The Omaha morning bee (Omaha [Neb.]), July 19th 1924
Far off, near Spirit Lake, on Mount St. Helen’s, a party well armed, is hunting a “tribe of devil men, or ape men,” that have bombarded the cabins of miners. Indians[*] say they know the tribe of old. They are called Seeantiks[**], but were supposed to be extinct. According to Indians, they “are seven or eight feet high, with hairy bodies like bears. They have a trick of throwing their voices in different directions like ventriloquists, and practice hypnosis.”
What would Barnum have given for such a tribe? He had to find his “wild men” in New England. But the hairy, giant, bear-like Seeantiks will probably be a disappointment. In New Jersey, crowds were hunting “a devilish creature, shaped like a kangaroo, that jumped over people’s heads.” It turned out to be a gentle deer, that jumped over picnickers sitting down.
All the old wonders are gone, no sea serpents, giants with one eye in the forehead, mermaids. Even the dime museums that contained them have vanished.
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.
[**] Note: The word “Seeantiks” here is actually “Seeahtiks” as shown in many other newspaper articles and sources on the subject. In this article, one of the letters is mixed up in either a misprint or other human error.
Note: The author of this article mentions P.T. Barnum, who was a American showman, known for the carnival trade, hoaxes, and sideshows, some of which were people labeled “Wild Men.”
Source(s): https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn84024326/1924-07-19/ed-1/?sp=5
Categories: Newspapers, Proto-Bigfoot, Ape Canyon