July 11, 1969 - Fort Worth Star Telegram

Police, Residents Observe But Can't Identify Monster
Satyr-Day Outing Next?

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
By Jim Marrs, Friday, July 11 1969



It's been called the "Lake Worth Monster," a half-man, half-goat thing with fur and scales, a "manny-goat," and a satyr.

Police believe it is a prank. A naturalist believes it is a bobcat. Twenty or 30 residents don't know what it is, but do know it scared the bejabbers out of them.

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THE "MONSTER" first made the headlines yesterday after a car-load of six residents reported a half-man, half-goat with fur and scales jumped their car at Lake Worth near Greer Island.

The Lake Worth monster was reported to have struck again early today, and police are now getting worried that someone is going to get hurt.

"I'm not worried about the monster so much as all those people wandering around out there with guns," said Sgt. A. J. Hudson, who investigated today's reported sighting.

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POLICE SAID yesterday they believe the "thing" may be someone in an ape costume, or someone throwing an animal hide at cars, as a prank.

If so, he is an athletic someone. Witnesses today said the thing threw an automobile tire and wheel 500 feet. (Police said they had received reports before, but laughed them off.)

Witnesses Watch 'Monster' Cavort
TODAY'S REPORTS began coming in after midnight.

Soon after the incident, a local radio station broadcast the story and carloads of curiosity seekers descended on Lake Worth. One of these, Jack E. Harris of 5537 Terrace Trail, gave this account of the night:

"We were driving around trying to find it, when we heard it squalling. We heard it before we saw it."

* * *
"I SAW IT come across the road and I tried to take a picture of it but the flash didn't work."

"I took another picture but I don't know if I got anything because I was too busy rolling up my window."

"We watched him run up and down a bluff for a while and other cars arrived. There must have been 30 or 40 people watching him."

"Well, some of them thought they would get mean with the thing, but about that time, it got hold of a spare tire that had a rim in it and threw it at our cars."

* * *
"HE THREW it more than 500 feet and it was coming so fast that everyone took off. Everybody jumped back in their cars."

"Earlier there were some sheriffs deputies there asking us about it and one of them was sorta laughing like he didn't believe it."

"But then that thing howled and I think it stood his hair on end. He decided it wasn't so funny anymore."

"Those sheriff's men weren't any braver than we were - they ran to get in their car."

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WITNESSES agreed that the thing was "big, hairy and white looking."

Harris said the thing "walks like a man but didn't look like a man."

"He was whitish-gray and hairy," he said, "and I might have been scared but he looked like he was 7 feet tall and must have weighed about 300 pounds."

Harris described the thing as emitting a "pitiful cry - like something was hurting him. But it sure didn't sound human," said Harris.

Fort Worth police aided in the search for the monster, but were unable to find anything.

* * *
"EVERYONE rushed out there to hunt the monster," said Hudson, and a lot of them said thay saw it looking in the dark."

"But if people keep going out there with guns, some poor kid is going to get shot," warned Hudson. "If they want protection, they should stay at home."

The "Monster" was first reported yesterday morning when six persons in a car were startled by something they described as being half-man, half-goat with fur and scales.

© The Fort Worth Star-Telegram