Fluorescent Freddie

 Fluorescent Freddie

By Cole Herrold

Some Sasquatch sightings are downright strange. Some are connected with UFOs like the Uniontown UFO-Bigfoot Incident or the Ohiopyle UFO-Bigfoot incident; some bigfoot seem to vanish or turn into balls of light; in between these more surreal encounters and classic sasquatch encounters, there are seemingly normal sasquatch encounters that are just one degree into the weird. One such encounter of a sasquatch of a different color was reported in French Lick, Indiana, and while it's not one of the most famous cases out there, this case is so rare it seems to only get mentioned in comparison to other cases even though there is more to the story.

At least a dozen teenagers and adults, while out driving and wandering around the woods along a road three miles South of French Lick near a municipal works, began to encounter something that they never would have expected. The creature was an astounding 10ft tall, but this was not the most bizarre feature of the creature as instead of the traditional brown, red, black, or even white fur that was so common in other accounts but instead a vivid green and its eyes glowed bright red. The first and only named witness from what can be gleaned from newspaper and book sources was a 16-year-old official named Steve Dixon, who was a Springs Valley High School Student at the time of the sighting, yet not much is known from this sighting. The creature was investigated by Police Chief Oral Carnes, who searched the area after the initial sightings and having heard that the high school youths were entering the darkened woods with shotguns and other weapons but came up empty-handed both in gun-toting teens and monsters and felt that the whole green-furred monstrosity was nothing more than a hoax. One high school teenager said in the March 17^th edition of the Indianapolis News, "You can't knock it if you don't go see Freddie yourself". The area where the creature was seen soon became known as "the Valley of the Jolly Green Giant". The road, over the course of several nights, turned into monster hunter central as cars lined the side of the road for the entire length of the "Valley of the Jolly Green Giant". Youths would enter the woods in pairs of two and three, calling out to the creature in an effort to coax the creature from hiding. One boy, a 16-year-old named David Noble, who had it would seem seen the creature during this time, had even called out to the creature saying, "We're your friends. Don't be afraid. We won't hurt you". Yet the creature never seemed to respond. After a quiet night with barely any interactions or sightings, most of the searchers left after 3 hrs. After this initial wave of sightings, the creature seemed to of dropped off the planet, and no one has since claimed to of seen the creature.

Now it is important to point out that French Lick, as well as Pope Lick and Big Bone Lick, makes up one of the corners of the Big Lick Triangle. This is an area of high strangeness similar to the Coudersport Triangle, Bridgewater Triangle, and, more famously, the Bermuda Triangle. So, it’s almost unsurprising that such a creature would be reported in this geographical Fortean hotspot.

While this case is exceptionally interesting, what are we to do with this creature in regard to an explanation. This creature could obviously be a hoax or a prank perpetrated by the unmotivated minds of high schoolers. The fact that there's only one officially named witness and very few details on this case adds a patina seen with other hoax cases or urban legends. Yet I must say that this case has a lot of other details seen in other Sasquatch cases that seem to indicate a wider range of phenomena.

One of the most comparable cases to this one is the Bishopville Lizardman case. Now the Bishopville Lizardman case is a mixture of two types of creatures reported the classic reptilian-type creature which attacked Chris Davies and the large primate-like creature seen around the same time. This primate-like creature also was reported to have grayish-green fur or skin, and some researchers feel even the reptile-type encounters might have simply been a Sasquatch-type creature covered in moss and with dried muddied fur which gave the impression of scales. Perhaps this is what we are seeing here as mud-covered sasquatch-type creatures have been reported before, and in these accounts, leaves and other debris often are reported clinging to the fur.

This case is one that I would love more information on. It's quick and brief, but it has all the earmarks of cases that are stone-cold classics like the Mill Race Monster, as it involves a strange non-traditional creature and a monster hunt. It's amazing that this case was not covered more intently, but perhaps at the time, the case was not treated as seriously or that the witnesses simply were not interviewed. Either way, this was a brief and obscure case that definitely needed to be brought to the attention of more researchers.

