Incident #991008
Mt. Vernon, Jefferson Cty, Illinois
Oct 1941
Account
Accounts differ somewhat, but a squirrel-hunting minister is reported to have been rushed by a half-man beast, which jumped over his head, knocking off his hat and dislodging his pipe from his mouth. He then struck it with his gun and/or fired shots in the air to frighten it away. The creature was reported to scream like a wildcat and leave tracks like a raccoon's but four times as large. Repeated reports led to a mass hunt in March, 1942, that was unsuccessful. Location was given as Gun Creek bottoms. The creature was reported to be able to jump 40 to 60 feet at a leap (see 1006).
When
- Month
- Oct
- Year
- 1941
- Season
- fall
- Time of Day
- day
- Duration
- considerable
Where
- State / province
- Illinois
- County
- Jefferson Cty
- Nearest Town
- Mt. Vernon
- Latitude
- 3818
- Longitude
- 8855
What was seen
- Individuals
- one large, sex unknown
- Total Individuals
- 1
- Population Status
- wild
- First Seen
- in
- Terrain Object
- trees
- Super Human Action
- Leaped over witness head, knocking off his hat.
- Tracks
- found immediately
Witnesses
- No. of Witnesses
- 1
- Witness(es) Sex
- Male
Setting
- Terrain
- valley
- Nearby Water
- creek
Weather and light
- Lighting
- daylight
Source
- Source
- Carbondale, Illinois, Free Press, March 30, 1942, about a preacher (may be Rev. Harpole ). Also Hoosier Folklore, Vol. 5, p. 19, March, 1946, and Carbondale Daily Egyptian, Dec. 11, 1969.
Creature description
- Hair Covered
- presumed
- Posture
- erect
- Movement
- jumping down
- Later Movement
- approachedý
- Speed
- fast
- Movement re observer
- towards observer
- Aggressive To
- person
- Sound
- scream
- Human Contact
- bluff
- Reaction
- ran atýfled from
- Evidence Left
- footprints
- Additional Movement
- fled
Footprints
- Set of Tracks
- 1
Witness
- Witness Saw with
- naked eye
- Observer Was
- hunting
- Closest horizontal distance
- contact
- Action on sighting
- shotýharassed