Tuesday, April 07, 2015

MUIRHEAD`S MYSTERIES: A FLYING CHINA-TOWN JELLYFISH?

A THING OF THE AIR

Something That Flies Without Wings and Has Four Legs

From the Virginia City (Nevada) Enterprise. Omaha Daily Herald November 19 th  1880

Some four or five days ago we heard talk of a singular inhabitant of the air seen to pass over the Chinese quarter of the city. The thing was said to have four legs and to fly without wings. At the time we thought some person was trying to get off a sell and paid little attention to the story.Last evening, however, Tom Jackson,special officer for Chinatown, called about the matter, desiring if anything could be found in any encyclopaedia in regard to any such creature of the air as we have mentioned.Mr Jackson says the wonder began to be seen some days ago. It was first noticed by a little boy, who called the attention of Mrs Jackson to it. The nondescript appears to be some kind of flying reptile. It has a body shaped like that of a crab,sixteen inches in breadth. From this strange body hangs down four legs, about two feet in length and thick as an ordinary walking stick. Nothing in the shape of wings is to be seen nor is their any flapping of wings. The creature sails through the air , with its legs hanging down quite motionless, and appears to move without the slightest exertion of any of the known kinds of flying apparatus. Since first observed it has passed northward  regularly every morning about eight o`clock and southward every evening shortly before sundown. It flies over the town at about the height of the International Hotel and moves about as fast as a dove or pigeon. It is of a dark color, but not black. Mr Jackson says he has seen the “beast” regularly every day for four or five days. He last saw it yesterday morning on its way north, but was not down in Chinatown at the time it goes south in the evening. He has watched the thing till out of sight in both directions, therefore is confident that it is no diabolical invention of the Chinese rigged to run on a string or wire. Besides, most of the residents of Chinatown have seen the creature, and are not a little troubled at the sight of it. They unhesitatingly pronounce it to be the devil or a thing of the devil. Mr Jackson is an old resident of this city , and is well-known as a truthful man.   




The above link shows the International Hotel,date unkown.

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