Quick Facts:

Species/Potential Species: Primate/ Hominid, Mammal

Location: French Lick, Indiana

Sighted: March 15, 1965

Works Cited:

Bigfoot Exposed: An Anthropologist Examines America's Enduring Legend By David J. Daegling

Cryptozoology A-Z By Loren Coleman and Jerome Clark

Mothman and Other Curious Encounters By Loren Coleman

Sasquatch the Apes Among Us By John Green

Weird Indiana By Mark Marimen, ‎James A. Willis, and ‎Troy Taylor

The Indianapolis News, Indiana, March 15, 1965

The Indianapolis News, Indiana, March 17, 1965

 

Mud Mermaids

 The Mud Mermaids

By Cole Herrold

Merfolk are, in general, a difficult to peg bunch. They are the culmination of fantasy stories, faerie folk, misidentified animals, and potentially cryptozoological beasts. Their reign in the sea is something that has been disputed time and time ever since man has ventured out over the blue abyss. There have been some interesting reports that have come out over the years that do point to the existence of merfolk, but these cases usually come from the deep ocean or off of a beach. Yet, as I've researched into this phenomenon, there have been a few times id come across a mermaid that seems out of place from the oceanic lair they're supposed to dwell, for there have been several cases of merfolk reported in both rivers and lakes in landlocked sections of the world.

In Vevay, Indiana, one such account took place of not just one but two semiaquatic fish people. Vevay is located in Jefferson County and is located on the Ohio River in Switzerland County. The area was founded in the early 1800s and founded by Swiss immigrants and with them their legends and hopes and dreams. Part of the main formation of the town was with the planting of vineyards and production of wine, which to this day is still celebrated with a Swiss Wine Festival. The town has a rich history that makes it a quaint place to reside, and it just might have a pair of murky residences just off the coast of the modern dwellings.

It was in the Saturday, October 20^th issue of the Akron Daily Democrat in 1894 that readers would encounter the surprise of their lives. In a small article entitled “Mud Mermaids-Strange Humanlike Creatures That Live In the Ohio River” the article describes a pair of mud-covered miscreants who were sighted on the banks of the Ohio River. The creatures were dubbed Mud Mermaids by the townsfolk when they saw the strange species when they came to the shore for fishing, boating, and other necessary and recreational activities. Their appearance was described as reptile-like but with human-like features. When semi-submerged as they swim, they look very much like human beings with some unique characteristics but in all human-like in form. The features that seemed non-human were described on several accounts are large dog-like ears that behave similarly to those of a canine. Yet these creatures seemed unintelligent when many who saw them looked in their eyes. These creatures utilize the tides to extend their domain at times. During this time, certain areas of the banks of the river had areas with logs and stumps of trees. When the tide comes in and submerges this deforested section, the creatures will come and dwell within there. When the tide is low, there would-be tons of deshelled mussels and fish bones, which indicated that these semiaquatic creatures would be carnivorous. These creatures apparently require a lot of food to survive as the locals would describe that when the tides would come in to wash the remains of the beasts feasts away, the next time the tide was low, a new batch would be filled in its place. The first occurrence of these creatures being sighted by the locals is in 1890. Yet a truly detailed account of these beasts would come from a Ship Captain who, like many Cryptozoologists in later years, would search for unknown animals. He, however, found his quarry.

Confederate Captain J.M. Ozier of Covington, Kentucky, who had searched the area for the beasts, would be the one who would describe the creature the most in description. While out boating, he came across two of the creatures of what he believed to be both a male and a female. He claimed he could distinguish between the two sexes by stating that the male acted aggressively when he had approached as either the beast was territorial or attempting to protect its mate. He would go on to take notes of these amored aquatic animals stating they are approximately 5ft in length, about 150lbs with a yellowish color. Its body is humanoid but only from the waist up, and even then, its hand are webbed with long claws. It has legs humanlike in shape yet shorter than the arms, and the body in the back tapers to a point but not in the same way as a classic tail. On its back, there is coarse hair as well as a third of the way down its body. The skin of the lower portion of the body seems elephant-like, but the upper portion appears smoother. As well as appearing brighter than the lower portions. He describes it bearing a surprisingly strong resemblance to Zip, a member of P.T. Barnum's Troop, which is interesting seeing as how Zip seems to have very little compared to the Mud Mermaids. Another feature the Captain seems to emphasize is how skittish these creatures are. He would state that when these creatures are disturbed, they would submerge not in the classic way as seen with animals but would simply submerge like a stone that is dropped in the murky depth. With that biological survey of the creatures, we are left with more questions than answers. Yet that is all we have to go on a strange anomaly known as the Mud Mermaids.

