There has been excitement in the Beersheba neighborhood during the past few days over the alleged presence of a mysterious wild animal which, though as yet unseen, has been taking all manner of shapes according to the different imaginations by which it has been pictured.
    The excitement referred to is traceable principally to the discovery of strange looking marks, taken to be tracks along the bed and bank of Buckhorn creek, near Cain’s springs last Saturday. The find was discussed at Beersheba on Sunday, and as the result of the various contributions of alleged facts and circumstances that were made during the discussion, there developed an almost tangible theory of the mystery.
    Quite a number of people went down to see the tracks. There they were for a distance of half a mile or more—tracks that showed the imprint of immense claws and tracks that showed a flat shapeless impression, that might possibly have been made by a barefooted horse. As to whether the trail was that of a biped or a quadruped was not altogether certain. Some thought one way and some another; but all were equally puzzled and it was determined to organize a party on Monday to make further investigation.
    The party was duly made up yesterday morning of some fifteen or twenty men and boys armed with shot guns and rifles and accompanied by dogs; but somehow the dogs could not be interested to any great extent, and when some of the closer observers began to insist that they could detect heel tacks in the tracks of the alleged mysterious monster; many began to figure that possibly they were being made victims of a hoax.
    Just what the facts in the case are would be difficult to say; but it is a fact that a large number of people of Bethel township were inveigled out to hunt a similar monster a few years ago, and after the excitement had been worked up to a very high pitch, it found dissipation in a very decided conviction that one well-known citizen, who was responsible for the whole disturbance had been laughing in his sleeve all the while.

From— Yorkville Enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.), 24 May 1904. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.