Nexus - 0214 - New Times Magazine-pages

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ly elongated tail and an immense pair of wings, was found on the desert between Whetstone and Huachuca mountains last Sunday by two ranch- ers who were returning home from the Huachucas. The creature was evidently greatly exhausted by a long flight, and when discovered was able to fly but a short distance at a time. After the first shock of amazement had passed, the two men, who were on horseback and armed with Winchester rifles, regained sufficient courage to pursue the monster, and after an excit- ing chase of several miles, succeeded in getting near enough to open fire with their rifles and wound it. "The creature then turned on the men, but owing to its exhausted condition they were able to keep out of its way, and after a few well- directed shots the monster partly rolled over and remained motionless. The men cautiously approached with their horses snorting in terror and found that the creature was dead. "They then proceeded to make an examination and found that it measured about 92 feet in length and the greatest diameter was about 50 inches. The monster had only two feet, these being situated a short distance in front of where the wings were joined to the body. The head, as near as they could judge, was about 8 feet long, the jaws being thickly set with strong sharp teeth. Its eyes were as large as a dinner plate and pro- truding about halfway from the head. They had some difficulty in measuring the wings as they were partly folded under the body, but finally got one straightened out sufficiently to get a mea- surement of 78 feet, making the total length from tip to tip about 160 feet. “The wings were composed of a thick and nearly transparent membrane and were devoid of feathers and hair, as was the entire body. The skin of the body was comparatively smooth and easily penetrated by a bullet. The men cut off a portion of the tip of one wing and took it home with them. Late last night one of them arrived in this city for supplies and to make the necessary preparations to skin the creature, when the hide will be sent east for examination by the eminent scientists of the day. The finder returned early this morning accompanied by several prominent men who will endeavour to bring the strange creature to this city before it is mutilated." Since no mention of this creature is made in any following issues of the Epitaph, it would Laem scem to be a hoax, possibly created to boost the - d HXETE circulation of the paper or enliven a boring week erally pick up small whales from the sea. Much of their art and = in Tombstone. Especially considering the woodcarving depicts exactly such a capture by a Thunderbird. incredible size of this creature, it would seem that there was at least . “ : - some exaggeration involved. Still, one wonders if these two cow- Some South American Indians believed that the bird was con- boys encountered one of the last of the Thunderbirds. stantly at war with the powers living beneath the sea, particularly a fered amapen, Tare ial a ceare ay enpergenes ht oma et pum taken of a pterodactyl in 1886 when a creature was shot by two grubs which were = favourite food. cowboys and then nailed to the Tombstone Epitaph wall. The clapping of these giants’ wings created thunder, so they were According to the Fortean investigator John Keel, more than 20 peo- known as "Thunderbirds". The Navajo Indians still perform their ple have written to him claiming to have seen this photo of a dead Thunderbird dance, and tell the legends of the ‘cliff monster which —_ pterodactyl nailed to the side of a building in Tombstone. Keel lived in a high craggy roost, descending to carry people off to feed claims that he has seen this photo too, but no one can remember to its young’. Carvings of what appear to be pterodons can be found — where! There is another variation of this story that says that a photo was in Mayan mins at Tajin, north-eastern Vera Cruz state in Mexico, In his column “Beyond the Known" in the March 1991 issue of and on a bluff facing the Mississippi River near Alton, Illinois. Fate magazine, Keel discusses this intriguing photograph at length. One amazing story that appeared in the Tombstone, Arizona, He also quotes from a letter from the son of a Pennsylvania man Epitaph on 26 April 1890, related: named Robert Lyman who had written numerous articles and books “A winged monster, resembling a huge alligator with an extreme- about the weird and the unknown. Lyman wrote about a erally pick up small whales from the sea. Much of their art and woodcarving depicts exactly such a capture by a Thunderbird. Some South American Indians believed that the bird was con- stantly at war with the powers living beneath the sea, particularly a horned serpent, and that it tore up large trees in search of giant grubs which were its favourite food. The clapping of these giants' wings created thunder, so they were known as "Thunderbirds". The Navajo Indians still perform their Thunderbird dance, and tell the legends of the ‘cliff monster which lived in a high craggy roost, descending to carry people off to feed to its young’. Carvings of what appear to be pterodons can be found in Mayan mins at Tajin, north-eastern Vera Cruz state in Mexico, and on a bluff facing the Mississippi River near Alton, Illinois. One amazing story that appeared in the Tombstone, Arizona, Epitaph on 26 April 1890, related: “A winged monster, resembling a huge alligator with an extreme- NEXUS¢17 JUNE - JULY 1993