Posted on 10/31/2008 5:55:11 AM PDT by Renfield
Reports of the Skunk Ape were particularly common in the 1960s and 1970s close to Halloween. The Skunk Ape or (hominid cryptid) is said to have been sited and documented as far north as North Carolina and as far west as Arkansas. Swampee as I called the first one I ever saw was a large reddish haired, biped mammal that inhabits swampy areas in the southern United States, including the Florida Everglades in Lostmans River.
It is named for its appearance and the unpleasant odor, similar to rotten eggs, that is one’s aurora. It is said that the DNA of this hominid can be traced to that of its very close relative, the North American Sasquatch. Large adult males are said to stand 7 to 8 feet tall. They have reddish or dark brown hair similar in appearance to that of an orangutan. They are a very rare and endangered species with only about 12 (estimated) left, all in the wild.
It is said that Skunk Ape migrated north out of the Everglades somewhere between Ochopee, and Lostmans River in the 50’s. In Florida, their main diet consisted of gators, cougars and deer. The species move north hiding in the swamps along the coastal swamps of the Atlantic Coast.
With no gators, cougars and deer hard to find, Swampee, started attacking and eating small dogs and large children in the rural homes around the swamps. It moved northwest up the Pee Dee Rivers to the Lumbee River and into Little Alottabs Swamp, arriving in St. Pauls area around 1959. Swampee has been rumored lately to live in and around the old Mill Pond south of the Oak Ridge Cemetery on Hwy. 20.
It was a full Moon, Halloween night 1964, when I first saw the Skunk Ape in Robeson County. It was a typical October, cool; crisp, Saturday morning except that I had agreed to go in early to work so I could get off to go dove hunting. Mr. Cooter Hall, my boss, knew that I had wanted the afternoon off to go dove hunting with Dick, Larry, Bill and John. So “Cooter”, asked me to go to Fayetteville at 6:00AM to pick up a truck load of fryers for the meat market at Coopers Grocery Store.
I returned by 9:00 AM, unloaded the boxes of chickens and worked until noon. I ran out the back door drove home. I was to be an afternoon of shooting doves at Mr. Bill McCoy’s farm and an evening cook out at Mr. and Mrs. Stamps Halls farm house in the country on the edge of the Alottabs Swamp. By cook out we meant dove stew, beer if we could find someone to buy it for us, dancing and spooning with somebody’s date. Susan was the love of my life at the time.
After an afternoon of bruising my shoulder and not getting but 15 doves between us we call it quits around 5:30 to go home. That’s when the day started down hill. Trying to catch up, I tripped crossing the Alottabs Creek and dropped my shotgun into the water.
I picked my self up, mad and cursing, that’s when I smelled the most malodorous odor I have ever smelled. I called to everyone, “Hey I think something died over here somewhere”. The gang returned to creek to investigate and got a whiff of the same stench now permeating our surroundings. We looked around for a few minutes as the horrible smell disappeared as we found one of Mr. Bill’s half eaten hog. This made no sense because the hog by all appearances was a fresh kill.
We decided to go by and tell Mr. McCoy about his hog on the way home, because Dick had to go Lumberton and back. Mr. McCoy told us that he had had five hogs missing in the last two weeks. All the way home all we could talk about was that smell. Oooh, that smell!
I went home and frantically cleaned the doves and hit the shower and picked Susan up at 6:30 PM and drove to the infamous cabin. Susan and I stared preparing the kitchen and the gas burner to cook the dove stew.
Dick and Marsha arrived next and pitched in. Soon John & Dianne arrived followed by Larry and Kathy and Bill & Jean with the beer. I was standing outside stirring the pot of stew, when Susan walked up asked, “What is that smell?” I turned around and saw the hugest, hideous, and hairiest, monster I had ever seen, followed by a bloodcurdling scream. I froze; I was looking at what looked like a cross between a gorilla and orangutan only bigger. He stood their upright like huge bear attacking.
I grabbed Susan and kicked the gas burner and the hot pot of stew spilled all over his island size foot. He screamed in pain, Susan and I ran inside the cabin pushing everybody running out back inside, slammed and locked the door. Everybody was asking questions at same time. The kitchen was chaos.
Swampee broke the window over the sink and reached in. Larry grabbed a large butcher knife, swinging it like a machete sliced his lower forearm to the bone and he withdrew from he window.
Now wounded Swampee screams and reaches in with the other hand and grabs Larry and drags him half way through the window. Larry dropped the knife and John grabbed it and he cut the monster forearm. Swampee withdrew again, leaving Larry hanging in the window.
I looked outside the peep hole in the door. I could just barley see him over by the old cook house addressing his wounds. Bill and Dick removed Larry from the window and we retreated to the attic to re group. As we were discussing how to save our rear ends, I remembered I still had my 12 ga. shotgun in the trunk of the car. At the same time a car lights shown in the gable window.
As car drew closer we discovered that it was Cutlar and we had no way to warn him. Cutlar parked his car opposite mine and got out. Wham he was blind sided and went down which probably saved his life. We had all run down stairs to try warning him but we were too late. I ran to my car to car to get my gun when I was grabbed by Swampee and slammed against my car. The last thing I remember was a gunshot and Susan holding her brothers gun, a Colt 45 model 1911 pistol with the barrel smoking.
After that I woke up in Southeastern general Hospital 7 days later and I was told that Cutlar and Larry were alright, and Susan had found the pistol shot and missed but scared him off. Sunday they followed the tracks down to the Alottabs Swamp and lost them.
According to the United States National Park Service, the skunk ape exists only as a local myth, HA!
PS. I know that a gentleman does not kiss and tell and swears to “truths” of friends and I know that, what happens at the cabin stay’s at the cabin, however it is Halloween and after all it might keep some other small person from disappearing without a clue, and remember it is Alottabs!
I just know I am going to see a Helen Thomas picture posted.
How about a Janet Reno Hybrid?
Skunk Apes are also found in Georgia and are terrified of rabbits.
Hey, its about you Swampy!
If you would like to be On or Off the Crypto ping list, please let me know.
Thanks, Dragonblustar.
Thanks for the heads up Renfield!
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