The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-10-11
LoaGERs' DEMONS.
Fiendish Creatures Who 1nhabit
Maine Forests.


No one knows who invented the devil
tales of Northern Maine and Canada, says
a letter from Shirley. Me-. to The Boston
Herald. They were current when the nrst
Yankee missionary penetrated the wilder
ness between Portland and Montreal ana
spotted out a path for Benedict Arnold
and his hungry men to follow when they
marched against Canada at the outbreak
of the Revolution.
Learned men who have Investigated the
subject believe that the tales are sur
vival of aged stories told by the French
people years ago to keep their children
from running in the woods and meeting
dangerous wild animals.
Within the past week John Armstrong
has learned to his cost how deeply these
ancient beliefs are rooted in the minds
of Canadian woodsmen. Armstrong has a
drive on the West Branch, and sent up
crew of fresh men In June to help IN
hurryfng the logs to market
They were farmers from New Brunswick
who had never worked in the woods be-
fore and were. therefore, easy prey for
the hardened woodsmen. First the woods
men told them that the mountain sides
around Churchill Lake were infested with
wetherlicks that were capable of pulling
down a log howell and carrying or a
horse. AS a rule, the wetheriick was not
an enemy to men. II a new man on
coming to camp would leave a pound OF
plug tobacco on the howell steps in the
first week of his stay, no wetherlick
would harm him.
As soon as the old hands had made a
levy of tobacco in this way they began to
tell about the sidehill winder, a beast
that was half rabbit and half panther.
and could run as fast as a cloud shad-
ow when IL raced before a west wind
across the lake. 1t was clad in scale ar
NOR. so no bullet could harm its life,
ard when hungry 1t had been known to
devour a campful Of men at one meal.
There was only one way Of avoiding
the wrath of the sidehill winder. II a new
man wished to escape this dangerous foe
he must deposit a quart of liquor at the
forks of the logging road on the side Of
the mountain. After drinking it the side
hill winder would feel gay and try to
run around the base OF the mountain
from right to left, thus bringing Its sho T
legs on the dowhhill side and causing Il
to travel so slowly that a swift man
could catch 1t and choke 1t until 1t prom
Used to reform.
No sooner had the late arrivals paid
the price of safety from the sidehill wind
er than they were made acquainted with
the punishment the flying tefrishault
could inflict unless 1t was kept suppl ed
with both whiskey and tobacco. Accord
ing to the reports made by the lumber
men, the flying terrishault is modern
griffin with leather wings, long bill
with teeth on both jaws and eyes 70
bright that they could be seen across
the lake on dark night. 1t had but 0 Ia
leg, whioh terminted in a monstrous
NnncludfyelV that
it was closely relateu to Satan.
The newcomers had by this time been
among their associates long enough to
learn that they did not tell the whole
truth at all times, and when the fresh
smand for whlskey and double thick
plug was made they suspected hoax
To convince them the lumbermen got thu
carpenter to hew a gigantic cloven hoof
from a pine log With this a series Of
tracks was made in the mud along the
stream.
The next morning. when the cook vert
al ong the stream in the wangan boat TO
deal out the second breakfast to the
crew, he met fourteen very pale men
wading waist deep In the water and hur-
ryi lg for the camp. He recognized them
as the crew lately sent in by Armstrong
and asked them what they wanted.
re fiyin' terrishault,' they cried
"Heem bin jess down stream-heem bin
dam hungry, too"
The cook told them that there was no
such a creature and tried to give them to
understand that the old hands had been
having some horseplay ut their expen se.
When ne had done the leader of ths
party replied
You don bin fool me. Ah'm bin see
hecm tracks,
They settled up before noon. and walk
ing thirty miles to the lake. took a boat
to the nearest railroad station. whence
~ hurried beck to the old farms. leav-
ing Armstrong; drive to wait until he