The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-24
DEMON OF THE CAVE.
MR. BILL ANANIAS OF FOREST
COUNTY GRAPHICALLY DE-
SCRIBEs
The Monster Furred snake-Mun-
chausen Gibbs Confirms the State
ments of His Ihite Friend-Ter-
rife Battle With a Panther.

mehts OF HIS fshtte Frfenu-Ter-
rife battle With Panther.
From the Pittsburg Dispatch.
Shutdown, Forest County, April A.
Word has just reached here from the
black country" in the vicinity of Red Eye
Rocks, that the great furred snake, whose
appearance last winter in that section Gre
ated much excitement, has again been
seen, and that, too, within the past week.
The news of the appearance of this an
omalous, isolated monster of the northern
wilderness was brought to this little log
gtng hamlet by William Ananias, the
woodsman, timber guide, hunter and fish
erman. Bill was greatly excited as he
told his story 10 the Dispatch correspon-
dent but they may have been due to the
fact that he had been temporarily tamper-
ing with new brand of buzz-saw whisky.
by way or premise, II may be pertinent
70 state that an authentic description of
this hideous reptilian paradox was first
given TO the world about year ago. Mr.
Scription of II, and it was also seen by
Munchausen Gibbs, a colored man, who
one night, while in a lonely shack-shanty,
was terror-S stricken by the approach of the
reptile. which he took for the evil one
himself in material form.
The description that they and others
equally reliable gave made deep impress
sion on the pubic mind. The scientific
world was agog and the museum mana
gers were IN a. HuIter. INQUIRY was made,
but without further definite result than
the constantly increasing and voluminouS
accounts given by Mr.. Ananias, Mr.. Gibbs
and Others. After a succession of raids,
in which pig pens and other sources OF
food supplies were devastated, the rep
tlle was nlrally traced, cautiously and with
fear and trembling, to the gloomy pre-
c1nctS of Red Eye Rocks, a scanned, CASH
ed and almost inaccessible pile of huge
boulders and solid granite formation, sit
uated in the heart OF q chick virgin forest,
a W. M fr~n- 9 na loom inc
camp wherein are the abodes of Messrs.
Anantas and Gibbs When courage to
pursue the creature was finally plucked
up, the trail was easily Followed, for wide
swath was cut in the snow, small bushes
Were broken down and tufts of fine hair
were left here and there along the route.
The monster was trailed to the mouth of
a deep cavern, whose gloomy depths re-
PEELED the SuouteSt heart. and no one was
found bold enough to enter The reptile
was seen no more last WINTER or at least
Bill Ananias was not seen again during
the season by your correspondent.
According to the description given at
that time by Bill the furred snake was
about thirty feet long, as thick in its thick
est part as, TO use Bits classical simile,
good-Sized beer key, and, strangest of all,
covered from head to tail with fine, thick,
jet black hair, resembling closely in tex
ture the fibers of a seal skin. Its eyes gilt
tered deyilishly from the midst OF the close
time Buckeye marble The interior of its
mouth was blazing red, which brought out
with more horrid diSt1nctneSS a DriStllnS
row of sharp, poiniard-like teeth. Its long
tongue, splitting into two ugly-looking
fangs, was red, and, when darted in and
out of the great mouth, looked like the
convolutions OF a wind-swept tongue OF
fire. As this creature has never been seen
in summer, the fair supposition Is that ma
ture, by one of those strange freaks by
which she sometimes shows the whimsical
side of her, has bestowed fur covering
on this phenomenon, in order that the
usual conditions may be reversed. and that
the reptile instead of lying dormant dur
ing the winter months, may go forth 10
seek its prey during the biting cold wealth
er, and In the deep SHOWS of the vast Will
derness that cover so much OF Northwest
ern Pennsylvania On that hypothesis, II
being antlpOdal IN its physical makeup
and habits, 10 other reptiles, IL hibernates
during the summer months.
II looked as II this phenomenon was not
10 be seen this winter. for no report OF ~
appearance had reached here, until BIZ
Ananias footed Il II miles through the
snow last week In order 20 obtain some
hunters supplies. With his long legs
wrapped about "a stove he rehearsed an-
other story OF the mOnstrQeity. ~ s1emA.
according 20 Bili, that in the heart % thls
wilderness there are aiil lett Q teM 49,
theirs, which, when fneir 4ooa supplies