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Speaker 1: I am retired now, but for forty five years I

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was a general practice physician in Memphis, Tennessee. I enjoyed

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being a doctor. It was an easy job for me

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because I loved what I did. I was a partner

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with a small practice most of those years, but before

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that I worked in the er of one of the

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largest hospitals in the mid South, And as you may

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well know, we see all sorts of strange things in

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the er. On a Saturday night in nineteen seventy four,

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when we were usually very busy, a man was brought

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in by ambulance who was suffering from chest pains, as

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he described it. We treated him and found that he

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was not having a heart attack. He was experiencing extreme

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stress from an event that he had endured earlier in

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the day, hyperventilating and shaking uncontrollably. In addition, it looked

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as if he had been dragged through a briar patch.

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He had scratches all over his face, arms, and legs.

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He had come home from a hunting trip that evening,

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and his wife noticed something was wrong with him and

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called an ambulance. She walked into the er with him

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and explained that he had been hunting that day and

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had been dropped off by a friend. The minute he

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walked into the house, she knew something was wrong. He

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wouldn't talk, he would not even look at her, could

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not get his breathing under control. She was sure he

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was having a heart attack. We treated this man for

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his symptoms, Namely, we wanted to calm him down and

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be able to communicate with him. I was still in

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school at the time and working under the supervision of

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the resident er doctor, who suggested we give him a

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mile sedative to help him relax and gain his composure.

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The sedative was given and we left the room to

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give it time to work. An hour later, I returned

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to his room and he had calmed considerably. He immediately

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asked to be discharged, but I thought it best that

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he stayed with us for the evening so that we

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could monitor his heart and other functions. It was now

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after midnight and the fury of activity was slowing a

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bit in the er, so I pulled up a chair

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and visited with the man. His wife had left the

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room to get something to eat, and it was just

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he and I. He began to tell me the story

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of his day. It was the craziest thing I had

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ever heard. And I won't go into the whole thing here,

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but understand that he had seen something in the woods

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that day that scared him to death, even in his

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more calm state. I only got bits and pieces, but

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there was no doubt he had experienced mental trauma. If

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he was telling the truth, I had my doubts until

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three years later, when I experienced a similar event. I

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remembered from my conversation with him was the location of

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the event. My interest was piqued because it had taken

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place in the White River National Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas,

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not far from where I grew up. My family still

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owned a land there, and many of my relatives still

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hunted the area. Some hunted deer, but most shot ducks

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all through the winter. I grew up in the hunting culture,

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but I must be candid and say that I was

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never an avid hunter. I enjoyed it, but it was

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not my favorite hobby, as it was with most of

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the men in my family. My hobby was photography. In

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the seventies, camera technology was not like it is today.

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We shot our pictures on thirty five millimeter color negative film.

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At about this time, I was learning how to capture

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images with chrome or slide film. It is the same

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film that photographer used to take great pictures we saw

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in National Geographic and Sports Illustrated. I was not good

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at it, but I was getting better. Chrome film was

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relatively new and it was expensive to have developed in

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the lab. I mainly got bad images, but one out

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of a thousand would look good and be worthy to keep.

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Before I got married, this is what I spent my

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extra cash on. Photography is a bottomless money pit hobby

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for the amateur photographer. Instead of hunting with my friends

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and family, I would tag along with the men and

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take photographs. Many of those photos are in the family

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still today. And I looked back at some and I

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must say I was not very good at it, but

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I did get a few decent images. It was November

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in three years after my patient had come into the

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er telling me his story that I was in the

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White River Delta on a cold and overcast autumn morning.

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I was alone that day in a flooded area of

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timber owned by my father and a duck blind armed

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only with my camera. I wanted to capture some great

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images of the ducks during the early migration through our

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neck of the woods. The duck season would open the

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following weekend, so this was the perfect time to get

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the images if the ducks would show up and before

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the hunting pressure was on. I arrived by boat an

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hour before sunrise so that I was well established in

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quiet before the morning flight of mallards and pintails. I

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had my gear set up, my film loaded, and my

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tripod anchored, and was having a hot cup of coffee.