This case is over 130 years old, so a further investigation into the witnesses of this case is impossible, which is unfortunate but not surprising with Crypto-historical cases. All we truly have is what was written about in the Democrat, what other researchers have speculated, potentially related cases from other areas, and a lot of guesswork. In many ways, these cases are the most frustrating because we are left with more questions than answers, and there is extremely little chance we will come to a conclusion unless some diary or journal is unearthed stating it's a journalistic hoax, or of some local’s prank, or even of some other sightings that lend credence to the account. So, we as researchers and those who have an interest in the phenomenon to assume that its either a case of yellow journalism or an authentic account.

Going under the assumption that this is an authentic encounter, where do we stand on this phenomenon? The first place logically to check is with the possibility that this could be a misidentification. The Ohio River is a diverse location with countless species that occur and frolic. Aquatic mammals make a decent amount of the population of the river, with such members as otters, beavers, minks, and muskrats. The largest of these animals is the North American otter, which can reach a little over two feet in length. There is the possibility that many of these animals could have been what was seen. The descriptions matching even more if any of these animals had mange resulting in the yellowish and brownish kind of skin.  Yet the comparisons end there. It could be possible that, as with many big fish tales, there is a level of embellishment in this case though it would appear that most are if not all of the description is total imagination. While we can't dismiss this possibility in its entirety, it would seem unlikely as the descriptions seem to match what the witnesses in Vevay and what Captain Ozier had seen. The fact that Ozier is assumedly a salted seasoned sailor adds more authenticity to his description, seeing as he clearly would know the difference between the local fish and aquatic fauna and a mud mermaid.

There is a famous type of adjusted taxidermy in which skates and rays are turned into the forms of strange creatures. These are referred to as Jenny Hanivers. Jenny Hanivers have been formed by several different craftsmen for many years, and many who first see them are taken back and that they can believe that these creatures are, in fact, strange biological anomalies. Some researchers have even gone and made comparisons with creatures like the Bishopfish and Sea Monk to these kinds of manufactured art. These figures do, in fact, bear a strike resemblance to what was seen in Vevay in some regard. It is possible that this Captain might have seen one of these figures and created a tale based on these fanciful taxidermied specimens. Yet that is once again speculation based on nothing but what we see now with these unique mummified specimens.

While these possibilities are possible, there is another element outside of the previously listed and yellow journalism. The next most possible outcome is that this could, in fact, be an as of yet unknown animal. What this animal's ancestor could be is clearly something that would be almost impossible to determine. It is not uncommon for something to become semiaquatic or fully aquatic if its ancestor was, in fact, terrestrials. Whales, for example, started out as Pakicetus, which was a small, almost rodent-like beast that, through millions of years, resulted in the colossal cetaceans we see today. Could some species result in a similar evolutionary choice-generating in these strange beasts that were seen in the 1890s?

Merfolk were a phenomenon I truly did not think could possibly occur and were the products of misidentified animals or objects. I had heard of the infamous Christopher Columbus account, which was when he claimed to of sighted three mermaids who were terribly ugly; most scholars conclude it was a manatee. Yet as I began to do more research, I had opened my mind a bit to the possibility. With the Mud Mermaids, however, I do not believe they are mermaids or merfolk in the classic sense. They seem to be connected, though, to a phenomenon, I have a true love for, that being the Aquatic Humanoids. These creatures are similar to a few different aquatic humanoids I have read about over the years, like the Loveland Frogman, which does make its home in the Ohio River, as well as the aquatic enigma known as the Green Clawed Beast, which attempted to drown a woman in the same state, and the Fishman type creature seen in Kentucky. In fact, the beginning of the article definitely seems to point to this kind of beast. Yet, the extremely detailed human points of the Mud Mermaid in the description are very different than the other previously mentioned cryptids. I could definitely see a possible Loveland Frogman type creature, and there is the chance that maybe that is the case with this creature as the other features could have been elaboration. Yet the Captain, if his account is accurate, is something entirely different and something that as of yet matches no known cryptid or known animal. Species outside of Insects, Crustaceans, and Arachnids do not typically have the multitude of limbs as seen in this case. These mud mermaids are more like aquatic centaurs in that respect (Which are an entirely different mythological, paranormal, and potentially cryptozoological pedigree, namely Icthyocentaurs).

