Mountain Devil 2 (2022) Movie Script
[rain falling]
[thunder crashing]
[mysterious dramatic music]
[thunder crashing]
[haunting instrumental music]
- [Narrator] Fear is
in the mind, they say,
but I strongly believe
that the eyes manufacture
the fear that resides in the
mind.
I have portrayed this in
the movie "Mountain Devil,"
a film that was very
difficult to bring to life.
A story about two hunters
coming face-to-face
with something they had never
seen before,
a creature that was
suppose to be just a myth
was now pounding on the
outside of their cabin door.
But the human strength lies in
the ability
to think of a solution out of a
crisis.
And there it was: Rifles.
- [Hunter] Shoot, Randy, Shoot!
[guns blasting]
- [Narrator] To bring down
that Goliath, so they thought.
To bury it and try to forget
what they just experienced.
But even in death,
the creature still haunted
those terrified hunters.
"Mountain Devil" had
become a very long journey
and I felt satisfied when it was
time
to bring it to an audience
and then finally laying it to
rest.
Searching for the truth
about Frank Peterson
had become a emotional roller
coaster for several years.
At the end,
I will always wonder if the
truth was in
that eight millimeter film.
I felt I had said all
I needed to say about
the Bigfoot phenomena in
Pennsylvania.
Until now.
Several years ago,
I stumbled upon a book
titled "The Creature,"
and I found myself
asking the same questions
as I did while making "Mountain
Devil."
But the question had become,
could I go to that place one
more time?
It was this book that
re-lit those memories.
So I wanted to understand
the inspiration for the book,
"The Creature."
What propelled that art?
Was it fiction or non-fiction?
I believe the author has
his side to the story,
just like I have a reason for
mine.
I began to analyze the
book from front to back,
looking for clues on each page.
And my first clue was the
publishing company itself,
the Allegheny Press.
After a little searching online
I found the address but no phone
number.
My best effort was to write a
letter
and my efforts did pay
off with a response.
[relaxing instrumental music]
[upbeat instrumental music]
[upbeat instrumental music
continues]
[upbeat instrumental music
continues]
- My name is John Tomikel
and I am 91 years old.
And I was at one time
the publisher of "The Creature."
We would go to conventions
and there is where I
met the man Jan Klement.
And we were friends.
We were friendly but we were not
friends.
At one convention
he asked me if I would consider
publishing a book that he wrote.
And
I said, "Well, what's it about?"
And he said,
"It's about my experiences with
Bigfoot."
[mysterious instrumental music]
[relaxing instrumental music]
- [Jan] Sometimes the mind
plays strange tricks upon us
and with the passage of time,
we find it difficult to
separate truth from fantasy.
Time has passed, about
two years to be exact,
and I feel that I'd
better write down my story
before it passes into the
gray area of unreality.
[relaxing instrumental music
continues]
I have never seen such
a creature in my life.
My first impression was that
the creature was ape-like
or man-like, about seven feet
tall
and covered with brown hair.
The creature seems very powerful
with well-developed legs
and shoulder muscles.
I felt very fortunate
to see such a creature.
It was no longer folklore to me.
[relaxing instrumental music
continues]
- [Narrator] We needed
to find out more about
the locations where this story
"The Creature" took place
so we headed south to
Dunbar, Pennsylvania,
to meet up
with some of the leading
experts in the Bigfoot field
for some answers.
I started with Stan Gordon,
who has been researching
the Bigfoot phenomena
near the Chestnut Ridge for many
years.
- I've heard people tell me that
they're familiar with the book
and I've heard some people say
who they thought who
possibly was involved,
but nobody really had any proof,
any really good information.
I remember many, many years ago
I tried to do some follow up on
it
but really couldn't get
anywhere.
And I was so busy
investigating current reports,
I really couldn't donate a lot
of time to the investigation.
But it's a very, very
interesting story.
The question is,
is how much there is truthful
and how much may not be?
But it is a very interesting
story
and I'll keep an open
mind to all possibilities.
[relaxing instrumental music]
- [Narrator] Could we be
on the trail of discovering
who the author truly was
and the possible location of
where
this encounter took place?
- [Researcher] "The Creature,"
the book,
is possibly fiction or
non-fiction?
I know I already asked these
questions,
but I'm just kind of repeating
them.
- I'd like to believe
that it's true but...
And as far as percentage is
concerned,
I would lean toward maybe
60/40 that it's true
and 40 that it isn't.
The way he described the
creature,
it's pretty believable.
But like I also have
said to many people that
some of the nuances
and the little characteristics
of the creature,
it's really hard to believe
as far as
its behavior with Jan Klement.
As far as just staring at each
other for periods of up to
an hour and half, two hours at a
time,
just looking at each other
and observing each other.
