THE IOWA STATE BYSTANDER — AUGUST 07, 1896
MONSTER REPTILE ♢ The Slimy Beast is a Rod and
a Half Long and Big as a Barrel.
DUBUQUE, August 3.—Nicholas Premier, a farmer living near Sprecht’s Ferry, in Wisconsin, some miles above Dubuque, tells a most wonderful snake story. He says a monster snake appeared in his pasture and killed two of his cows by winding itself around them. He saw one of his cows in the folds of the snake but was afraid to interfere and ran away. Returning later, he found the cow dead and a large hole in her flank. The same thing was repeated the next day. A party was organized to hunt the monster, but when they came upon it they were also frightened and allowed it to escape. One man claims he saw it swallowing a cow. Premier describes the snake as about twenty-five feet long and three feet in circumference in the middle. The folds in the snake left deep creases in the animals killed. It is supposed the reptile escaped from some menagerie. Premier is well known and is believed, incredible as the story appears.
From— Iowa State Bystander. (Des Moines, Iowa), 07 Aug. 1896. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
