Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-09-11
Togus Pond Cottage Has
A Strange visilant.
Big as a Rabbit, Has Webbed
Feet, and Flies.
Augusta Man Sees "criiier" But
Fails 10 Identify II.

| AT Augusta gentleman who owns a
+ cottage On the shores Of TogHs pond
ana whose reputation for truthtulutSS
is Withoat IA blemish, is convinced that
| the cottage is the lurking place Of a
wild beast that has thus far failed 10
! Lc accorded place upon the pages
of natural history in which IL show
it's picture and to give description
Of it, it's characteristics and its h3ai-
| tat He is sure upon this point. for
not onlv has he conducted thorough
review OF all the different works u9dn
natural history available, as we'll rs
ieatefnllY Bcrused every page of the lat
est edition Of the encyclopedia, so lar
as they relate to any Of the represent
atives of the animal kingdom, ne has
not set discovered anything in his re-
search that in any way resembles the
animal which he saw run across the
cottage floor one day about two weeks
ago, and disappear up the chimney
The first that was known of the mXs-
FERROUS visitor was when the gentleman
referred to came home, that night
from the pond and at once sought out
his partner in the ownership Of the
cottage. II tell him what he had seen,
r
and % warn him. lest he should visit
the cottage and come Unexpectedly IN
To the presence of the "critter. In
the mind Of the gentleman who saw
TIE animal there is not the slightest
element Of doubt regarding the pos
sibili*Y that lie might have been mis-
taken. or that he might have been
temporarily threading the mazes of
i a slra. 4 l..t he "
something. and the suggestions Gf some
of his friends to that effect have been
receised with scorn.
He is as sure that he saw the AMI
nal -.un across the floor of the cottage
as he Is that he visited the cottage on
the cay in question. 1t is not, so he
ayers. a ease of now YOU see 1t and
now YOU don't" for ne had plenty of
tifqe to size Up the beast before 1t
disa pneared up the chimney III the
fireplace Describing it to his PARTNER.
Re said il WAS about the size of a
rabbit, and the color of Il woodeauck.
and had large ears Which stuck out
straight from the sides of its head.
Its eyes. also. were unusually large
and bright. but the most peculiar fea-
lures in its appearance were it's feet.
which he claims, We're webbed, like
those of a duck, and a flap of skin
which extended from the fore feet To
the hind feet, and which apparently
era bIed the animal to fly for as it ap-
preached the fireplace il left the floor
and scaled up the hue and out of
sight.
The ether owner of the cottage was
li,-. triH slyantieal in ha
ter, but out of Difference to the wishes
of his partner. the two made a trip
to the pond. Tiptoeing up TO the en-
trance. they carefully opened the door
and looked inside. The animal Was not
in sight. but evidences that he had been
in the cottage We're plenty. The dirt
in the cracks between tire floor boards
had been clawed out crumbs Of some
food that had been left in the cupboard
| were scattered about. ard not only
/ that fpi scraps of cotton led to the
| discovery that something had got at
enc of the comforters in the bed room.
md ripped big hole in it,
These discoveries have convinced the
second owner Of the cottage that the
, aulding is inhabited by some denizen
of the forest, bat n the present stage
Of the game he is nat prepared To say
what it is, any mere than is the one
who saw it, The latter however. is
/, certain that the animals appearance
was as he described The story has
caused no small amount of speculation
among 1oeus pond camp owners, and
it is understood that one man has had
the tcmority to advance the opinion
/ that the animal seen was flying
squirrel. and that perhaps on account
of the unexpected appearance of the
animal in the cottage. the mans first
impression of its size and general con-
tour gained by fleeing glance. might
have been slightly out of focus.