Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Letters from all over sent after sighting

Southern Illinoisan

Shortly after the Big Muddy Monster made its supposed appearance in Murphysboro, newspapers and other media started covering the strange sightings.

News reports appeared in papers like the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Omaha World-Herald and more; which prompted a flood of letters set to either Murphysboro city hall or then police chief Tobias Berger.

Following are a few excerpts from the letters sent from across the country:

“Dear Sir…”wrote one admirer in November of 1973. “My mom can catch it. she is good, too. Please let her try…Where there is terror she love to solve. She is good with guns. And knifes allso.”

The city received advice from one young Kansas man in 1975.

“I think next time you get a call about the monster you should take a tranquilizer gun. A powerful drug that makes him sleep and just in case it take a little work put a little signal senter and you can watch it on an electric chart…”

Others begged for police to be kind to the creature. One North Carolina woman wrote in November of 1973, “It distresses me very much that whenever people are confused and frightened they get out their guns. etc…”

She suggested, “Surely a little kindness and feeling for this ‘monster’ would go a lot farther in really finding out what is going on…”

In the Big Muddy Monster file is still held under lock and key at the Murphysboro Police Department there are nearly 40 letters that contain such opinion and musings.