Democratic Sentinel, Volume 6, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 April 1882 — A Horrible Beast in a Sewer. [ARTICLE]

A Horrible Beast in a Sewer.

One of the most remarkable incidents that has yet come to light—or rather to darkness—in North St. Louis is recorded, and although the hero in the case escaped with his life, he is not particularly anxious to go on any more exploring expeditions, even when they are in the interest of home comforts and requirements. Billy Prant is a well known meat-shop keeper, doing business on Ninth street, near St. Louis avenue. He resides at Elliot and Sullivan avenues, and the Rocky Branch sewer carries away the offal and refuse of the locality. For some time Mr. Prant has had trouble with hi* sewerage, and the other afternoon he took his younger brother with him to investigate matters. The se wet is a natural one, and large enough. to allow a wagon with a double team to drive through it. From the surface the depth is something over twenty feet, and a rope arid a ladder was brought into requisition. Mr. Prant descended through the main hole, which was barely large enough to allow of his descent. He had scarcely entered the sewer when he heal’d a rushing through the rushing stream es water and offal, which sounded as one might imagine the breaking out of a menagerie, and by the uncertain light he saw plunging toward him a monster dog, with eyes bloodshot and emitting sparks of phosphorescent fire. The animal was about two and a half feet high, and was heavy set, of the bloodhound species with a crossing of mongrel blood, and probably weighed as much as a deer or a colt. He was howling madly, and his white, gleaming fangs were bared in a manner which evidently meant business. The 1 beast was covered with short white and black hair, and was endowed with other characteristics which were peculearly interesting and wprthy of research. Mr. Prant, however, remembered an important end of the ladder, and, after breaking the paralysis of fear, he moved up the rungs as quickly as possible, and not a moment too soon, leaving the beast howling fiercely at the foot, and expressing its rage in canine shrieks, which were fairly blood-curdling. The younger Prant heard the noise below, and felt the ladder shaking violently, and his heart stood still until his brother appeared in daylight, looking blanched and agitated. Mr. Prant soon got back to terraftrma, and postponed investigations of that nature. Mr. J. Kurtzelom, a gentleman who is particularly well posted in matters in that locality, expressed his opinion that the dog must have been carried into the sewer when a pup, and had lived there all of its life. It was too large even to get in through any man-hole, and as for its getting out at any time, that is simply absurd. The only exit is by way of the river, and the animal would be drowned instantly if he ever attempted to get out that way.— St Louis Post-Dispatch.