THE HIGHLAND WEEKLY NEWS — NOVEMBER 30, 1876
A FARMER living near Eldora, in Iowa, had three large valuable farm horses recently destroyed by a monster snake. When discovered they were literally crushed into a jelly. The farmer’s name is given as Gabriel Stout, and a neighbor of his, S. Carlin, lost a fine two-year-old colt that was killed by the same snake. The whole neighborhood have turned out in search of the monster, but all that they have been able to discover so far is a portion of his snakeship’s last year’s skin, eleven feet in length, which is supposed to be only about a third of its entire length. Another farmer writes from the neighborhood of the monster’s whereabouts that two calves and several head of young stock are mysteriously missing, and the opinion is general that they have been killed and eaten by the big snake. There appears to be some truth in the story. The eleven feet portion of the skin of last year that was found during a hunt for the reptile is now on exhibition at the Court House at Eldora, and R. H. McBride has organized a body of men to prosecute the hunt until the monster is taken.
From— The Highland Weekly News. (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio), 30 Nov. 1876. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
