THE BEMIDJI DAILY PIONEER — JULY 14, 1904
People of Harry Gann’s Town Perturbed by a Sea Serpent or—Something.
H. L. Tonskemper, the popular Duluth traveling salesman, was in the city last night with a story from Backus for which he vouches that is something out of the ordinary in the line of stories. It concerns a monster, a son of a serpent or—something and it has the good people down that way in a state of mind that nearly borders on digcombobulation at present.
Mr. Tonskemper is a careful man and does not claim to have seen the serpent, but he is very emphatic in the statement that there is something in it. Just what it is he is not prepared to state and it’s the same way with the people at Backus. Any way its something. It is about the size of a horse and seems equally at home in the water of the lake or on the land. Several parties have seen it swimming in the lake while fishing. Its gen-eral mein is described as something terrible and all who have seen it have been too badly frightened to pay any particular attention to details. It might be a cross between a steamboat and grizzly bear or something equally bad, or it might be a white moose. Anyhow any number of people have seen the monster and hunting parties are out today to see what can be done about establishing its true identity.
People down the Backus way are said to be very much excited and there seems to be little doubt but that there is some freak of nature roaming the woods and water in that vicinity. Developments will be awaited with interest.
From— The Bemidji Daily Pioneer. (Bemidji, Minn.), 14 July 1904. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
