Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1909-01-12
A STRANGE ANIMAL.
Walter Fcadt. of Texas. Gives Des-
cription of the ''Gaglum," Said by
the Negroes to be about as Fero-
cious as Shepherds "Hodag."
BAYsIDE, TEXAS, Jan. 3rd. 1909.

BAYsIDE, TEXAS, Jan. 3rd, 1909
FRIEND GENE
It will, perhaps, interest you and the
readers of the PILOT to learn of
strange animal called the 'Gaglum"
which inhabits the coast of Texas. The
story has this merit, that it is strictly
true. | have never dealt in fiction
for truth being stranger than fiction"
allows of much larger latitude in story
telling and writing.
Soon after coming to Texas last sum-
mer, | used to near the old settlers, the
sailors, and also the Negroes tell of a
very strange animal, that on account
OF its rarity and nocturnal habits, was
seldom seen. According to the tales of
sailors and Negroes, it c, I'D swim in
the Water, fiy in the air and was equally
at home on land. At first / paid very
little attention to their yarns, thinking
that it was merely done to fool tender
foot; but | noticed that the Negroes
seemed averse to discussing the subject,
seemed frightened at the very mention
of the name ''Gaglum," and at last,
getting next" to an old Negro by the
name Of Uncle Henry, said to be about
l2O years old, and who was slave in
Texas, ''long befoe the wah," learned
from him that sach an animal actually
existed and Uncle Henry had, on at
least two occasions, seen one He
fur ther explained to me that all Negroes
looked upon the animal with supersti-
tious dread and awe, being afraid to
even discuss the subject with white
folks and the name, 'Gaglum," given to
the animal was a name CT terror to the
Negroes, something to conjure with,
expressing to the superstitious and
partially developed mind of Negro the
very limit of terror, even as the name
"Stalwart," was not long ago terrifying
to certain class of people who kow-
towed and bowed down to certain
grand Llama called "Bawb, "--now only
a political "Reminiscences.
1t was, however, my good fortune to
see specimen of the dreaded animal,
and while not near so alarming as rep
resented by sailors and Negroes. was
certainly a strange and curious animal.
Early one morning, had concealed
myself in clump of bushes on point
of land running out into the bay and at
the loot of a bluff, and was waiting for
ducks and geese. when l heard tre-
mendous noise on the bluff and down,
out CT the brush came the most curious
animal | had ever seen; il was about
fourteen feet in length with head very
much in shape like that of mule, only
much larger; had long, front legs, end
ing in feet and claws like bear and
was covered with hair, back to its
shoulders and to the middle of its body
where armor, like that on an arma-
dillo, commenced and covered the rest
of its body, hind legs and tail; its tail
being like that of an alligator and its
hind legs were very short and ended in
web feet like an enormous goose; but
the most curious, part of the animal was
its mouth and eyes. Its mouth opened,
not up aud down like mule or horse,
but the other way or sideways and
opened clear to its eyes, for it stopped
about thirty feet from me and began
eating cactus or prickly pear, show
ing its mouth and tongue to be like
sheet-iron, for cactus is covered with
prickers and spines, hard as fish hooks.
ln my eagerness to see aud examine
the animal made little noise, when
it turned its eyes full upon me; its eyes
were fully lhree inches in diameter and
one was black as midnight and the
other light pink, giving most strange
and dncanny look to the animal, but
the expression of its face was otherwise
mild and benevolent, like COW chew
ing her cud, and not fierce aud feroeious
as represented by the Negroes. When
the "Gaglum" saw me, it Immediately
ran and plunged into the waters of the
bay and very quickly disappeared,
swimming with incredible swiftness.
| can get sworn affidavit from an
old sea captain by the name of Capt.
Sam Gray, man whose reputation for
truth and veracity is second only to
mine, to whom l showed the place
where the "Gaglum" eat the cactus, and
we followed the tracks back on the bluff
far enough to convince ourselves that
the animal had come overland from the
Aransas river, distance of three miles
and we further found where it had not
only devoured cactus and Spanish bay
onet, but had pulled off aud .ssgoured
several rods of barbed wire fence where
the Arkansas river branch is divided
from Bayside
have constructed a trap which is al
most certain to capture the "Gaglum,
but to be successful must have to use as
bait, either "Hodag," or a live snow
snake and have no doubt but that in
the interests of science, Gene Sheppard,
of Rhineiander, will send me by express,
prepaid, one of the above for bait. In
the event of its capture, Gene shall
have an undivided one-half interest in
the 'Gaglum" and together we will re-
christen it and Gene shall be its God
father. Yours truly.
WALT C. PRApT