Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-09-08

MlNlffIAO vs. S4-t-N III CUBAN StbI IS.
10 IL. though the scout was vehement in
his declarations OF truthfuiness and his
statements were backed UP by comrades
whose homes were near that section and
who, while not having seen the animal
had Witnessed it, trenchlike burrows.
This tangible evidence in the shape Of
burrows is enough for claim that drag
Ons are among Uncle Sans new acquisi-
tons.
several years ago Fritz Muller, man
of temperate habits living At Itajahy, Bra
I'll, sent a communication to the Zoologiche
GurtCU describing the existence OF = gigan-
tic caTthworm in the highlands of the
southern provinces of Brazil. where il was
known rs the minhucao. The worm he
described - 30 yards in length ard > in
breadth, covered with bones as with a coat
Of armor, uPrUOtinE pine trees as though
they were blades of grass. diycrting the
course uf streams into dry channels and
, turning lands into bottomlcss morGsscs.
Some - years ago = minhCcao was re-
ported in the ECighhorhOod of Lagos, Bra
I'll. Francisco dc Amaral Narclla. when
about five miles from tho town, saw lying
on tho banks of the Rio de Cavcrias Il
strange animal OF E-rtic size. nearly three
feet in thickness, not long, but whether
or not it had feet he could not tell.
Don Francisco was q brave man. but
the lraYcst man whom he sees unexpected
~ q large. weird animal, whether it he a
pink elephant with q blue trunk or n
| mirhccao, generally calls for help, aud 50
did Don Francisco. When help ca;.r, the
animal had vanished, but the burrows it
had made were there TO testify, SO the reo-
pie believed the don and took him home
4 and gave him hTonidCs 10 quiet his nerves
\ week later "a similar trench. perhaps
constructed Iy the same animal. was seen
on the opposite side Cf the town. about
three miles distant from the first trench,
and the traces were followed, which led
under the roots OF - large treo and were
lost III the Iuarshy land.
As long ago rs January, 1864, Antonio
Jose Branco, having been absent with his
family for eight days, returned to his
home, which was on enc o. the tributaries
I OF the Rio dos Cachorrus. five miles from
CuritihInos, and found the road under
mined, heaps OF earth being thrown up
and large trenches made. These trenches
/ began at = brook ana followed its course,
terminating in ulC-sss after q course OF
| from 200 To 900 yards. The breadth of
the trenches was about three feet The
! path Of the animal lay generally beneath
/ the surface Of the earth. following the bed
I Of - stream. Several pine trees had been
rootcd up 10y 1t passage. one of the trees
from which the minhocao il passing had
| torn or the bark Is said 20 be still stand
ing to bear witness To the truth OF the
story. Hundreds of persons from sur
Rounding ;pwE. came to see the devastsl-
ton caused 10y the animal, which il still
believed 10 he living ia a Inarshy pool of
water which Ut tiiEcS Is troubled with
strange and unaCCoUntablc uphcavaIs In
that region the appearance OF the min
hocao always prcsaGes a rainy season.
II the province OF parlua, az Rio dos
Papagaisus, one evening in 1919 after =
cCurse of rally weather a sound was heard
in the house Of a certain jose de Deos as
If rain were again falling In a wood near
by, bu1 on locking out the heavens were
seen 10 De bright with stars. On the FOL
lowing morning it was found that "A large
piece 81 la-si on the farther side - the hin
had bean entirely undermined and was
tTaversgd - deep trenches which led 10 =
bare open plateau covered with stones or
" hat j. called la that country 'lee-aLo -
Al this $40; large heaps Of clay turned mp
ward from the earth marked the course Of
the animal into the BOD Of a stream run
ming into the Papagaisos-
later enc Senior LebinO declared that
while travelling through eastern Cuba he
saw a dead minhocao that had GOT wedged
IN between ! cleft 81 rock and 80 perished.
Its skin was thick a. the bark OF pine
tree and formed OK scales like those on an
ArInadillO. :