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I felt a heavy thump on the bottom of the

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elevated blind and it startled me. I stood to try

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to see what the commotion was beneath me and saw

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a beaver slide across the water surface, directly below the

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brush that concealed the blind. I centered the animal in

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my viewfinder as he pushed away from under the blind,

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focused and took three exposures before the sound of the

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camera alerted him to my presence and his tail slapped

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the water on his dive to the bottom. I had

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three possible good images already and the sun was not

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fully lighting the day. I settled back on the bench

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and I waited. A group of wood duck shot past

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the top of the blind. They buzzed the top of

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the brush blind three or four times before they shot

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out over the horizon, but one mail in one one

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female woody broke from the group and circle back to land.

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I was ready and got several exposures while him and

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his mate paddled along, feeding only a few yards from

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my lens. The sun finally made it over the horizon,

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and the trees that surrounded my location and the pool

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in front of me now had decent light. All I

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needed now was more ducks to light in the pool.

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I heard a heavy splash in the distant swamp, and

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I froze. It sounded like a tree had fallen, or

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like a tree was thrown. In all my years in

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these flooded delta areas, I had never heard this. I

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sat motionless, looking in the direction of the sound. Then

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there was another, followed by an evil roar. From this

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point forward, it will be difficult to accurately describe what

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I saw. This event lasted more than fifteen of twenty minutes,

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I believe, but it seemed like only a few seconds.

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Through the trees, though swollen cypress trunks and the minefield

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of cypress knees, I saw a creature I had never

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imagined in my worst nightmares emerge and walk towards my blind.

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The distance at this point was well over one hundred

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yards into the tree line, but I could see it

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as clearly as if we were walking to me across

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a baseball field. He was coming at me at a

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steady pace. My heart was pounding, and there was nothing

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I could do. The boat was tied behind the blind,

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but I would make a lot of noise getting all

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my gear in there and starting the engine with the ripcord.

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So I sat perfectly still, hoping he had not seen me.

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His shins split the water to each side with each

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long stride, like a boat splits the water at the bow,

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his arms hanging long enough to touch the water that

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was knee high. His barreled a broad chest heaving as

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he grunted loudly at each step, his breath misting and

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swirling past his head in the chill of the morning,

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like a steam locomotive. Now he was only fifty yards

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away and about to enter the open pool where I

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now sat. But as he closed on my position, I

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saw his head begin to move side to side, as

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if he were looking for something, searching. Maybe he had

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not seen me. Maybe As he approached the largest tree

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in our pool, he stopped. The wake from his stampede

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rushed past his legs around the tree and the knees

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that surrounded it, and in a second I felt my

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boat slapping the post that held the blind in place.

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My heart sank, and I began to feel nauseous. When

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his head turned towards the blind, it was over for

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me in that instant, and in my mind I could

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see him rushing me from thirty yards distance and pulling

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me headfirst out of the blind. But that's not what

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he did. He turned his attention back to the pool

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in front of him, that massive chest heaving, hands clenched,

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and his head moved forward, searching the flooded forest. I

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relaxed a bit on the bench, and I remained motionless,

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watching from my concealed vantage point. Time stood still for me.

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Seconds turned into hours. He moved forward into the pool,

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going deeper into the water up to his waist and

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coming up again out of the beaver trail, until he

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was only ankle deep in the cold water, looking intently

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again into the woods to my left. The roar that

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came from the woods on my left was louder than

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the roar I had heard only a few minutes before.

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Four There was another one coming. I could hear it.

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The water splashed, and the tree branches began to break

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in the unseen distance, cracks that echoed through the timber,

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as if we were in a concert hall. Over and

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over and louder and louder the commotion came. My head

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turned back to the beast in front of me. He

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had assumed a defensive position. His knees were bent head

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out in front of his bodies, and those tree trunk

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arms outstretched with palms open. The roar that came next

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shook me to my soul. My body felt weak, as

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if imminent death was upon me, even though I knew

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this thing was not concerned with me, or if he

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even knew I was there. Through the trees to my left,

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I saw a black flash move when Alpha Male number

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two burst into the pool from the darkness of the timber.

