The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1904-05-12

Commences an Active Career
as Soon as II Is Cut 10 tho
Ground.


Sosxtssnrx. W. NAY Son the ss-
tate purehssedlsst year by M. G. Wash
layton Hsrfesr there stood until recent
~ large. very crooked and evidently
quite old free. bearing a strsnge cone
shaped fruit. aud different from all other
trees In this section. Previous owaers Of
the place had spared this tree as uatsr-
Al coriosity. but Nr. Ha~near l. very
practical man. and - the tree did NO;
gain by standing sud vac too crooked for
lumber. he had Il cut down on the 3snd afi
I feisa--. for ~ood. 10 f.liiag the TOP
part Of the tree broke ap into ~severa;
pieces. bot about thirty feet Of the trunk
reached tie earth in one whole piece ard
this piece has eeen . most Interesting OBJ
ject 10 the entire community ever since
Frona the moment Il touched The ground
IL refused TO remain stHi. but kept rolling
backwards and forwards aud over and
over. generally very slowly, yet At times
rapidly. until the bsrk was worn on in
places and the earth beaten and packed
like a road.
Men ~ere found who said they had seen
trees before so crooked they would never
lie stni.
One day about fifty men attempted TO
hold the log and prevent ia from rolling,
bat the most Of them we're thrown FIAT ON
the ground aud some we're hurled a dis
ianee Of iveuty feet. while the log Kept
rolling sereuely on. People came Tor
miles 70 see the strange sight, aid would
carry away with them asa souvenir a
piece Of wood. bark or t~ig. until nov but
little remains Of the old tree besides the
thiny-fooi log aud the bark has been torn
N the most Of that.
Mr.. Hauheur visited many large cities,
consulting SpirituSiists, nocromaucers,
hoo-doo doctors, and all others who made
any professions OF cleaning up mysteries,
but none Of tho replies were satisfactory
: a. him. lie finally sctcd on the advice Of
the negro mau who cut the tree down, and
- cat IL open.
STRANGE CREATURES.
Ia n hollow near thc base OF the log De
found three creatures %cntir,ls different
FROM anything ever seen before be- this
section. II aprcars 20 le "a combination
Of bird. beast. hsh and reptile. Walking
imUNNEmNIN MM us NNNM NNEH NHHN n 'NNNf NMN
5 hone ct one singer OF each Of SIS front tcci
ia expanded sufficiently 90 support BOO cx-
terded membrane similar 90 The wing of
. hat. The extended wigs Of thc largest
OF the three creatures measures ten feet
four inches FROM zip 10 tip 10 has a riu'
unus neck seven feet long that 70 can tNis'
into yer. conceivable shape, the head of
lizard. a mouth iuil OF the teeth Of croc
udilc. and above the cVcs, ~hich are f'ri
= large. isa crcsccnt-shapcl rov oi hule'
which emit d phospLorcsccni glow in th'
dark that can apparently hc Increased %
p diminished in brightness at The viii OF thI
crcaturcs-
several persons have been overcome o.
breathing its calculations, which have Cd
peculiar of peach kernels and is very de-
agreeable. A local uurscrymau who touul
ss e necessary Co treat some ot his stool
- with d,drocysuic acid ras tcmpotaftl
horru~sd Que OF these creatures from Nj
d, Havhcpr. aud shutting 10 zap m atirh
= room with the stock to Doe iumieatcd, d
obtained very Satisfactory results.
Bat the most marvellous feature OF thi
a horrible monstrosits r. the small, glistcu
Ling. ush-hke scales that cover cvcrf pat
. OF it. even to She wiuEs. These Keep cou
tinuails changing in color, iron silNl
grey Co brown aud black and purpie an
green.
us An eminent scientist cuuuccird nti
80 the government az Washington. who o.,
d. Gently visited Mr.. ha~hcur's place, pr,
rk uuuuccd The creature Co bee a. species
A. the rtcrodact,lc, which roamcd Zoe grei
.-a number over toe earih's surface seven
fhnusaud vears ago. hut oi which no oth'
live specimens are known Co exist to-la.
RESULT OF A STORM
After au examination ct thc ttce %
-