The Seattle Star (Seattle, Wash.), July 15th 1924
Gorillas or Something Perturb Kelso Hunters
Kelso, Wash., July 15. – “We expected that people would disbelieve us; but we ran into the beast – whatever it was – four times, and finally packed up and left a perfectly good mine to get away from it.”
This is the statement today of Roy Smith, Fred Beck and Gabe Lefevre, three of the party of five prospectors, whose reported encounter with the “mountain devils,” gorillas or wild men of Spirit lake has already sent an investigating expeditionary force up the slopes of Mount St. Helens, and awakened the joy of the chase within hunters to whom the days drag until the open season on legitimate game.
Beck denied the reports that were current here yesterday of spiritualistic seances held by the prospectors during the long winter evenings in their cabin.
“I have attended quite a few spiritualistic meetings,” Beck said, and added with skeptical emphasis, that he had never seen a spirit, “and never hoped to see one.”
Says He Saw “Devil” Four Times
He has, however, seen the “mountain devil,” he declares, on four different occasions. In fact, had it not been for the unfortunate incident of the rifle shots at the time of the first meeting, Beck might possibly have a speaking acquaintance with the “devil.”
It was about July 1, Beck says – it’s hard for a prospector to keep track of the exact date – when he and Marion Smith had gone to the springs for water. Smith was walking ahead on the trail, and as they came to a precipitous pitch, Beck stood on the edge while Smith descended.
As he stood on top of the slope Beck saw a huge black shape moving among the trees on the opposite side of the canyon, but 60 feet away.
“Look, there is the thing,” Beck called to Smith, and raising his gun, fired. The “mountain devil” dodged behind a tree and stared at the two men, only its huge head in sight. “The flat nosed face, was surrounded by an encircling halo of black hair, mixed with white and the ears were huge, cupped,” said Beck today, giving the impression he received of the beast at the first encounter.
None of the prospectors seemed perturbed because of the scoffing because they had scoffed at the same stories before.
Spirit Lake, the asserted habitat of the “devils” got his name from the old Indian[*] legends which placed the “devils” there.
Disclaimer: This 1924 newspaper article was published prior to 1931. Under United States copyright law (specifically the 95-year rule), this work has entered the public domain and is thus free to use or republish. It is presented here as an interesting and folkloric newspaper oddity.
[*] Note on offensive terminology: This article uses incorrect and offensive terminology to refer to indigenous or native people, which was unfortunately common at the time. For the purposes of historical documentation of the material, the article has been unaltered and is presented as it was previously published, retaining its original language and word usage. The derogatory term used in the article is a product of colonialism and should not be used to refer to indigenous people.
Source(s): https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn87093407/1924-07-15/ed-1/?sp=7
Categories: Newspapers, Proto-Bigfoot, Ape Canyon