In the winter of 1953, a small town in North Carolina became the epicenter of a harrowing tale. Bladenboro, typically a quiet locale, was thrust into the spotlight when mysterious and grisly animal deaths began to occur. Residents described the perpetrator as a large, cat-like creature with a ferocious appetite, giving rise to the legend of the Beast of Bladenboro. This entity quickly became more than just a local concern as its infamy spread, chilling the spines of those far beyond the town's borders.
First Encounters
Several locals provided varying descriptions of the mysterious animal haunting their community. One described it as a bushy creature, around four and a half feet long, resembling either a bear or a panther. Another observed it as small, with a similar-looking smaller creature by its side, and a third likened the sound it made to a baby crying, estimating its weight at about 150 pounds from the noise it made in the bushes. It was also described as about 20 inches high with a long tail and dark coloration, moving stealthily like a large cat.
My dogs put up a good fight. There was blood all over the porch, big puddles of it. And there was a pool of saliva on the porch. It killed one dog at 10:30 and left it lying there. My dad wrapped the dog up in a blanket. That thing came back and got that dog and nobody's seen the dog since. At 1:30 in the morning, it came back and killed the other dog and took it off. We found it three days later in a hedgerow. The top of one of the dogs heads was torn off and its body was crushed and wet, like it had been in that thing's mouth. The other dog's lower jaw was torn off.
A group of hunters from Wilmington tracked it for three miles around swampland, noting the claw marks and size of the tracks, suggesting the presence of a large animal, possibly with offspring or a mate. On January 5, the beast reportedly attacked a dog, leaving behind dual sets of tracks, one smaller than the other. Another encounter involved a resident being approached by what she described as a big mountain lion, which fled after she screamed. Police Chief Fores noted the tracks left behind were larger than a silver dollar.
Further sightings included a young boy who heard a creature making a noise like a baby crying, and two motorists who stopped for an animal described as having runty-looking ears and a brownish tabby color, approximately four feet long.
Characteristics of the Creature
Descriptions of the Beast varied, though common traits emerged. It was predominantly depicted as feline, with a bulky body, shaggy hair, and an unnerving ability to move silently despite its size. Some accounts also attributed to it eyes that could pierce through the darkest nights, making it a subject of both fear and fascination among those who claimed to have seen it.
Explanations and Speculations
Over the years, numerous theories have been proposed regarding the nature of the Beast. Some suggest it might have been a misidentified wild animal, such as a cougar or a large bobcat exacerbated by mass hysteria. Others entertain the possibility of a supernatural origin, linking the beast to ancient folklore and cryptid lore, suggesting a creature not of this world or dimension.
The Hunting Parties
On the evening of January 3, Police Chief Roy Fores and his dogs attempted to track the elusive creature, but the dogs hesitated to follow its scent. The following day, a group of daring young men and their dogs spent the day searching the woods, while that night, Fores joined forces with eight to ten officers in a coordinated hunt. Additionally, hunters from Wilmington joined the search, tracing the beast's path for three miles around the swamp.
The hunt intensified on January 5, with over 500 participants, both human and canine, combing the forests and swamps. By January 6, the number of hunters swelled to more than 800. Fores considered using dogs as bait to draw out the creature, although this strategy was never implemented. Eventually, the hunt was called off by officials due to growing safety concerns.
On January 7, the crowd of hunters grew to between 800 and 1,000. The hunts continued until the evening of January 8, when only four fraternity brothers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were actively searching. That night, Mayor Fussell officially ended the hunt, citing safety risks and a lack of recent sightings. This decision followed a protest by a humane society against using dogs as bait, expressed through a telegram sent to Fores.
On January 13, a dramatic turn occurred when Luther Davis, a local farmer, encountered a bobcat caught in a trap in Big Swamp, four miles from Bladenboro, and fatally shot it. That same day, Bruce Soles of Tabor City struck and killed a large, leopard-spotted cat with his car as he was leaving Bladenboro. He claimed the animal, which was notably large and marked distinctively, taking it back to Tabor City. Concurrently, Berry Lewis, a professional hunter, was credited by some newspapers with killing a bobcat in another part of the county. Confusion arose over whether it was the cat killed by Davis or the one by Lewis that was photographed by Mayor Fussell and shared with the media.
Final Thoughts
The events of 1953 left an indelible mark on Bladenboro. Beyond the immediate terror, the legend of the Beast became a part of the town's identity, influencing cultural events and local lore. Today, the Beast of Bladenboro continues to intrigue both locals and cryptid enthusiasts. Modern technology and methods like DNA analysis have not yet solved the mystery but offer new avenues for exploration.