Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-11-07
THE Usage MONSTER,
How a Steamboat Whistle A.
ieCted Missouri Pioneers.
STORY OF A HISTORIC HUNT.
Armed For the Fray, the Frightened
but Determined Old Settlers Sought
the Ferocious Beast With the Fear
full, Screening Voice.

but Determined Old Settlers Sought
the Ferocious Beast With the Fear
full, Screening Voice.
The first steamboat that ever turned
her PROV against tho muddy Usage wa
tors was the Flora Jones in the spring
of 1874. There was no commercial
club in those days to stimulate river
traffic, no telegraph or telephone to her.
aid TO the hardy pioneers the approach
Of the boat-only the unearthly shrill
screcch Of banshce-lke whistle,
enough TO blanch the cheek of the sim
pie minded folk who had lived far
from the worlds progress.
The little boat went up as far as
Harmony. Mo. in Bates county. His
tory records the fact that when the
Flora Jones puffcd her way along the
st. Clair county shores and the wall Of
her siren was tossed back and forth
by the limestone bluffs many of the
old settlers were not only frightened
figuratively out of their boots, but lit
orally ont Of their homes. Matthew
Arbuckle, a pioneer, tradition tells us,
was blowing in his field about mile
from the river when the wall of that
whistle strucl, his car. lie unhitchod
his horse from tic plow, managed to
get on lis back and, wild with terror
struck for tnc hills IN one hour he
was at Papinyllc, fifteen miles dis
tant, the horse white with foam, the
rider white with terror. lie had bare
IT, strength to tell OF "an awful ami
NAL" from which he had made his cs-
beast. he confessed. but he had heard
its voice, by which he knew it to be
q monster of terrific proportions
Arbucklc's upghbors were brave and,
though much disturbed by his account,
determined upon a campaign of eXter-
mination. They had defended their
homes against Indians and they rea-
soned that no Wild animal, however
ferocious, could withstand their rifles,
| They gathered at Uncle John Whit
lcy's. He had seen service under Jack
| son at New orleans. Ills home was
up tho tortuous stream from Ar
buckles farm.
The next morning a crowd Of hardy
pioneers, with guns and dogs, were
| ready at Uncle Johns. The gallant
band numbered among its members
Unclc John whitley. James Brecken.
ridge, benjamin Morris, William Ra-
I con- Hamilton Morris, benjamin
Durch, William Roark. Frank Roark
( benjamin snyder. Snowdcn Morris
and Matthew Arbucklc.
/ They were agreed that there SHOULD
be undertaken a quest for the mys
/ ferrous monster threatening their
| homes and families.
lust before the signal to start was
/ given Matte. daughter of Whitley's
| went down to the river. 800 yards dis
tnnt, for water. In her absence The
/ Flora Jones. which had tied UP for
the night at 4 bend in the river below
again sounded the terror inspiring
/ whistle
Charge. men, roarel Whitley, seiz.
ing his gun. "AIatt went to the river
FIR water, ana reckon she's dead
afore now
The crowd rushed a. the river, deter
mined to rescue ~" girl if she was yet
alive Bur Matt, it is hardly neces
FarY 10 state was mot on the way
/ She was headed homcward, her hail
streaming behind aud her face
blanched with fear.
With their weapons ready for lnStan
action the determined hunters contin
ued riverward. Tho crew Of the Flora
Jones, proud OF her whistle, continue,
to sound it ut frequent intervals, an,
It's reverhcrations rang FROM bluff I,
bluff increasingly. Each fresh bias
added 70 the uneasinesS OF the band OF
settlers. Frequent co'ncis were held
Tie failure of the dogs to take the
scent nOnnlused them.
The hunters secured the Usage thick
cts all day breckenridge lost faith Il
hounds and declared that hi would
go 10 st. Louis for observation-disclosures
Meanwhile the Flora Jones had pro
ceedcd w the river to Harmony, an(
her whistle was no longer heard. a.
night came on storm broke, and The
| hunters took refuge in q Cavo
With the return OF dawn there began
ngain the hideous wall Of the mysteri
Gus monster. Tie Flora Jones wa
making an early start on her return
err sounded the whistle, until the hunt