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It threw a large tree across the pond at the

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standing in front of me, missing him with the mass

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of the trunk, but showering him with the branches, and

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they charged each other. When they collided, the ground beneath

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the muddy blind vibrated so that the brush on top

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of me began to fall into the blind. It was

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the most violent attack of any animal I have ever

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seen in real life or on television. There's no way

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to describe it here. And they began to fight, blow

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after blow to each other's head and upper torso. Slapping

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and biting, roars and groans and grunts continued to rattle

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my senses. Even though I was only a spectator at

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this point, the event felt out of control. Only feet

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in front of me, two bigfoot were fighting to the death.

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The battle continued for some time, blow after blow and

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bite after bite. The violent barrage of arms continued. I

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remembered my camera. I had a camera with me. I

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raised my thirty five millimeter to my eye and I

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began to shoot. Exposure after exposure clicked off until the

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film was spent. I loaded another roll and continued pressing

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the shutter button, never once thinking to adjust my settings,

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only dialing the focus ring. Another roll, and another, and another,

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until six rolls of chrome film laid on the wet

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wood floor of the blind. I was now out of film.

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I bent down together the rolls I had dropped carefully

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sliding the rolls into their tubes and dropping them in

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my coat pocket. I had just captured the photographs of

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the millennium, if they had turned out even remotely well

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and pinning, I made it out of here alive. Water

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burst over the top of the blind and showered me.

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In my attempt to gather the film, I had taken

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my eyes off the battle, and the beasts had moved

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closer to me, easing my head just above the brush

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to sea, I knew I was in trouble. A massive

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back was just a few feet from me when the

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aggressor slammed his body into the other, pushing the weight

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of the two giants onto the top of the blind.

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The structure collapsed on top of me, with the weight

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of the beast pressing me into the water below. The

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commotion above me was so violent that I was thrashed

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around in the mud like an insect. I allowed my

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body to relax and go with whatever force was pushing

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me down. Now under water and with no less than

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five hundred pounds of debris on top of me, I

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dared not take a breath, though I would drown for sure,

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and if I was lucky enough to come above the

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water line. At some point I would be gagging and coughing,

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drawing their attention to me. So I held my breath

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as long as I could. The weight lifted and I

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felt like I could move. I slowly, but in a

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panic for air, moved my hand through the brush above me,

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finding a large branch, and I pulled myself slowly to

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the surface. Fighting through the brush to the surface was difficult.

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When I knew my face was close, I eased my

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mouth and nose to get oxygen and took a deep

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breath of new air, and I stayed perfectly still, taking

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in more air. The battle was still going on. I

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could hear them through the water, but they had moved

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over the blind and the boat and were behind me.

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Now it was time to make my move, and my

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head came fully out of the water, and my eyes

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searched left and right for the beasts, finding them in

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my peripheral several yards away from me. I raised my

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whole upper body out of the mutt, and there they

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continued the death match. Smaller trees snapped as they tumbled

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further away from me. Wood splinters would fly back in

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my direction several times, and the soul shaking roars continued.

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I saw one of the titans begin to weaken. I

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did not know which was which. They both looked identical

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to me, except one being somewhat larger than the other.

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The apparent loser took a massive blow to his head

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and went down with the other on top of him.

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In its weakened or day's state, it was pressed into

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the water and drowned by the other. The loser seemed

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to have a rally of strength and come above the water,

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only to give the other a better hold, and he

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was pressed back into the water until there was no movement.

