Over in Washington county, near the line of Mercer, reigns a being which, man or beast, mystifies all the neighborhood. For months the housewives have missed their chickens, eggs, milk, meat from meathouses and half grown pigs and young lambs. At first all efforts and schemes to catch the guilty one proved of no avail. Joseph Ewalt arose one morning before day and went to the springhouse, a hundred yards distant from his dwelling. His wife and son, becoming alarmed at his continued absence, went in search of him and found him at the door of the springhouse in a faint. They restored him to consciousness, and he told them he had seen a man beast, and that he ran out of the springhouse as he opened the door; that he had great, long white hair hanging down from his head and face that was as coarse as a horse’s mane. His legs were covered with hair, and the only article of clothing he wore was a piece of sheepskin over the lower portion of his body, reaching nearly to his knees. When it became noised around that Ewalt had seen a man beast, sober headed men began to set a plan to catch the monster in the neighborhood, near the mouth of Deep creek, is a cave of considerable proportions, and the natural conclusion was that there would be the place to find their game.
    Early Sunday morning Eph Boston and his sons, Tom and James, saw the object of their watch walking in a half gallop, half run for their barn. Notwithstanding the men were armed, they were badly frightened, and after they saw the object enter the barn all three were afraid to enter to try to capture the terrible looking creature. They kept hid and were not seen by the monster, standing in a half erect position nearly 6 ½ feet. His feet were like the paws of a bear or brute, with long claws. His hands also were like those of a feline more than a human. Before the men could come to some action or get over their fright the creature came out of the barn in the same half gallop run gait and made for the creek. By this time the men started in safe pursuit. Tom Boston foolishly shot at it, and the creature half turned and glanced at them, increasing his gait, but never dropping the three large chickens he held in his claws. The Bostons managed to keep in sight of the creature for only a half mile or so, they vowing he ran swifter than a horse. Just as they got to the top of a hill about 500 yards off they were rewarded by seeing the brute man turn, with a wild, scared look, glance around and enter the cave.
    The men went to the mouth of the cave, but would not enter. They saw feathers, bones, etc., scattered around the entrance. They returned home and reported what they had seen, and Tuesday they, with a half dozen other men, went to the cave and made a partial survey, proceeding in several hundred yards. They saw fresh indications of habitation by bones, feathers, pieces of calf and sheep skin being strewn around. The passages grew smaller and dwindled, and no one of the party would enter alone, though one, Joe Smith, went in 80 or 40 feet, when the most unearthly yell the men ever heard greeted them. They were good, stout men, but they cowed before that yell and beat a hasty retreat to the main passage of the cavern, but after consultation they agreed it would not do to kill or be killed, and they gave up their search fur another time.—Louisville Courier Journal.

From— Capital Journal. (Salem, Or.), 03 July 1894. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.