The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-04-20
Mr.. oPsAHL SEES QUEER ANIMAL
1t Haunts the Woods About His Coun-
try Place at the Lake.


try Place at the Lake.
What is hodag?
A. H. Opsahl asserts excitedly that
1t is surviving representative of
supposedly extinct Saurian that looks
like a cross between an igurana and
rocking horse, and offers to produce
witnesses to the strange nocturnal pro-
clivities Of the uncanny brute that
haunts the woods about his country
place, Ruritania, Lake Minnetonka.
The hodag Is supposed to be dead.
AS a matter of fact there weren't no
SIGH animal" A lot of lumbermen over
in Michigan faxed up hideous looking
reptile and had picture taken of him,
which the Northwestern Lumberman
printed, but somebody blew the game
and the hodag, hideous as an inhabi-
tant of Dante's dread picture, proved
to be stuffed nothing in particular.
But Mr.. Opsahl swears that the
Michiganders builded better than they
knew. If Opsahl has not discovered a
hodag he certainly has turned up some
awful creature that bellows like an ele-
plant in rage, wallows in the swamp
and grunts, jumps stiff legged from the
dead grass and brush of dark nights,
with its spinal projections all standing,
and generally keeps people at Orono
Point wondering what sort Of horror
has invaded their sylvan retreat
To come down to cases, there is a
determined hunt going on from Ruri-
tania and surrounding estates after
some strange creature that has been
seen and shot at dozen times during
the past winter, but which seems to
bear a charmed life. Opsahl himself
emptied double load of B shot at
the beast or reptile, the range being
less than 80 yards in the moonlight
The shot was heard to rattle like hail
on the scaly coat of the creature, which
promptly emitted a sound which re-
sembled, roughly speaking, a cross be-
tween the laugh of a hyena and the
bawl of an indignant cow
Several parties have visited the To-
cality during the winter in an effort
to round up the strange visitor to Ruri-
tanla, but without success, the animal
making its appearance only at night
and preferably, it seems, on dark
nights.
II don't know what breed this crea-
ture belongs to-" said Mr.. Opsahl yes
terday, but what I do know is that
there is nothing in the books describ-
ing him. He is scaly all over like a big
fish. l have seen his scales shining in
the moonlight and taken steady shot
over the bough of a tree at him. He is
is not in the least injured by being
shot at with any sort of small arm. I
twice and know that he was hit, be-
cause he jumped and made for the
woods as hard as he could go, below
ing fiercely. When he runs his tail Is
held high above his back and it has
| sptnes sticking out all along its length
like an iguana. I never could get a
| good look at the creatures head, but
I've got picture of 1t in my mind. ]
should like to get photograph of SIS
thing with a good sized camera, but
| Its habits are nocturnal and the only
| picture We shall ever get will be taken
after its dead"
The prevailing opinion is that the
| creature which has created so much
discussion it the Point Is an ESCAPED
specimen from some circus or side
show. No report Of such an escape is
remembered. but the people who wit
messed the latest "hodag' refuse to be
laughed out of countenance Mr. Op-
| sahl takes walk around his place
| every night in an effort to get another
shot at the animal. He has provided
himself with a 1880 Winchester and
hopes to report results within a few
| days.