A HUNT FOR THE DEVIL

Submitted by Martha J. Kounse

SOURCE: Ironton Register, February 27, 1875

Mr. C., who is a reliable man, saw a few nights ago what he supposed to be the Devil, standing on his hind legs covered with hair. His devil ship viewed Mr. C. with an eye of scrutiny, but made no effort to take him where 'the worm dieth not.' But early this morning, a gentleman who lives on this Furnace ground arose at 4:30, ate his breakfast, saddled his ass, and started for Mt. Vernon Furnace.

After riding some distance, and the sun having dispersed into darkness, our friend could see all around him, and he found himself near the spot where Mr. C. had seen the hairy monster, and the first thing that met our friend's eye was the said devil, but he was not erect this time, but had assumed a talk which penetrated space horizontally. He was jumping brush .. who by this time had drawn rein to look at him. They eyed each other ferociously. But our friend failed to subdue him by the power of his eye, turned his mule about and by cogent and incessant thumps against the animal's sides, which his pedal extremities, succeeded in gaining the brow of the hill, where he could shout to the inhabitants below.

He did so as follows: "Tell the Manager to collect a force and come quickly, for I have seen that thing!" A gentleman heard the shout and 'shot off' his mouth once or twice, and then followed as intense excitement as accompanied the intelligence that Poplar Flat was burning up. Within minutes, forty or fifty men left the breakfast table, snatching guns and revolvers, calling dogs and pups, and in five minutes more they were scouring the hills and ravines between Buckhorn and Vernon Furnaces in search of "him that goeth around roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." The chase was continued for about three hours when the dogs happen to chase the 'critter' near a little boy who at once recognized it as a fox. But those who trampled the bushes and green briers down in hot pursuit will tell you yet that it was that thing.

OBSERVED
Buckhorn Furnace, Feb. 20, 1875

SOURCE: Ironton Register, March 11, 1875

The "Devil" which a Buckhorn Furnace correspondent wrote about two weeks ago, was seen by a Long Creek gentleman as the latter was riding home, one day last week. The locality in which the strange creature was seen, was in the neighborhood of Vesuvius Furnace. As the gentleman was riding along the road, it came out from the bushes, but disappeared so suddenly that our informant did not sufficiently recover from his consternation to get a good look at it. A thin body, low squatty legs, and a long black tail was all he could distinguish, but it was altogether unlike any animal he ever saw before. We hope to have an accurate description of this interloper some day.