Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-09-19

ployed In fall and spring fishing for cod OF
siaseonset bank until year or two Of his
death. and his good wife outived him only
couple OF months. EDWARD Z. CSprKHnL
TWO DRAGONS OF FRESNO.
Winged Monsters That Devour Fowis win
Three snaps of Their jaws
From the ST. Louis Republic.
number Of persons living in the vicinity Of
isedleey, Fresno county, Cal. all reputable
citizens, too, swear that they have seen and
hunted two dragons with wings fifteen feet
long, bohies without covering Of hair OF feath-
ers. heads broad, bills long and wide. eyss no,
less than four inches in diameter. and with
feet like those Of an alligator somewhat,
though more circular In form. They have i've
toes on each foot, with a strong claw on each,
and its track is eleven inches wide and nine
teen inches long. These strange creatures
were frstseen southeast ofselma ON the night Of
July II. and their peculiar cries and the rush.
ing OF their mammoth wings were heard as late
as 10 o Clock, when all became still. The dragons
were last heard that night crying in the diree-
ton OF King river.
Two nights later A. Y simmons poultry
yarc was visited By tbs monsters many Of the
hens being bitten In two and LETT partly de-
Sonred. Those who examined tie dead chick
ems say the teeth marks on them resemble those
made by very large dog. On july ~ a car
rage loaded with picnickers was returning from
picnic at Clark bridge. aud ia the clear
moonlight saw the monsters plainly clrcling in
the AIR and heard the rush Of their pinions,
swapping OF their Jaws aud fearful cries over
head. On Monday July q, Harvey Lemon
and Maj. Henry Haight. who live Just outside
OF Selma, going after their hogs. who fed on
the tules, heard a stIangllug morse in the deep
swaie under bridge, aud IA moment. with .
heaNy mapping OF wings. the queer creatures
rose slowly from the water. iving 30 close to
the men that the wind from their tremendous
wings was plainly felt heir description OF
| the monsters tailies with that of the persons
Who saw them Dn the 18th and 18th.
). ID. Dauiels OF sanger heard Of the matter
ana joined party Of nye that going out
10 capture or hall the dragons, and he telis the
following story. after reporting that their first
night watch Was disappointment:
About 10 o'clock that day (Thursdayl
Emanuel Jacob came in and reported that the
monsters had evidently been in Horn valley,
about four miles above. the night before. They
had killed a number of ducks and the banAs
Vi the pond were strewn With feathers. We had
no intention OF giving over the plan Of cAItar~
ing the dragons, and Thursday night two Of
us returned to watch. Mr.. TempIeton and
myself We secreted ourselves in the
holes which we had made the night before
and waited patiently with our guns, de-
termined to secure Of the strange
visitors at least should they make their ap-
pearance. About II O'Clock the cries we're
heard I'm the direction OF Kings river SEEM
ing two or three miles away. The ominous
yells drew nearer, and In few moments We
heard the rush aud roar of wings. 80 hideous
that our hair almost stood on end. The two
dragons came sweeping down and circied
round aud round the pond In rapid xhirls
screaming bideously all the while. We hsd .
good view Of them while flying.
They passed within a few yards OF ne ana
their eyes were plainly visible We could alse
see that instead of bills like birds they bad
snouts resembling that Of the alligator, and
their teeth could be seen as they snapped their
jaws while passing. Evidently the dragons
were trying TO decide whether or no they
should come down IN the pond. They were
probably examining y any TODD was 10 be had
such as ducks. mua hens and fish. AT length
they came down with fearful plunge into the
pond and the mud and water rew though q
tree had fallen into ii. They Owed around in
the water, aud nearly could Judge at
the distance OF thirty yards they were some
thing over six feet long, and while wadinG
through the water they looked not unlike
gigantic frogs. Their wings were folded and
appeared like large KNOBS on their backs.
Their eyes were the most visible parts and
seemed all the time wide open and staring.
They were very active and dRrted about among
the tnles and rusLes catching mud hens One
Of the fowls deroured at two or three
champs OF the jaws.
AS soon Ms we saw n good opportunity Ne
leyelled our guns at the one nearest aud
fired. One rose in the air, yelled. and Hew
away. Every stroke of the wing showed great
strength. The other foundered about in the
water until il reached the edge of the pond,
when il crswled out dragging along its
wounded wing after il, and started across the
plain. We loaded our guns and gave chase.
We soon lost sight OF il, for il went much
faster than we could. However, We were able
to follow by its dismal cries in the distance.
We followed il half a mile, when il passed QUE
of our hearing. The next day company went
in pursuit aud trailed il by the blood ON the
grass. IL WAS followed three miles TO Jumper
slough, which IL entered. aud all trace of 10
was lost Where IL passed down the bank u
left several well formed tracks In the mud.
One OF the best was cut out with spade, and
after drying was taken TO Selma, where 10 u 10
the possession Of Mr. snodgrass.
From the San Francisco Chronicle.
1t is not entirely safe 20 assume that ths
strange winged monster which 10 reported to
inhAbit the swamps and marshes in the ricin-
ity of Selma. in Fresno county. 10 . variety Of
the gyascutus horribilis, as might be expectse,
nor that the creature has been projected from
the fertile imagination of q Newspaper cor
respondent There certainly 10 some kind
Of . winged animal there which deeours
chickens and other domestic fowl-not simply
kills and eats them, but crushes and mangl0
them.
In addition 10 this muts testimony number
Of witnesses. seemingly reputAbls, have &C.
trally seen two great flying animals, Of kind
enufely strange 70 tnem. clrcllnG tnfOuGo
the air, uttering their weird and discordsnt
cries, and swoopiug toward the ground,
while another witness has shot al and wounded
one OF these birds, il they be birds, and has
secured the imprint Of the creatures foot u
the mud.
One Of two things is true: Either eli these
Witnesses are telling . falsehood Intentionally
or - the result Of self-decsption. or they have
come upon . survival Of an earlier and pro-
historic age. In this latter hypothesis there ~
nothing intrinsically improbable. We are
accustorned 10 think Of geologic ages OF eras -
being clearly defined. accurately limited periods
Of time. % though one ended all at once and
another began immediately upon its oonelu-
sion, a. do the lines or figures representing
these sras In the text books on geology and
kindred sciences The idea IL erroneous in The
extreme. No one can say that nc certain time
one era ended and smother began. On the con-
trsry the best authorities agree that one srs
lappsd over upon snothsrs that the rscords
chow that an animal or plant Of one period b
often found in another, and that survival of
sypes Of forms Is not to be unexpected
II. then the marshes Of Fresno have given
sheltsr for centuries TO forms OF animal NE
With which We are unacQuainted there n
nothing abnormal about It. however strange %
NAV be. IL viii be an event In ornitholofy IL
thsss birds can be classified, especially Il they
are found 10 belong ~ q pslnozoie age, but be-
| yond that 10 viii prove nothing except that
| thcrs are stranger things An earth aud hsavsa
II - 49, -. "a