Historic Cryptid Headline: April 21, 1887 - A Strange Animal

Mineral Point Tribune

April 21, 1887

“A Strange Animal.”

A Hammonton, N.J., correspondent of the Philadelphia Times writes: Peter Roletter, who lives three miles below this town, on the Camden and Atlantic railroad, while out on a hunting trip yesterday captured after a hard fight, an animal that in appearance combine the qualities of the rhinoceros, the porcupine, and the South Jersey razor-backed hog.

Mr. Peter Roletter, locally known as Pete Relette, is a young man and has the personal supervision of his father’s farm at Da Costa, three miles below here. Whenever Pete tires of wrestling the shovel or hoe, becomes weary of the cumbersome hand-plow or grows disgusted at wielding the chopping-ax at the wood pile, he grabs his gun, and, together with his dogs, delves into the deep solitude of the Jersey forest in search of game. It makes no difference to Pete whether it is gaming season or not, for once in the shadows of the forest it would puzzle the wits of all the game officers or law offices to come within sight of him.

Yesterday morning at sunrise he shook off the cares and responsibilities of his father’s farm, and, with his dogs and gun, sought recreation in his favorite pastime. About noon he crossed the May’s Landing road, about eight or nine miles southeast of here, and made for Injuntown branch. Before reaching the branch he had to cross a low, hilly country filled with scrub oaks and underbrush, known as the Injuntown hill. Here in the sand mounds that are dignified by the name of the hills is where Pete encountered his strange and savage animal.

On entering the hills Pete’s curiosity was excited by hearing a peculiar grunt of a hog, and then again it sounded strange and unlike a hog’s grunt. Pete proceeded to investigate, and soon saw the animal. The thick underbrush made him mistake the creature for a pig, and dropping his gun, he took a coil of rope from the pocket of his hunting coat and determined to capture it and take it home until the owner called for it.

On drawing near, what was Pete’s surprise to see the animal turn and make for him. Then it was found it was no hog, and he leg-bailed it for his gun, with the animal chasing him hard. The creature was swifter on foot than Pete, and long before he reached his gun he was overtaken, and a lively fight ensued.

Pete was tripped and thrown to the ground, and there was a mingled mass of strange wild animal and frighted humanity wiggling around the brush and disturbing the Jersey sand. With a superhuman effort he succeeded in throwing the animal from him, and regaining his feet. Then, grabbing a club or hickory stick, he succeeded in knocking the animal of its feet and, quickly placing his foot on its neck, he held it down, tied its feet and thus the animal was placed hors du combat.

The animal is a little larger than the common razor-back hog. Its body, feet and nose are shaped exactly like a pigs, but instead of having hair or bristles it has long, sharp quills that differ from the porcupine quills from the fact that they have barbed points. The nose is the only part of the animal’s head that resembles the pig family, for the eyes and shape of the head generally are greatly like the rhinoceros, and a large, wicked-looking horn set above the nose, that gives the creature the combined appearance of the rhinoceros, porcupine, and the domestic hog.

Mr. Roletter was badly used up in the fight with the animal. Besides being badly scratched about the face and body with the sharped barbed quills and badly bitten on one of his hands, he has received a very ugly wound from the horn on his forehead.

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

-The Pine Barrens Institute

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