Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-07-19
THE LAUGHING owl.
Nonsense Sometimes Heard Proceeding
From This Wisest Bird.

From This Wisest Bird
Over twenty years ago. travelling
on foot through a rough section IN
the eastern part Of Missouri, found
myself toward sunset in a solid Ger
man settlement They almost with
out exception keep cross dogs-usu-
ally bulldogs of savage ferocity,
often dangerous for their owners if
approached after being loosened from
their chains at nightfall. For this
reason it was hazardous to travel
after sunset, so | began an hour be-
fore shutdown to find a lodging place
for the night but the Germans either
could not or would not understand
me- The shades of night were gath
ering when l saw with pleasure the
light OF a campfire shining on two
white-covered emigrant wagons in
the woods down below the road | was
travelling. They proved to be Amer
leans, and when | told them how I
was situated they gave me a friendly
welcome, and we passed a pleasant
evening by that campfire.
After We retired to rest, and per-
feet quiet reigned in the camp, there
arose on the still night air the most
hideous, diabolical laughter that ever
greeted the ears of mortal man.
The boy lying beside me made a fair
imitation of the sound. What is
it?" asked. That" said the father,
lis laughing owl; the boy is mock
ing it in his sleep"
Some time after, still prospecting
in Missouri, | reached, after dark, a
ferry-house, and which was also a
tavern, on the Usage river, in thin
ly populated district. The house
was filed with mulattoes and negroes
OF all shades, from that of a new sad
die to a pot black. The ferryman
was preparing for spring work on his
farm, so there was no room for me.
Two negroes rowed me across the
river, and going up the bank soon
found by the starlight road which
followed but short distance, when
my way was barred by fence. As
hoped to strike the road again at an
other point, | turned off into an ap-
pareutly new road in the woods, but
soon in the darkness lost my land
mark, the fence, and my way, too.
To stay in the woods on a very
cool April night was not desirable. so
l listened earnestly for some sound of
a human habitation, as the Growing
of cock or barking of a dog, that
would lead me to house. Standing
there in that impressive silence of
the woods at night. there came at
length welcome sound, a low laugh
as from distance, from some negro
hut, perhaps, but better to sit up at
night, even in a negro shanty, than
to stumble around in the darkness in
the strange depths of the Usage
woods. l started in the direction,
travelled some distance and listened
again for the sound, when suddenly,
right overhead. arose that unearthly,
blood curdling. fiendish laughter.
| have stood face to face with a
furious maniac and looked on his
glaring, bloodshOt eyes, lips flecked
with foam, face of a cadaverous hue.
and heard his forced, soulless laugh
ter until it seemed as if more in con-
tact with some hideous demon than a
man; yet to me that night that horrid
laughter of the laughing owl was
greater strain on the nerves than the
demoniac laughter of the maniac.
/, However, the laughing owl had
done me a good turn in bringing me
back to the road again. for his voice
was the low laughter in the distance
/ first heard, says the Kansas City
Times. climbed over the fence, fol-
lowed the road about mile, reused
up the inmates of farmhouse, and
was comfortably lodged.
l have examined works on natural
history, but cannot find any descrip-
ton or picture of the laughing owl.
AS j never saw him, he exists in
memory and my imagination only as
some imp of darkness.