No real close interaction,
of course, as he had written.
I believe it's possible. I
really do.
- My name's Eric Altman.
I'm from North Huntington,
Pennsylvania,
in the southwestern corner of
the state.
And I did investigating
sightings
and claims of a Bigfoot
creature for going on
close to 22 years now.
The book and experiences
that Jan wrote about
are very detailed.
He provides extremely
detailed information about
the creature itself,
some of it's unusual behaviors
and habits.
And he talks about having
almost daily encounters
with the creature.
And at that time, back in the
mid-1970s,
before the book was released,
there was little information
that was released to the public.
Just the general encounters
that Jan had in the book,
so it's very intriguing to
read that kind of minute detail
that he writes about in the
story.
There were some theories that
were put out
by a few experienced Bigfoot
researchers.
Loren Coleman proposed a theory,
I believe Loren proposed
it was chemistry professor,
Dr. Paul Johnson at the
University of Duquesne.
But upon questioning Paul,
myself and other people have
asked him,
he said he absolutely was
not the author of the book.
We know the author of the book
claims that
he was an earth science
professor
at a small university in
the Pittsburgh region,
although we don't know who it
is.
- [Narrator] Dr. Paul
Johnson is a professor
at a local university in
Pennsylvania.
For many years, people in the
Bigfoot community thought that
Dr. Johnson had written
the book "The Creature."
We attempted to reach out
to him for an interview
but he denied.
He did send the following email
with his thoughts on the matter.
The following is his email:
Around 1995, a writer for
the "Mountain Journal,"
who had previously interviewed
me,
ran across the book, "The
Creature" in a yard sale.
He photocopied the pages
and mailed it to me.
I was told that the publisher
knew the author's true name
and promised never to reveal it.
I read the book and
decided it was fictional.
Apparently someone decided that
the author was a college science
teacher
in Western Pennsylvania
and the author choose the
pseudonym
because Roberto Clemente was
his favorite ball player,
so he changed the letter C to a
K
and dropped the letter E at the
end.
For the next 20 years,
many researchers suspected
that I was the author
because Roberto was my
favorite ball player
and, of course, I teach at a
university.
I always told them I was not the
author.
Dr. Paul G. Johnson.
- One of the stipulations that
the man Klement wanted
was his identity not to be known
because even I was ridiculing
him,
and so he was really upset about
that.
And so
we had to have an author
and so I gave him the name Jan
Klement
which was the name of
one of my grandfathers.
[relaxing instrumental music]
- [Jan] For about a week
thereafter
I set apples on the railing with
no luck.
I would set out two apples at a
time
and would not leave more
than that overnight.
Why should the creature want my
apples
when he could pick his own from
any of the wild apple trees
that abound in the area?
The creature's appearance
at my home escaped me.
Deep down I still hope to
able to see it one more time.
After several weeks,
the creature appeared
again for some apples.
He came from around the cabin
and was standing four feet from
the porch.
I stood still for a moment,
then I made slight hand motions
for the creature to come to me.
I realized at once that it was
not a human
and hand motions meant nothing,
so I retrieved an apple
and tossed it at the creature's
feet.
He picked up the apples and
began to chomp down on them.
I threw him another and another.
And on the third apple I
spoke in low hushed tones,
increasing my volume to
normal about the 10th apple.
The creature loaded most
of these in his arms
and walked to the bushes
at the end of the clearing
and disappeared.
- During the time it happened,
of course I was out there
investigating with my teams
so many of the Bigfoot
sightings here in Pennsylvania.
And it was being covered
extensively
by the local news media.
It was on radio and TV.
Newspapers were giving
it a lot of coverage.
There were a lot of details
about some of my investigations
that were coming out at the
time.
[somber instrumental music]
- I guess I'm not surprised in
that
a pact had been made with
the publisher with regard to
not letting out the factual
information with regard to that.
Especially if you can...
The element of trust is
probably as strong today
as it was yesteryear,
but there had to be
a good bond between the
author and the publisher
in order to keep that story
safe.
- If the author of the
book is still living today,
there could be terms
that could be acceptable
and agreed upon
where the author could
still remain anonymous,
that the alleged burial site
would remain secret and
confidential,
that even today, years later,
a forensic scientific
investigation
could be done on the site.
And this author indicated that
he was very concerned over
preserving the species
of this unknown creature.
And if that was the case,
this would help to first
strongly indicate
and strongly confirm that
there's some type of unknown
species of creature out there
but may also help to protect
this unknown species as well.
- We don't know exactly
where the cabin that
he called The Diggins' was
or where it burned down,
so we can't really
validate that information
to say the book was a legitimate
book.
However, it does provide
a lot of details to it,
especially to the creature,
his experiences with Kong.
