Bigfoot Encounters The Crosley Creature of Jennings County, Indiana |
“Is There a Monster in Our Midst?” Tuesday November 14, 2006 -- This Monday evening, I read an article in The North Vernon Sun that was written by the editor, Bryce Mayer, entitled: “Crosley Monster, Myth or Real?” This article describes the alleged sighting of the fabled Crosley Monster by four Jennings County teenagers at the Harsin pond in the Crosley State Fish & Wildlife Area during one evening last July. Upon reading this article, I was unsure whether the editor of The North Vernon Sun is attempting to play a Halloween prank on the citizens of Jennings County or he has become so wrapped up in the Halloween spirit he has temporarily forgotten his journalistic objectivity. Stories of an alleged Crosley Monster, sometimes called the Crosley Creature by the local residents of Jennings County—a beast that is supposedly half-man and half-animal—have circulated around Jennings County since the late 1950s. I have never put much stock in these stories as I personally have done an extensive amount of hunting and hiking through the woods of the Crosley Fish & Wildlife Area throughout my lifetime and have never once encountered any evidence of the existence of such a creature. Reportedly, one evening last July, Corey Mullikin, Terry Snyder, Clint Maschino, and Robbie Evans were camping and fishing at Harsin pond in Crosley when the Crosley Monster allegedly made its appearance around 11 pm. Apparently, the boys heard some strange noises, and the snapping of tree branches behind them caught their attention. “I didn’t know what it was, and at first thought it might be a deer,” Mullikin was quoted in the story as saying. “The animal was right at the tree line but still behind the trees.” It was reported in the story they saw a glowing pair of yellow-orange eyes, which was reflecting the light from their lantern. Mullikin estimated the height of the beast to be at least seven feet tall and it was standing on two legs. Snyder reported he didn’t get a look at the animal, with the exception of its eyes and the large shadow it had cast. “I saw his shadow from our lantern and it was huge,” Snyder was reported to have said. “You could see from the shadow he had a bunch of hair, too. He looked filthy.” This writer just cannot understand how the youths could have managed to see how large a shadow the alleged creature could have cast and exactly how filthy the beast was when the animal had supposedly remained behind the trees. Wouldn’t the trees have blocked their view? Wouldn’t the trees have cast very large shadows as well? Something just doesn’t seem to add up for me. The article goes on further to describe an event during which Corey Mullikin allegedly had a second encounter with the Crosley Monster while squirrel hunting in the same general area a few weeks later. “He was running on all fours, but he was still huge, and ran in like a circle around me as I ran through the woods,” Mullikin was quoted to have said. Mullikin further stated that he ran backwards for three miles as the creature chased after him so he could keep his eye on the beast. “I didn’t want to turn my back on him,” he explained. Mullikin was reported to have had a 12 gauge shotgun in his possession at the time. I don’t know about you, but my natural instinct would have been to fire my weapon at the creature that was threatening me as a measure of self-defense. Why didn’t Corey Mullikin fire upon the beast? I am also amazed at the ability of someone who can run for three miles backwards while allegedly being pursued by a large, hairy creature without running into a tree or encountering any other obstacle. Had I attempted to accomplish such a feat, I probably would have either bashed my brains against an old oak tree or have fallen into a ravine while trying to run backwards for such a great distance and, in doing so, become the Crosley Monster’s next meal. The so-called “facts” in this story just don’t seem to add-up for this writer. There are other people who have the same opinion. Both the manager of the Crosley State Fish & Wildlife Area, Larry Alsop, and Indiana Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer, Bill Beville, don’t lend much credence to this story either. “I have seen no factual evidence of any of those in my 16 years as a conservation officer,” Beville was quoted as saying. “I would never disparage anyone, but I don’t put a lot of stock in those stories. I think the guys make it up to get their girlfriends to snuggle up to them in their car.” However, Larry Battson—a nationally-known wildlife educator from Putnam County, Indiana—says he has no reason to believe the four teens are fabricating this fantastic story. “Why would eyewitnesses bring ridicule upon themselves?” Battson was quoted as asking. Battson admits to have never having seen a Bigfoot animal in person, but reported he has seen plenty of evidence throughout Indiana and the United States. He also has heard countless stories similar to Mullikin’s. “These animals leave lots of signs such as footprints and broken branches. I’ve seen the big footprints. I’ve seen thick branches nine feet up in a tree that have been twisted in different directions, unlike the damage a tornado leaves,” Battson was quoted. Battson believes there could be thousands of the Sasquatch in North America. Sightings have been reported in every state except Rhode Island and Hawaii. They are apparently most numerous in the Northwest. What this writer finds amazing is the fact that Corey Mullikin had attended a lecture given my Mr. Battson in Columbus after his first alleged encounter with the Crosley Monster. Could this lecture possibly have fed an already over-active imagination? Who is to say for sure? The manager of the Crosley State Fish & Wildlife Area, a Conservation Officer with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and this writer all find this fantastic story a little hard to swallow. Upon giving it further thought, it is now this writer’s opinion that Mr. Bryce Mayer is having a little good-natured fun with the residents of Jennings County by attempting to pull a traditional Halloween prank upon his readership. Copyright© 2006. Seymour Times Portions of this website are reprinted and sometimes edited to fit the standards of this website |