Little-Known Cryptids: The Enfield Horror

This is the first of what I hope to be a series of research posts on obscure cryptids. I've decided to start with the Enfield Horror, a bizarre creature sighted in and around Enfield, Illinois in 1973. Witnesses describe a tripedal being, covered in a slimy grey skin, with two large (some reports say glowing) eyes, clawed feet and stubby arms, standing about four and a half feet tall.

On April 25, 1973 a young boy named Greg Garrett playing in his backyard was attacked by the creature, claiming it stepped on his shoes and shredded them with its claws. He fled back to his parent's house, crying hysterically. A short time later, within the hour, the creature appeared again, at the home of a Henry McDaniel, a neighbour of the Garrets. Mr. McDaniel reports having heard strange scratching sounds around his house, and, upon opening the door to investigate, coming face to face with the beast. He quickly slammed the door, and retrieved his .22-caliber revolver. Once again, he opened the door to face the thing. Confirming that it wasn't a hallucination, he opened fire on the creature. McDaniel claims he knows he hit it with all four rounds. The beast then reportedly "hissed like a wildcat" and fled across the McDaniel property and away into the darkness.

The McDaniel family quickly called 911. The responding Illinois State Troopers did not see the creature itself, but did find scratches on the house's siding, and a bizarre set of prints. The prints were described as being dog-like, but with six toes and, importantly, a tripedal gait. This would not be the last sighting by Mr. McDaniel.

On May 6, McDaniel was awoken by the barking and howling of neighbourhood dogs. Once again he grabbed his gun and opened the front door. This encounter wouldn't be as close. McDaniel reports observing the creature moving through the rail trestles near his home. Following this report, the County Sherrif, a Mr. Roy Poshard Jr. threatened to incarcerate Mr. McDaniel for spreading false rumors causing a panic. Not long afterwards, armed local groups began patrolling the area around the rail tracks. This group reports sighting a similar being, described the same as the other sightings with the addition of a hairy pelt. They fired on it repeatedly ,but it again fled at high speed.

The final sighting comes from a local radio news director, Rick Rainbow. He and three others who wished to remain anonymous reported seeing a 5-foot tall stooping creature near the Garret and McDaniel homes. A recording was supposedly made, but I can find no copy of it online.

Ahh cool thread man It seems that for the most part certain cryptids monopolize our attention. I thought I was well versed in this subject, well you sprang a new one on me! The tripedal nature of the thing caught me. At first I thought maybe it was a typo My thought is how did they determine it was tripedal? What characteristic's would indicate that I wonder? Like I said cool thread, hope to see some more obscure cryptid threads from you.

Man, this would be a great B-movie that you watch at the drive-in on a warm summer night with your best girl, drinking some warm iron city lager or PBR, throwing big handfuls of greasy/sweet/salty popcorn at your buddy over in the next car and making out until the windows fog up so much that your girl squeals when you sneak your hand over her shoulder and pinch her side right underneath where her bra strap fits against the sensitive chill-bumpy flesh and she gives you a playful smack on your right knee but she doesn't move her hand away like she does when she sits next to you in math class and you can smell the juicy fruit on her sweet soft breath that turns the windows of your '61 olds 88 that you saved for and worked so hard on all winter and spring into a sepia pearl canvas waiting for you to paint your whole bright future.

reply to post by MMPI2


LOLZ you should be incarcerated

reply to post by MMPI2


Sounds like your train of thought just crossed the continent. Where were you going?

reply to post by MMPI2


Yeah, it's all fine until the Murphysboro Mud Monster shows up knocking on your window.

Hmmm, tripedal? Could it have been a quadruped that had lost a limb?

reply to post by Wardwolf


I wondered that myself, but that would be highly unusual in the animal kingdom as it would be (I assume) a vertebrate with 6 limbs. Then again, a naturally tripedal creature with arms would be bizarre as well. It doesn't seem like any vertebrate I've ever seen. An idea did occur to me, but it seems rather implausible. But since nothing else about this thing is normal, I'll come out and say it. What comes to mind for me when I see the illustrations of this creature is aquatic or amphibious. Very few terrestrial animals have a slimy dermal coating. I think this thing could very well be an aquatic organism with a hydrostatic skeleton that, for some reason, came up on land. Rather like the Loveland Frogs. 5 limbs, while unusual, is seen in the echinoderms (starfish and their kin). Many water-dwelling animals have very developed eyes.

reply to post by ShadeWolf


Whoa! I looked up the Loveland Frog and I must say it gave me the creeps as I read the accounts of it's sightings. I think your theory about the Enfield Horror creature being aquatic is spot on but I keep thinking of a Dungeons and Dragons creature called a Xorn. www.wizards.com...
Yeah I know it's laughable but it's based on a Sumerian demon called Asag, which I can't seem to find a decent image of.

reply to post by MMPI2


wat

Sounds like the thing developed a grudge against that McDaniel guy.

Originally posted by starhill
Sounds like the thing developed a grudge against that McDaniel guy.

Well he did put four .22 slugs in it.
If he had shot me 4 time I think I might hold a little grudge too. Ha ha ha

Tripedal? Sounds like a Pupeteer from the Ringworld Series. But they tend to be inherent cowards, though very intelligent.

I know this will be a short reply, but I didn't know that "911" was around in 1973. I wonder why that was the only thing that really jumped out at me.

Well here is the history of 911.
911 History

I guess I never thought about it's history.


Sorry for the off topic post.