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It was over. The new Alpha stood erect and screamed

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into the trees. He left the dead beast in the

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water and began to slam one tree trunk, which he

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had twisted off at its base, into another, in a

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series of knocks that echoed through the bottom land. It

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was bleeding profusely through its nose and mouth. Blood ran

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down its chest and dripped continuously into the water. His

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chest heaved from exhaustion, and the steam bowled off the

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beasts Back in the cold morning air. It continued its

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knocking until other monsters in the woods began to respond.

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The first to walk onto the scene was a female,

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which looked directly into the face of the alpha and

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then down at the dead monster. Another smaller ape showed

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up from the opposite direction. Soon there were four beasts

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surrounding the kill. I was petrified in place. The cold

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water was chilling me to the point that it was painful,

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but I dared not move a muscle As I watched

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through the brush and the wreckage that surrounded me. I

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saw two younger males lift the dead bigfoot from the

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water by its feet, and they began to walk away,

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dragging the corpse behind them. The others followed, but not

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the big male, who had just won his title. He

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stayed and watched the crew walk away. All my hope

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faded when he turned and walked a few steps back

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in my direction. This was it. He knew I had

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been there the whole time. I slowly lowered myself back

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into the water, making myself as small as possible. I

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was still camouflaged to some degree, being in the middle

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of the pile of brush. I closed my eyes, hoping

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that I would become invisible. There were noises close. I

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opened one eye and saw the beast put his large

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hand in the middle of my boat. He moved the

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back and forth until it broke free from the tangle

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and slowly slid across the water, bumping into a cypress knee.

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The beast looked into the pile that I was in,

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and he saw me. Our eyes locked, and there was

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a moment when his eyes seemed to weaken a bit.

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His brow softened as he cocked his head and then

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bent down closer to get her better look at the

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snow white face and the brush. Grabbing a handful of brush,

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he pulled it away from the pile he was digging

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for me. I gave up. I surrendered to whatever fate

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was next. The beast had a clear view of me now,

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and so I stood straight up in front of him,

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water dripping from my soak, clothing and shivering. It cocked

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its head another time, and then it turned away two

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steps away from me, and it turned back to get

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another look at me, and then it walked off into

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the swamp. I heard those footsteps through the water for

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several minutes, and then I was enveloped in silence. I'm

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not sure how long I stood there, maybe ten minutes,

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maybe an hour, but at some point. I moved and

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walked to the boat and got into position to start

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the motor. It started with one pull, thank god. Laying

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in the bottom of that boat with my head propped

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up against the gunneale with the engine purring, I looked

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into the blue sky, closing and opening my eyes. The

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clouds had cleared, and the blue sky looked like a

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good omen. The fluffy white clouds rolled by as if

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there had been no battle below at all. The earth

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was still spinning, and I was still alive. These thoughts

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gave me a sense of peace and strength to sit

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up and begin my journey back to the boat ramp.

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I clicked the transmission into forward, and the blue smoke

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of the engine drifted into the air behind the motor

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as I slowly made my way back to the rest

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of my life. I don't remember the trip back to

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the ramp, nor the drive home, but I had apparently

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tied the boat onto the trailer sufficiently and made it

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home safely. I lived alone at this time in my life,

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so no one was there to greet me when I

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walked into the door. I showered and sat on the

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sofa in a robe until I drifted off to sleep.

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The next morning was Sunday, and I woke as if

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I had spent the night wrestling with monsters and a nightmare.

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But it had not been a nightmare. I actually lived

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through it. I checked in my pockets and pulled the

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rolls of film from the still wet parka. They were

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ruined and the tubes were full of water. As I

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stated in the beginning, I was a part of a

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wonderful medical practice for many years. I lived a good life,

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and I at peace with everything I have seen and

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done in my life. I told one man about my

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day in the duck blind. Do you remember the man

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who had come into the emergency room that night, all

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those years ago. I looked him up in the following weeks,

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I told him the story. I owed that to him.

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He and I are best friends to this day. Now.

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His story is as unbelievable as mine, but I will

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let him tell you that on his own. Our stories

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belonged to us until it's time to tell them, if

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we ever tell them at all.