyer existed, in fact they put the
paternity OF the story on to certain Mulhat-
tons who are known to have been found Of
giving to airy nothing:s habitation and
a name" For more, than a century alter
the Mississippi valley stories Of the man
eater" were told and generally believed, but
soon these were all to be denied and re-
tuted. Then the very existence of such q
creature was doubted, but there was
Father Marquette's description Of the
creature, to back those who, still believed
that such a monstrosity had at one time
existed in what is now the Central United
States. Then another class OF wonder
mongers sprang up who claimed to have
seen picture painted on the bluff near
where Alton, Ill.,, now stands. AS years
went on even this story was denied. In
1883, when the question was up for dis
wrote an article Tor the Alton Telegraph,
OF which the following are ex-
tracts: II first saw the animal, it animal
it could be called, in 1888, and since that
date have seen it from time to time
hundreds oftimes before it was destroyed
by the elements or by the hand otman dur
ing the civil war" 'The enclosed is an
sentence quoted Mr.. Miles gives picture
Q. the CT eature, which shows it with body
like lion, except that the legs are very
short and the body long and 1.-the, like
that OF the panther. Wings OF q curious
pattern with eight feathers at the points
fasten to the shoulders and extend to be-
yoi,'i he root OF the tail, which is long and
sIe.'rr. seeming to be made in imitation
OF IlAt of tiger. T"
The neck is very heavy, well arched and
full, surmounted by what I would take to
be good picture of the head Of a buck deer
Of seven or eight years 81 age the horns be-
ing broad, each with four points. Alter
say: Many, many times have I examined
the picture closely, and l must say that it
is q mistake Tor anyone to say that it was
painted on the rocks, The bird or animal
was cut, chiselsd or picked into the solid
rock, but how, when or by whom know
not; Its Do 9, was thai Of lion, its head
those Of bird. Draw your own con-
illusions as to what it was intended to rep.
resent, but / firmly believe that the
above, q facsimile of the Picture on the
Rocks. was the handicraft and handiwork
ofnlan chiseled or cut into that rock to
commemorate some person or some thing.
Everybody believes that the sphinx
was built to represent parsonage. Why
not believe that this mythical bird-beast
was made to represent the noble deeds Of
some great person of prehistoric times in
America. III M
With the article sent the Telegraph Mr..
ole TIM 49, 1nn nk1,No
described BY Marquette which is identical
with that described above, with the excep-
ton that it has man s head, its ieet, iorn
in number, much resembling birds claws.