He does describe a lot of the
area
and where the book may have
taken place
in the Dunbar Mountains,
the Southern Chestnut Ridge
in Southwestern PA, Fayette
County.
[somber instrumental music
continues]
- [Loren] The book was
brought to my attention
by other researchers
and it was so detailed.
It was so realistic
in terms of
how I knew from my
investigations
for over 50 years
how people really do approach
contact.
And what was remarkable was
done so matter-of-factly.
I knew a lot of
researchers in Pennsylvania
back in the 60s and 70s
and thought maybe I could
even figure out who it was,
the biology professor or at one
point,
he called himself an
earth science professor.
So it was nicely hidden in the
story,
all of the clues to who this
was.
And I asked various people,
some of whom I even knew as
professors.
They all denied being that
individual.
But it did seem like,
it definitely seemed like
there was something to there.
It was a very privately
published publication
and I felt that the
person that published it
was perhaps the same person
that was being the hero
or the narrator in the book.
So I certainly think that's a
possibility.
[somber instrumental music
continues]
[relaxing instrumental music]
- [Jan] The next evening he
returned a little earlier
and took apples from my hand,
but would not really let me get
near him.
As long as the railing
was between us he was calm
and when I went to leave the
porch,
he would walk away and
watch me over his shoulder.
As you the viewer may ask,
"Was I not frightened?"
I was terrified and
excited at the same time.
I knew this creature could
end my life very quickly
if it wanted to.
On one occasion, a young
deer came up to the field.
The creature noticed it and
quickly leaped to its feet
and was off like a flash of
lighting.
[relaxing instrumental music
continues]
[birds chirping]
[leaves rustling]
[mouth chomping]
[footsteps crunching]
His speed was fantastic
and he ran the deer down
before it got more than a 100
feet away.
[footsteps crunching]
He picked it up in his powerful
hands
and slammed it to the ground.
I assume, killing it instantly.
Instead of returning to me,
he put the deer under his arm
and stalked off through the
brush.
I did not see him again for five
days.
I worried that the creature
might want to try human flesh at
first,
but after a while the
thought did not bother me.
He ate none of his food in front
of me
and perhaps he did not eat it at
all.
I wondered if he had family
and perhaps he was feeding them
that deer.
That day I decided to give him a
name.
I gave him the name Kong.
[enchanting instrumental music]
- He asked for all kinds of
guarantees.
That I wouldn't mention his name
anywhere
and that as far as he was
concerned he didn't exist.
So that was
one of the bargains that I made
with him
and
so far I have stuck to that
bargain.
[enchanting instrumental music
continues]
- [Narrator] I reached out to
Steve Kulls,
a Bigfoot Investigator
located in Upstate New York.
Steve had done extensive
research
into the book "The
Creature," and the author.
I wanted to get his ideas
on who the author could be
and if the story held any merit.
- Well, the first was to do
was actually read the book.
And in my copy of the book
I highlighted a number of
sections in it
that contained biographical
data if you read the book.
So in this case, Jan Klement is,
well, the whole thing wrapped in
one.
So I need to look at him as a
person
to see, kind of build a profile.
So I was looking for a college
professor
who taught earth science,
who got divorced shortly
after the book got published,
who was in the military service
in 1952
to '54 specifically.
No person named Jan Klement
existed.
I mean, I've run it even
through background services
and it was a no-go.
The funny thing is in
conversation
with some of the locals,
one of them being,
and I believe he's an
entomologist in the area
who has a fascination
with the Bigfoot mystery,
actually knew of a Klement's
Point.
And this got me really
excited because I'm thinking,
"Maybe the place does exist."
So I get on the Google Maps
and look at the satellite shots
and one of the giveaways in
the later editions was that
the cabin in the 80s had been
burned down
but the footprint of
the cabin still exists.
And this Klement's Point had
this footprint of this cabin
with a pond which back in
the 60s and 70s, early 70s,
overlooked cow pastures so it
really fit.
[enchanting instrumental music
continues]
[relaxing instrumental music]
- [Jan] My efforts at tracking
Kong were always in vain
for he left no trails
or tracks of any kind.
The forest area has many large
rock formations and caves.
I often wondered if Kong
stayed in one of the caves
in the area.
Unfortunately, no Kong today.
[relaxing instrumental music
continues]
- Once again, attributed to the
fact that
I'm sure he was a very
knowledgeable educated man
in quite a few science fields.
And, of course, he had a base of
friends.
He had the zoology professor,
anthropology people that
he could confer with
in neighboring universities,
whether it be Waynesburg
College,
whether it be California State
College.
Back then they weren't
universities.
So he was handed, I think,
a platter of good information
that he would be to write from
in a very believable manner.
