Names: "Snallygaster"; some regional variances (Coalsparry); some names for specific individuals (Bovalopus)

February - March 1909

Scrabble, WV

A woman was heading inside after hanging her laundry to dry. Without warning, she felt something grab her by the head and lift her in the air. Struggling against a rough, clawed hand, she wrested free, only to be grabbed by two more taloned paws. The creature briefly took her 3 ft off the ground, but lost strength, faltering and dropping her. The flying reptile released an angry shriek before vanishing behind the trees — its sinewy, green body twisting as it bolted out of sight. Stunned, she watched the juvenile and feared its return, later writing to the local paper about her encounter with a giant snake with bird wings.

A few nights afterward, a similar creature prowled Shepherdstown railroad bridges. It was not green, though, but black with an even longer, sharper beak. Smooth, leathery wings glinting in the moonlight, this beast fled onlookers, soundlessly taking flight with unimaginable speed.

Several weeks later,…