MONSTERS: Kit Swamp Monster

 

On Thursday, August 18, 1875, Asa Grundy thought it was going to be a normal day in Kits Swamp, North Carolina. His five-year-old daughter was playing with a neighbor child in a corn crib while he was stripping fodder in the field. Then he heard the children screaming, the dogs barking, and his wife screaming. Asa stopped what he was doing and ran towards the edge of the cornfield where all the screaming was coming from. 

In front of him stood a monster that was carrying the children with one in each paw. The monster was heading towards the woods. When Asa appeared it surprised the monster making him pause for a second.

The father did what he thought fit as with all his strength he swung towards the monster. With a solid hit on the forehead, the monster fell to the ground and dropped both children. Before Asa could capture the thing it suddenly got up and ran into the woods with no trace of it being found.

Asa said that the beast had the face of a wanderoo, the body of a baboon and the arms and legs of a human. He claims that for the last few weeks a strange being had been preying upon poultry, garden vegetables and green corn in an alarming amount. 

The inhabitants of  Kits Swamp was now on edge as they kept an eye on the beast who was possibly after their children. Two particular residents were keeping a real close eye for the monster. The story goes that Eli Sparrow and Frank Hanson kept their eyes out for it determined to get it when they spot it.

The monster was lurking on the outside of a small clearing owned by Maria Harkley.  At this time Maria and her two young children were picking blackberries. The three men were sitting on a pine tree log watching as the Monster started approaching the young Maria's young boy who was 50 yards away from his mother. 

When the intruder was spotted the three men hid behind the log and kept an eye on the monster. They wanted to see what it was up to. The boy was now within range for the men to shoot if the monster came towards him. The men did not automatically shoot as they wanted to see the monsters intention, because they wanted to get it alive. But it became apparent that the monster wanted to kidnap the boy.  

When the monster came 10 feet of the boy and seemed to want to lunge at him they shot him towards his lower half. The monster fell, but the before the men could get to him it ran into the woods. It outran its hunters, but the blood trail helped them find it.

They pursued the monster for two hours before happening upon chaparral that was too thick to go through. They then saw an opening and Story volunteered to go through. It was small and dark for Story. He had eventually run into a plank that he had to remove and it let the light come in. This was when he made eye contact with the monster. 

The others followed after him. The monster seemed to have felt scared and trapped. It tried to defend itself sprung at Story and during the struggle, his gun went off. Which caused the creature to lose its life.

The three men brought it to town and many people had awwed at the monster. The skin of the monster was sent to Baltimore to be stuffed and put into an exhibit. It is unknown if it was really stuffed.

I only happened upon these articles and could not find out more about it. The story had to of been somewhat big at the time as a newspaper from London had an article about it. It is not known how much truth there is to the story.

If this story has any truth of this. Then it would mean that  Kits Swamp North Carolina had a Bigfoot-like creature terrorizing the town, and they had caught it. 

SOURCES:

Newbern Weekly Journal of Commerce August 21, 1875

Newbern Weekly Journal of Commerce September 11, 1875

The Times October 1, 1875

Murder of Elijah Davidson

89-year-old Elijah Davidson was living alone in Leetonia, Ohio. Sam Mead had inquired Elijah about the two rooms he had for rent. The two knew each other due to Sam pawning a jacket at the pawnshop Elijah worked. On April 24, 1875, Sam came back claiming that he wanted the room.

Sam asked Elijah to help measure and see if his bed would fit. He handed him a piece of string that was the length of his bed and asked him to measure the space with it. When Elijah stooped over holding one end of the string Sam took his chance. He smashed the back of his head with oblong-shaped kidney ore weighing 4lbs. When Elijah looked up Sam jumped up on him. He grabbed his neck and continued to hit him in the face. During the struggle, Elijah bit down on one of Sam's fingers so hard that when he pulled it out one of Elijah's teeth came out with it.

Sam believed that Elijah was dead and robbed him. He would leave and flee down the nearby train tracks.  He was alive and would crawl downstairs and out to his front stoop where neighbors heard him. He would tell others that it was Sam who'd tried to kill him. Elijah had bled so much where he had been attacked the pool of blood seeped through the floor. Elijah would die 5 days later.

Sam had fled into the woods and David, Elijah's son would put out a $200 reward for the arrest of Sam. He would go to his brother-in-law's home in Middleton County. Here he stated that his injured thumb was from a fight. He would try to change his appearance by shaving his face. He wouldn't escape the law and would soon be arrested.

Sam was soon found. He would claim to be a man named Charles Howards, but the marshall did not believe him. He would threaten to On the way taking him back to Leetonia Sam tried to bribe the officer telling him he had $60 to $65 in his coat sleeve.

When they got out of the buggy in New Lisbon Sam repeated his offer. Sam was able to slip out of his handcuff and flee as they were leaving the vehicle. He ran towards Jefferson st. and mistook an opening between two buildings as an alley, but instead, it went to a shed and he hid inside. Officer Welch followed behind him waited for a lantern and found Sam lying with some lumber over his face. They went back to the hotel for dinner and the officer ripped open the lining of Sam's coat to see if he really did have money. He did not.

Instead of traveling straight Leetonia and waited till 3 a.m. to transfer him. They wanted to avoid any lynch mobs that may have been waiting for their arrival. Luckily they didn't encounter one.

By this time Elijah was still alive but would succumb to his injuries making the charges murder charges. Sam would stay in jail until the murder trial started.

On August 24, 1875, guards walked into Sam's cell and seemed like he was wiping his face with a towel. In reality, the towel had a brick inside and when the guard bent over to put the bucket Sam hit him with the brick. The guard would be able to get out and lock the door even in the pain he was in.

In October his trial would start and would plead not guilty to the murder. He would sit in the trial with his family often having one of his children sitting on his lap. The jury would find him guilty and would give him the death penalty.

In November he tried to commit suicide by slashing his arm. He survived the attempt though and was able to see the judge give his death date as Feb. 25, 1876. His attorney would fight to get a retrial for Sam due to error. In January they would suspend his execution. Then Sam would learn that his 9-month-old Son Charles would die in March.

A retrial would be granted, but Sam would escape jail. He would saw through the bars of his cell window and climb down using sheets. Sam would get onto a train wearing women's clothing. He would meet his father on this train where his father would give him cartridges and a revolver. The man who saw Sam did not realize that he was wanted and that there was a $1,000 reward on his head.

Sam was likely in Arkansas working in fields for the next year. He was next seen on September 16, 1877, he went to his parent's home. They would beg him to flee again to avoid being arrested. He refused to leave until he saw his wife.

Sheriff Fountain would hear of suspicions of Sam's return home. The police would go to the house and search for him. When they got to the basement they found a door that went to an outside cellarway. Inside Sam was holding a pistol to his head. Sherrif Fountain would slam the door shut and Sam would flee outside.

Officers would scream for him to stop, but he wouldn't. He would turn his gun on himself and kill himself.

SOURCES:
East Liverpool Historical Society
The Cincinnati Daily Star April 27, 1875
The Stark County Democrat April 29, 1875
The Daily Times Nov. 4, 1875
The Democratic Press Nov. 11, 1875
The Stark County Democrat Nov. 25, 1875