In Barton M. Nunnelly’s Book The Inhumanoids, which has been one of the most useful tomes in my research, describes another account of a semiaquatic merbeing that does have some hallmarks that echo back to the Mud Mermaids. The account, however, predates the mermaids by approximately nine years in Vincennes, Indiana, on January 16^th in 1885 when several hunters would encounter a beast while out hunting. The group had no luck, but they would soon encounter a beast that had more luck than them as they came across it sampling its prey, a large hog.  that was described as having the head and face of a dark-skinned human whose mouth was lined with fangs and razor-sharp teeth. Its neck was approximately two to three feet long, covered intermixedly with short red hair and scales as bright as a sunfish. It did have a tail about three to four feet long, and it curled up over its back. Its webbed feet were attached to short legs and on its ties sprouted long claws. One hunter attempted to lasso this strange beast but was, in turn, hit in the head by the creature's tail. The beast made for the creek, which was no doubt the gate to its watery lair, and disappeared in the water. After the creature escaped a most certain able end, a monster hunt was conducted in search of the beast. Its outcome is unknown, but most likefully they came out empty-handed as such a prize would have definitely made the papers.

Another interesting thing is that this is not the only case of a mermaid-like creature in the United States. In a book on the total opposite end of the unknown spectrum, Haunted Bridges: Over 300 of America’s Creepiest Crossings, which I used back in my ghost hunting days to search for outside investigation sites. There is a bridge located on Highway 130 in Westville, New Jersey, that crosses over the Big Timber Creek. This particular creek allegedly was a spot the Lenape Indians viewed as a sacred spot. The natives of the area claimed that a strange creature akin to a mermaid dwells in the Creek. According to the source, sightings are still occurring, and people will leave tokens or offerings to it along the bridge and area. Yet, I have not found any sources on the internet or in any other book on the subject, so whether this is folklore or an actual Cryptozoological phenomenon is difficult to ascertain.

While there are reports of merfolk-type creatures and aquatic humanoids, these creatures do not match exactly any known species. It is well known that the Ohio River area is a hotbed for this kind of activity, yet with some imagination, there's a resemblance to the Loveland Frogmen or even possibly the Octoman, but still going off the reported sightings, they do not look at all like any of these creatures. There is, interestingly enough, a similar type of creature seen in folklore and romantic taxidermy as Gatormen. They essentially are the Feejee mermaid with a monkey head and humanoid torso attached to an alligator's body. They do bear a resemblance to the Mud Mermaids aside from their additional pair of legs, long tales and lack of ears. There are supposed reports in Florida and Louisiana of these creatures, but this is unlikely and more than likely tall tales and folklore. This also goes back to the Jenny Hanivers in the idea of the taxidermied specimens. Whether this Kentucky captain had seen one of these beasts, either real or taxidermied, and generated a tale of the Vevay Mermaids from this creature is also a possibility. Yet once more pure speculation. 

With this phenomenon, the only other possibility that ventures more into the fringe and into the more fantastical world that is supposed to dwell around us. The idea of both faeries and elementals is something I've found interesting for many years. The interest mostly sprung from my Irish heritage and ancestry, but from that, I found several books hypothesizing that these strange humanoids and beasts do, in fact, share our world with us. While I strongly feel that if these human-like creatures do exist, they most likely are early hominids or on some of the islands like Ireland, Iceland, etc. where these creatures are reported that they might be examples of Island dwarfism, a phenomenon we know that did occur to some of our relatives in the Isle of Flores; there is the possibility that they are in fact something supernatural. Mermaids could be guardians or spirits of the water, whether they be some minor deity as the Greeks believed with their tales of the Naiads or something like the Fossegrimen or Nokken as simply the elemental or Shinto-esque forms that are connected to everything. While this possibility is highly unlikely since the way these creatures behave is more animalistic than something supposed to be as intelligent, potentially dangerous, and sophisticated as what an elemental is supposed to be, they give off much more of a biological vibe. Yet, for completion, I have included this possibility.

