Media Article – Fulton County, Illinois – # 1
Wednesday, October 23, 1968
The Monster Story
Fulton County Democrat
About 9:30 p.m. Friday evening while driving on the Dutch Henry crossing near Lewistown, three high school boys in a pickup truck had been following their friends who were riding in a car quite some distance ahead of them. All at once the boys in the pick up pulled to a stop as the car they had been following was crossways in the road and the boy was laying in the road as though knocked out.
The boys got out of the truck and were walking toward the boy when someone or something attached them and knocked them to the ground and each time they tried to get back up were knocked down again. The boys said whatever it was did not fight with his fists but backhanded them. At one time the boys did manage to get it down but all at once it knocked them aside with ease.
During this time the other boy who had been on the ground ran for the truck and locked the doors. He said he got a fairly good look and it was not too tall, but very stocky built and seemd to be very hairy. Evidently something scared it away as all at once it was gone. The boys were not harmed but were quite shaken up. The incident was turned in to local police authorities.
Media Article – Franklin County, Illinois – # 1
Saturday, February 14, 1885
A Wild Man
Decatur (Illinois) – Saturday Herald
A wild man haunts the woods near Locust Grove.
Media Article – Fayette County, Illinois – # 3
Sunday, November 15, 1891
A Wild Man
Davenport (Iowa) Daily Leader
A wildman is defying the rigors of a Central Illinois climate by appearing in a nude state to residents of the Okaw bottom, near Vandalia. A search party is being organized.
Media Article – Fayette County, Illinois – # 2
Friday, December 04, 1891
The Wild Man Hunt
Decatur Daily Republican
A systematic hunt for the wild man who roams about in Loudon and Carson townships Fayette county is to take place Dec.5. A circle of searchers about four miles in circumference is to be thrown around the supposed haunts of the queer being in the Okaw bottoms, hunting toward the center. Some time ago an insane negro was found in these bottoms, and for a time it was thought he was the person who had been taking the poultry and pigs in the neighborhood; but it was found that it was a mistake and the wild man was still at large.
Media Article – Fayette County, Illinois – # 1
Wednesday, July 25, 1894
Wild Man In Louden Township
Davenport (Iowa) Daily Leader
Organized parties are searching for a wild man in Louden township, near Vandalia, Ills., who is surreptitiously slaughtering calves, pigs and lambs belonging to farmers.
Media Article – Du Page County, Illinois – # 3
Friday, August 30, 1974
Stalks Cornfields – Horrors! A Monster
By Dave Schneidman
Chicago Tribune
Good grief! Could it be that the infamous Murphysboro Monster had turned into a corn-eating suburbanite?
Perhaps so, according to witnesses who swear they saw a monster grunting thru a cornfield at Coon Road and Thunderbird Trail, Carol Stream, chomping on corncobs.
The monster stands about 6 feet, 7 inches tall, has glowing eyes the size of softballs, is covered with hair, has a fuzzy head, and judging from its tracks, has four toes. Oh, yes, despite its lumbering gait, it’s a pretty fast runner.
At least that’s how Bob Calusinski, 23, of 554 W. Cochise Pl, Carol Stream, described it. Calusinski said he heard heavy breathing from the monster Monday, was struck by the monster’s paw Tuesday, and saw the monster Wednesday.
Calusinski said he was “fooling around with some friends” in a cornfield Monday when he first heard the breathing. He went back Tuesday with some friends to investigate. Calusinski said he and his friends got tired of just sitting around in the dark and started throwing corn at one another. This apparently, made the monster irate, because it hit Calusinski on the the shoulder with its hairy paw. Calusinski ran out of the cornfield.
On Wednesday night Calusinski returned and the monster, perhaps remembering him, started after him. That’s when Calusinski said he saw it.
“I’ll never forget it as long as I live,” Calusinski said. “It was terrifying, seeing that thing come after me. I got out of there and reported the whole matter to the police.”
The police investigated and told Calusinski, “Keep up the good work, stay out of cornfields, and don’t let the monster catch you.”
The Carol Stream police may chuckle, but perhaps the people in Murphysboro, Jackson County, would take a different view. A monster similar in description has been plaguing them for the last several years. The only difference is the Murphysboro monster eats tree bark, not corn.