Monday, July 2, 1973
Bear wasn’t there, neither was monster
A large white bear reportedly killed over the weekend and identified as “Murphysboro’s Big Muddy River monster apparently exists only in imagination.
“That’s the first I have heard of it,” replied Police Chief Toby Berger this morning, when asked if the report was official.
Berger said a check showed some reports from the Gorham – Grand Tower area over the weekend of a large white bear being killed, but said police have no official reports of any such incident.
Police earlier had indicated some possibility the Big Muddy monster, seen two times last week, might be a white bear.
Berger said police have no official reports of any unusual sightings of the creature, whatever it is, since Tuesday night.
“We did get one report someone had seen the creature Friday night, but a check showed it was a cow in a field,” The chief said.
Two sightings early last week started the Big Muddy monster stories.