While there are countless possibilities of what these creatures could have been, there is still to this day no answer. These creatures are incredibly bizarre and extremely obscure. This is part of the reason I love this account. If these animals did exist, it's safe to say they probably are either extinct or a misidentified unknown species that we as of yet don't have categorized. With that said, the time of the account is also ripe for Yellow Journalism, so while I want this to be a strange merfolk, there is also a strong chance this could be the case. Yet still, this is all speculation, and I doubt that there will be an answer to those murky marauding Mud Mermaids.

Quick Facts:

Species/Potential Species: Mammal, Reptile, Amphibian, Fish (Merfolk and Aquatic Humanoids are more difficult to decide on a potential taxonomic category due to their mishmash of characteristics)

Location: Ohio River, Vevay, Indiana

Sighted: 1890-1894

 Works Cited

Beckley, Lindsey “Mermaids, Giant Turtles, and Wild Men…Oh My!”. Indiana History Blog. May 29, 2017. https://blog.history.in.gov/mermaids-giant-turtles-and-wild-men-oh-my/. Accessed December 29, 2020.

Bremer, Heather “Cryptids of Indiana- From monstrous turtles to ancient trolls, creepy creatures call Hoosier State home”. Washington Times Herald. October 23, 2020. https://www.washtimesherald.com/news/lifestyles/cryptids-of-indiana/article_9f017b3f-4500-58b6-b609-9b48f8ea803f.html. Accessed December 29, 2020.

Marimen, Mark, James A. Willis, and Troy Taylor. Weird Indiana: Your Travel Guide to Indiana’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets. Sterling. 2008.

Newman, Rich. Haunted Bridges: Over 300 of America’s Creepiest Crossings. Llewellyn. 2016.

Nunnelly, Barton M. The Inhumanoids: Real Encounters with Beings that Can’t Exist!. Triangulum. 2017.

Swancer, Brent “The Mysterious Mud Mermaids of Indiana”. Prairieland Paranormal Podcast. September 17, 2020. https://www.prairielandparanormalpodcast.com/blog/sfna548h6j3wf4z4u3mr1js1mvrn6r. Accessed December 29, 2020.

Weatherly, David. Monsters at the Crossroads: Cryptids and Legends of Indiana. Eerie Lights. 2020.

“Vevay, Indiana”. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. December 26, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vevay,_Indiana. Accessed December 29, 2020.

Debra, “Vevay Indiana – Reasons You’ll Love Visiting This Little Town” My Humble Home and Garden. August 12, 2019. https://myhumblehomeandgarden.com/2019/08/12/vevay-indiana-reasons-youll-love-visiting-this-little-town/. Accessed December 29, 2020.

“Ohio River Mud Mermaids”. Arcane Beasts and Critters. June 3, 2018. https://arcanebeastsandcritters.wordpress.com/2018/06/03/ohio-river-mud-mermaids/. Accessed December 29, 2020.

 Akron Daily Democrat October 20, 1894

The Boonville Monster

by Cole Herrold

Boonville, Indiana is located in Warrick County and has an estimated population of around 6,300. It is approximately 17 miles from Evansville, one of the state's largest cities, and is known interestingly enough, named after folk hero Daniel Boon's cousin Ratliff Boon who was predominate in the area. Boonville also has some presidential history too as the town was where Abraham Lincoln had gone to study law. While the town has a rich history, it is also home to a legend that is just as interesting. For it was in August of 1936 and 1937 when a large unknown shambling beast was both seen and, to the terror of those around heard, in the forested regions known as the Cyprus Beach area of Boonville, Indiana.

The first official sighting of this creature occurred on August 1936 and was covered in the Hammond Times article “Sounds like a Bear Yarn” It was on a dark night that Ralph Duff, a professional fisherman had first begun to hear loud unearthly screams that came from the woods outside of his property. These bellowing cries echoed through the night air filling his house with the unearthly clamor of the strange creature. These noises, however, would not be the end to the strange creature that would soon plague and terrorize his residence and family. This creature's cacophony could be heard ringing out on one fateful night when the ferocious din was not the only presence of the beast. The shrouded darkness clothed the beast as it lumbered its way onto Ralph's property. His police dog had begun to act up as the creature came ever closer to the homestead. The animal, whether annoyed by the family pet or fearful of an attack, proceeded to commit a heinous action that would result in the dismemberment of the militarized mutt. The fisherman would find the severed remains of his family friend dead on the lawn the next morning with large footprints bigger than a human's around the dead pup. Yet this was still not the finale of this family's encounter with the beast.