The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1896-04-09


PRIL 8 1896.
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~ as1I NJ H9un1 2 ia n dope
hl1ls. JoAnscucuu41aNsd 10 inz3OwtlS
an. leaning foswssd l1Es IN a1sst H
IN scouA
II. Johnson hnd Sp4 peocsDdaA a.,
bsouze b met M l6ust1n, who dbcpV-
hnsd ~ sabUA bs1usD ~ 1lsuA hausA
Wae built
skuyou look4ness %hsse tz~olwssSn1
N1Esd Morton
~Yes. Have younot1ced themT
"They beat anything ever snw. 4
trsced than up The street from my
house little dis6anuo, and all ~ onCS
they stopped. Come ON and IN show,
you"
They followed ths big footpranAA
around into Baldwin street and thenpel
over Q block to tho north, end then sud-
denly the traQ ended At Q place where
the snow had besn Kicked about a. II
men had scuffled there.
"This n where Il started" )" said John
son. ''Now, let's see how far we can fol-
bow II the other way"
They went back along Baldwin streeA
10 where tho tracks led over to Mortonss
house, the same a. they had ct the
Eaton and johnson places, but strange
10 say, the trail divided, one set Of!
traclrs leading over to Morton's house.
the other continuing south ON Baldwin
street
{, At Chester avenue the trail turned,
howard the Eaton house and continued
10 the east, although there was side
itrau leading over to the Eaton house
and another to Mr.. Johnson's front WIN
dow.
The two men followed the main lime.
From Chester avenue 1t turned into
Miller street and came to an abrupt
end near the Methodist church. There
were other tracks Of ordinary size to be-
seen, but at the point where the tralJ
ended tho man with the giant feet had
evidently gone up into the air. The
snow was badly kicked about. Perhaps
there had been another struggle.
According to the size of his fest -
observed Mr.. Morton, thoughtfully,
shat man should have been IA feetIhigh.
What do you think Of it?'
II simply give 1t up" said Mr.. john
son. 81 never in all my life ran across
anything like 1t. These are real tracks.
You can see the marks of the nails and
the print of the heel. But they begin
o-l >n1 ~,orr,6ara uar>Su n
single trail and suddenly it splits into
two trails going in different directions.
One set of tracks goes right up to q
window, and yet there's nothing, to
show that the man turned around and
came back. He didn't go in the window,
though. Now what the"
Don't ask me-" said Mr.. Morton.
At the station that morning the men
talked of the strange tracks and not
one could explain them except by bring
ing in supernatural agent. And they
never did find out.
And now for the solution Of this story
|of mystery.
Bertrand Thompson, one Of the
livelier spirits Of the quiet suburb. had
been to town ON the evening Of tina
snowfall. At a small free-and-easy club
which he often visited he had become
acquainted with wel-known min
|st1el performer. The minstrel gave
Thompson pair of huge shoes such as
are often worn I'm burlesque pieces. He
had promised them to Thompson long
before and on this evening he brought
them to tho club.
Thompson reached Morton's Grove
ION the last night train. He started for
home. the shoes wrapped up under his
arm.
The snowfall had ceased and It was
a clear night. He had taken few
drinks and was in an imaginative and
creative state Of mind. He saw the
unmarked snow and it occurred to him
that it might surprise people in the
morning ii they saw tracks 18 inches
long.
He leaned against q fence and
changed his shoes after some difficulty
and then marched homeward.
When he came in front of Morton'a
house brilliant idea came to him. He
walked over to the front window of the
house and then with extreme caution
backed his way out to the street again,
taking care to put the big shoes back
in the footprints already made.
Then he took up his homeward jour.
lney again, but he thought of the Eaton
girls, so he favored them with special
set of footprints, and afterward did az
much for Mr.. johnson, whom he dis
liked very much
When he reached the Methodist
church corner he realized that he might
be tracked to his home. SO he changed
shoes again, with q great deal OF hop.
ping around in the snow to keep from
losing his balance while he was stand
ing ON one foot.
When he learned how successful his
experiment had been he kept quiet, and
allowed the tale of the monster foot
prints to become suburban classic