The Topeka State Journal (Topeka, Kansas), December 26th 1908

Specter Moose Again Seen.

Again the king of all Maine moose, sometimes called the specter moose, because of the weird appearance of the gray monster at night, has been seen near Lobster lake, and the news has made all the sportsmen, native hunters, and guides anxious to get a shot at him.

The average weight of Maine moose is 800 to 900 pounds, with antlers spreading 4 to 4 1/2 feet, and eight to twelve points to a side, while 8 to 9 inches is good length for a bell, the appendage under the animal’s neck. All who have seen the big moose of Lobster lake, however, aver that he must weight 2,000 pounds, and that his antlers spread not less than 10 feet, while the bell is declared to be not less than 18 inches long.

The latest report of the giant moose is brought to Bangor by George H. Houston, a timber cruiser, who saw the big fellow with sixteen other moose last Tuesday.

It was in 1901 that this moose was seen first by Clarence Duffy of Oldtown, a guide, who was cruising around Lobster lake, Duffy did not get near enough for a shot, but he could see him plainly, and gave a detailed description of the animal when he came back town. Everybody laughed at the story, and Duffy was set down as a romancer. Not long afterwards, however, John Ross, a Bangor Lumberman, while crossing between Big Lobster and Little Lobster lakes, saw the big moose. When he told his story people began to believe that there was something up there worth shooting at.

For some years hunters searched the woods in vain for the big fellow, but not until 1905 was the monster seen again. Granville Gray, a Bangor taxidermist, got sight of him at a little distance, and since then he has had a second view. Gilman Brown of West Newbury, Mass., got nearer to the monster than any of the others and shot at him. Brown says the moose stands 15 feet high. Like most of the others. Brown saw the moose at dark. He got several shots at him, but he does not think he inflicted serious wounds. He was so close that he could count twenty-two points on one side of the antlers, and thinks there are more.

From all descriptions, this moose is like those of British Columbia, and some think he may have wandered into Maine from some distant point over the border. – Bangor (ME.) Dispatch to New York Times.

Disclaimer: This 1908 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.

Source(s): https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn82016014/1908-12-26/ed-1/?sp=12

Categories: Newspapers, Ghostly Animals