Historic Cryptid Headline: August 6, 1931 - Strange Things Happening

Tri-County Record

August 6, 1931

“Strange Things Happening"

Strange things are happening all over the world. Below are a few of them, briefly reported in Time, weekly magazine. We offer them for what they are worth.

Kiel, WI- Two traveling salesmen from Cincinnati hired a rowboat and pulled out to fish in Lake Eerie off Sandusky, Ohio last week. Suddenly a huge, heavy coil, grey on top and white underneath, broke water beside their craft; a yellow, black-crowned head six inches across the forehead, rose up and cold glittering eyes starred at them unblinkingly. 

There had been stories current in Sandusky for some time concerning a sea-serpent which had frightened many a fisherman. The traveling salesmen, Frank Bagenstose and Clifford Wilson, thought their time had come. But salesman Wilson unshipped an oar, struck out forcibly with it, stunned the apparition. Growing bolder, he and his companion fished down in the water, brought up 18 ft. of fat snake. They wadded it into the rowboat, took it to shore, crated it, locked it in their automobile. As soon as it was crated, it revived. Crowds numbering thousands filed past the motorcar to see it.

From Cleveland's Museum of Natural History came Director Henry L. Madison to have a look. He said: "After consulting reptile texts I am convinced it is a Python molurus." He also said the creature was big and strong enough to crush a horse. No one could decide how a Python molurus happened to be in Lake Eerie.  

“Historic Cryptid Headlines” showcases actual articles involving cryptids that were published within United States newspapers back in the 1800’s-1900’s. The articles posted here are written exactly as they appeared during their original publishing date.

-The Pine Barrens Institute

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