Among the Manchak swamps in Louisiana there is an island with a strangely pleasant name for these places - Honey. A stretch of land measuring 10 by 30 kilometers is located an hour's drive from New Orleans. It got its name due to the fact that wild bees once lived here. Today, insects have disappeared, but a strange creature has appeared, killing people and livestock. The Indians called him the swamp monster.
MOWGLI IZ STAI ALLIGATORS
Manchak swamps are also called ghost swamps. The local population is sure that this is a cursed place, because many fugitive slaves who tried to hide from the cruelty of their masters died here. In vain they were looking for salvation here, alligators in the swamps are dark, darkness, and they will not miss the opportunity to have a delicious lunch.
For several centuries, local Indians have been passing on from generation to generation stories about a creature that lives in the swamps. They call him Letiche, which means "carnivorous aquatic humanoid". According to legends, children once disappeared in these places. The kids were taken into their flock by alligators and raised like that. as best they could. So the swamp monsters appeared. These terrible creatures hide in their shelters during the day and go hunting at night. They attack all living things, be it man or animal.
Another ethnic group, Cajuns, has its own legend. Allegedly, at the beginning of the last century, not far from the Manchak swamps, a train crashed in which a traveling circus was traveling. Almost all circus animals died in the crash. But some of the trained chimpanzees were able to survive. And this surviving part, again, as in the Indian version, joined the flock of alligators, gradually turning into swamp monsters.
It is difficult to say whether there is much truth in these legends, but eyewitnesses who were "lucky" to meet the monster describe it in the same way. Its height is more than two meters, its weight is about 200 kilograms. The body of the creature is covered with gray hair, there are two protuberances on the skull, the eyes of the monster glow with red light in the dark. Wherever the swamp monster has passed, the smell of rotten meat lingers for a long time. In 2007, the press reported that it was possible to find and make a plaster cast from a three-toed footprint left by a monster in a swamp area.
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DO NOT BELIEVE YOUR EYES?
Harlan Ford, who served as an air traffic controller in New Orleans back in 1963, was an inveterate materialist. The fact that he was the first to tell people about the existence of a monster that lives on the Honey Island looked just paradoxical.
Big fans of duck hunting, Harlan and his colleague Billy Mills went to the Manchak swamps to find ducks. True, this time the friends were also interested in the abandoned camp, which they noticed, flying over this swampy wilderness. More precisely, it was not the camp itself that attracted their attention, but the fact that they discovered some movement in it. The men walked a fairly long distance before reaching the destroyed camp buildings. There was not a soul around, and the friends decided that they were mistaken in their observations. But, making their way through the dense bush, the hunters went out into the clearing and were numb with horror. A huge creature was on all fours in front of them. Billy screamed in surprise. The giant straightened up and stared at the shocked people. The duel of gazes lasted for several seconds, after which the dweller of the swamps disappeared into dense thickets. Friends tried to find him, but they only managed to see traces of the monster.
Later, talking about his adventure, Ford noted that the creature he met in the swamps was not like any of those he had seen before. The swamp monster, he said, seemed to have left the screen of a horror movie. Harlan made no secret of how scared he was when he saw the monster. According to his descriptions, the chest and shoulders of the creature were quite powerful, especially against the background of the thin lower limbs. But most of all, Ford remembered huge amber eyes, the gaze of which seemed to penetrate right through. I must say that Harlan Ford was famous for his honesty, and no one doubted the veracity of his story.
IN SEARCH OF THE SWEET BEAST
Nevertheless, like everything in the world, this story was gradually forgotten. In 1974, the buddies again went on a duck hunt in the Louisiana swamps. In search of prey, wading through the marsh thickets, they saw the carcass of a wild boar with a twisted throat. From the smell, the animal was killed a couple of days ago. If the boar fell prey to alligators, then they would hardly abandon their prey.
Continuing on their way, the friends came out to an area of clear water stretching several acres. There were barely perceptible ripples in the water, it looks like ducks have visited. Hunting down the prospective prey, the hunters tried to keep at a shot distance. However, their expectations were not met. Coming out of the thicket, they saw another dead boar, whose throat was also ripped out. Apparently, he had just been killed, since blood was still flowing from the wound. And near the animal, the friends saw exactly the same footprints as 10 years ago. Fearing that the swamp monster would return for its prey, the hunters chose to leave this place.
A little later, when the first fear passed, they decided to return and make plaster casts of the traces of the strange creature in order to have at least some evidence of its existence. When they returned, the fly-covered boar carcass was still in place. And the traces of the monster remained clear and deep. The plaster casts were donated by Ford for study to scientists from the Louisiana Wildlife Committee. The researchers failed to identify the animal that left these tracks, but the fact that they were genuine was beyond doubt. The prints were able to estimate only the weight of the monster - about 180 kilograms.
UNCATCHABLE MONSTER
After that, Ford continued to drive to the Manchak swamps, hoping to see the swamp monster again. But he only managed to find a few more traces. In the late 70s of the last century, Harlan even managed to get involved in the TV show "In Search", where he talked about his adventures. After the broadcast, there were other eyewitnesses who observed the unprecedented monster. It turned out that the swamp monster was seen in the floodplain of the Pearl River, in other places in Louisiana and Mississippi. And even, oddly enough, in China by the Pearl River.
However, skeptics believe that there is no monster, but a huge alligator. Television experts meticulously collated the plaster casts provided by Ford with alligator tracks. And we came to the conclusion that they are really similar, but there are differences: “The swamp monster has four fingers. Three with large claws and protruding joints. The fourth small finger is approximately one and a half inches long (3.81 centimeters) and resembles a thumb. These fingers clearly show that the animal is capable of grasping and clinging to them. Three thumbs, long and thin, with prominent tendons, are visible in the prints. The claws are turned down and back, like a cat's, so as not to slip on loose soil, sand and dirt. From the thin skin on the soles with visible tendons, we can conclude that the animal does not spend much time on the ground.
However, skeptics said that the tracks, which were made by Ford, are fake. They seem to be made with alligator paws and boots tied to them. But where have they seen boots with a sole length of 61 centimeters?