Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1902-02-20


miles from ST. Johns. They sighted
a bulky object floating on the sea at
some distance and, thinking it a piece
of wreckage, rOwed toward it, says
the New York Journal.
When they were alongside, Squires
gave the object a vigorous dig with
his boat hook. To the terror and sur
prise of himself and his companions
the object displayed decided signs Of
life. 1t lifted it's enormous grayish
white bulk high out of the water,
f1ourished it's endless tentacles in the
air, displayed a pair of great, uncanny,
m~alevolent eyes and bit at the boat
with a gigantic, parrotlike beak.
Then one of it's long, sinuous arms
came Over the port side Of the boat
aud took a firm hold. After a few mo-
ments Of terror stricken paralysis Pic
colt tried to seize the arm and throw
it overheard. He was Immediately
caught by the suckers attached to the
arm and held helpless.
The submarine monster threw anOth-
er arm over the starbOard side of the
boat, catching SQuires as it fell. He
had already dropped the boat hook in
his alarm.
The two fishermen by this time real
lied that they had run into a monster
deviIfsh. They knew that these were
the tayorite waters of the creature, but
never had they dreamed Of one so
large and powerful as this.
Slowly the monster began to drag the
big boat down. The two men strug-
gled franticaIly, but they were abso-
lutely powerless. The water poured in
over the gunWales of the boat. The
devilfsh filled the water with a black
fluid that gave forth q s~ickening odOr
Of musk. It raised it's eyes and it's
beak, presenting an object utterly I'M
like anything else on land or sea, above
the side of the boat. A horrible death
seemed inevitable for all of them.
At this moment young Tom Piccott
acted like a hero. He had picked up an
ak in the bottom Of the boat. With one
! great blow he chopped off the arm Of
the monster on the starbOard side.
With another he chopped off the arm
on the port side.
The devilfiSh threw other arms on
board, but the two men had recovered
themselves. They drew their big knives
and fought at the invading tentacles,
not allowing themselves to be pressed
against the side of the boat or to be
completely encircled by n of the
deadly arms. The water was filled
with blood and odorous black fluid.
| The men slashed ceaselessly with their
knives and axes, and the monsters hid
eous t~entacles made a horrible sound
of suction as they sought to hold their
human victims.
At last the men fought away the hid
eous sea monster. More dead than
alive they rowed away, still carrying
with them the two arms which had
first been thrown into the boat.
The shorter one was accidentally eat
en- by dogs owned by Piccott. The lon
ger one, which he thought might be
used for a boat mooring, he hung upon
his fshhouse. On the following day
| the monster, crippled and dying, was
washed ashore. The tale of the encoun-
ter was soon spreading and reached
the village parson, who sent Piccott to
st. Johns with the trophy to interview
the Rev. Moses Harvey, a distinguish
ed naturalist residing there. He exam
ined it and after careful studies and
analysis gave the following data as to
the creatures size: Body, 20 feet long,
Is feet around; the long %tentacles, 4O
feet long by 4 inches around, but ex-
ceedingly tough and strong; the short
err t~entacles, 10 to II feet long by 1f
inches around. The extreme length
from tip of tail to extremity of tenta.
Giles, 50 feet; between the tentacles
stretched out, so feet; the head, 4 feet