Arizona republican., 1913-02-02
HODAG AGAIN
 IN EVIDENCE
Another Rancher Catches Glimpse of Strange Ami nal; Former Uncertainty Seems to Be Waning; Ranchers Plan Hunt

The Republican, Phoenix, Afiz:
 Ever since l saw the red part of your paper several Sundays ago, I have been looking out for that Hodag YOU said was around here. And yes terday night I seen him. We went out to small knoll near my place. my boy and me. and watched just as we done several times to see if the ani- mal would come. About nine- thirty my boy said. sad dad, thee Is some thing shifting down there and when I looked there was the Hodag. He was just as plain We snuck down on him with a shotgun, but he .heered us coming and went off around the hill so fast l thought I must a been mistaken and didn't see him at all But Bub said he seen him, so I am sure I did.
 Of course we did not see him very good. It was plenty light enough, but we was above him and could only see he was about as big as a year-lin calf and tawny colo. We could see the short legs of him on the upside and the big ones when he run. He had paws like a mountain lion, but he looked more like a almighty big wolf. We are going to get some neighbors that live about six miles over the hills and try and get that critter next Wednes- day night
 Yours truly
 VIM. KITCHEN. Sycamore Creek Ranch, Jan. 50. 1913.
 The foregoing letter whic' was re- ceived here yesterday tends to streny- then belief in the vers,city of The Republicans former informant of the finding of | specimen of .an Eodag, a the Bloody Basin region a hundred miles north of Phoenix on the Verde river. Of course none of thestate- rrents can be backed by this paper. but are presented for just what they are worth. The apr1c grower. who was making a short hunting trip down into !Ee basin firm his rdnc.l farther north left the stor-y O the finding Of the curious animal and .he previous discovery of the notes of scientist explorer who had evidently made some brief observations of the specimen said to have been found dying Of a distemper near his cabin. but whose DDuy anu tI1lUe were fDSl III d 1fOpU which carried away his pack nimals. The explorer left the country in 1902 without having mentioned the Hodag to anyone, for he obviously feared being guyed as a nature faker by all who heard his outlandfsh tale which could not be substantiated by the evidence of skin and skeleton. He did, however. leave his notes and the aged volume of natural history in which there is a fantastic but appar- ently earnest account of the beasts. classified under the scientific name. Hodagius dissimilipedis Ananioides. The apple rancher had seen this book and toe cd explorers notes after he encountered the man who related the story of the meeting with an actual live specimen in the hills north of the basin It was quite impossible to To- cate anyone who could vouch for the story, or indeed any of the party of three which claimed to have met the hodag.
 MT. Kitchin in his interesting if rudely constructed notes predicts an organized hunt for the Hodag next Wednesday,. It is not known yet whether this paper will be able to cover the hunt at first hand. but if there is any information available. it will be set forth in these columns in due time.