DATE:            08/10/82
 

TIME:            Approx. 2-3 A.M.
 

LOCATION:   Leesville, Louisiana (Vernon)
 

TERRAIN:     Wooded
 

OBSERVED:    At approx. 2 a.m. on 8 /10 /82 (could be wrong on exact date) 2 of my cousins and myself were asleep in our tent area beside Caster Creek when one of my cousins was awakened by strange sounds coming from very close by.  At this time, my cousin woke his brother and myself up.  Before I could get fully awakened something ran around our tent area and off into the darkness.  I only caught a short glimpse of whatever it was.  It appeared to be (take into account it was dark) around 6 to 7 foot tall and covered with what seemed to be black hair.  I remember it had very long arms.  At no time did it turn around to harm us.  I do remember the very bad smell in the area right after it left our tent area (smelled like rotten fish).  I will never forget the sound this animal made.  It sounded like a woman screaming,  but much louder.  Even thinking about it now makes my hair stand.  At no time since have we heard or seen anything like we saw that night.  Did not tell parents cause they would have not believed us anyway.
 

ACTIVITIES OF WITNESS(ES):  2 of my cousins ( ages at the time 15 and 13) and myself (age 16 at the time) were asleep in our area-air tent beside of a creek.
 

DESCRIPTION OF CREATURE:  Approx. 6-7 ft. , seemed to be black hair covering whole body (observed in the middle of the night), very long arms,  very foul odor.
 

OTHER NOTES:  The morning after this happened my cousins and I did see some large tree limbs (approx. 6 -8 inches wide) that had been broken off from about 7 ft. off the ground.  My grandfather had told us kids about a black panther that had always come through the area at about this time of the year on its way to the swamp areas of south Louisiana . However , what we saw on the night of 8 / 10 / 82 was NOT a black panther .
 

OTHER SIGHTINGS IN THIS AREA?:
 

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