- Yeah, I've been doing
this now going on 61 years.
I knew many of the main people
involved in Bigfoot research
back in those days and I've
learned of many others since,
and I've never heard it brought
up
that anybody who was involved
in investigations actively
may have been involved with the
book.
I've heard rumors of people who
may have been involved with the
book
that other people were following
up
and trying to find out
who this person might be.
But to be honest with you,
I was so busy investigating
other reports
I really didn't have time
to follow up on the book.
[relaxing instrumental music
continues]
I would think that somebody
who had their first encounter
as talked about in the book,
they would have gone
through much more detail.
Also the behavior of the
creature
that's described in the book.
So the author is talking
about the fact that
this creature after a period of
time
begins to make frequent, almost
daily,
visits to the property,
that they're actually
having meals together
and they get very close.
And that's something again of
the
hundreds of Bigfoot cases I've
worked on,
this is something that
just doesn't come up.
- The author, he's using a pen
name.
We don't know exactly where the
cabin
that he called The Diggins'
was or where it burned down,
so we can't really
validate that information.
However, without any way
to validate who he was
or where the actual cabin sat,
we can't follow up on those
claims.
And to this day,
no one really knows if it is a
non-fiction
or a fictional book.
- [Researcher] This road
in particular is where
Jan Klement had taken
Kong after Kong's death,
from the northern portion
towards Chestnut Ridge
and Dunbar Township and Game
Lands 51,
in a south direction onto Wind
Gaps Road
and decided he was going
to bury the creature.
He did so off to the side of the
road
because it was very handy.
Unfortunately, also cumbersome
in that
he was trying to handle
the weight of the creature
by himself.
- I believe I was looking at a
map,
I wanna say circa 1968,
1967, somewhere in there of that
area.
And sure enough, there was
a pull-off before the border
and there looked like there
could be
some trails in that particular
area.
The description in the book
says that he could see the hill,
over the next hill was
actually West Virginia.
So that could really only equate
for three different areas really
that where he would be able
to see a hill on the
other side of the border.
So it came down to like three
different fingers almost
as this site came.
But getting out to that site
is the last step, you know?
[soft mysterious music]
- [Narrator] It seemed as if
I had more questions than
answers.
Who was this mystery writer?
And why would they hide
after writing such a story?
My thoughts ran in several
directions.
Was the story even true?
Or a complex hoax?
Or could there be the remains of
a Bigfoot
in the foothills of Pennsylvania
waiting to be discovered?
I headed north towards
Indiana, Pennsylvania,
to meet up with another
group of Bigfoot researchers
and hoped to find an answer to
the mystery of the creature.
[soft mysterious music
continues]
- I am the Director of the
Fayette County
Pennsylvania Bigfoot Research
Project
and also West Virginia Center
for Unexplained Events.
- [Researcher] And your name is?
- Fred Saluga.
[camera snapping]
I believe he may have had some
interaction with the Bigfoot
but I don't think that, I mean,
towards the end of the book
where he chopped him up and that
I don't really believe that.
But again, with the apple,
the apples and that.
And also, I recently went out
and was doing some research
on the police chief
because he talked about the
police chief had nine kids.
And I talked to a lady in
a township up by Dunbar.
She said that the police chief
up there
had anywhere between seven to
nine kids.
So it's very possible
that was the police chief,
but he's dead now.
- Yeah, we have talked
to people about the book
and it seems like a lot of
people don't believe in it.
There's always that but, you
know?
What if there is some truth in
this book?
- Did he write it to be so
unbelievable
that people wouldn't believe
it so they wouldn't pursue
the location that maybe
it actually did happen?
[camera snapping]
Even though you say there
wasn't many resources back then,
we did not have the internet
but there were many books
written
back in the 60s and 70s on
Bigfoot
and there were a lot of
articles and magazines out.
So he did have that as resources
as opposed to the internet.
- [Researcher] Do you really
believe
this guy had that experience?
- Ah...
I would not say he
completely didn't, all right?
I believe that there are people
that actually been talking to
Bigfoot for the last 15 years.
I mean, down in West Virginia
they were telling us that
they used to run the
Bigfoot out of the barn
because he was eating the cow
stuff.
I think Bigfoot was like a
family member to a lot of
people.
- Now the first time I read the
book,
I just read it through
as just reading a story.
The second time I was paying
more attention to the details
and trying to figure things out.
But it says in the book that
everything,
names have been changed,
locations have been changed.
So could it have been somewhere
else?
Could it have been actually
in the area of Fayette County
and Dunbar, like it says in the
book,
and he's just trying to throw
people off?
Who knows?
It coulda happened in West
Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania.
- It was very general what he
said,
so it would be kinda like
looking for a needle in a
haystack.
- [Terrie] Exactly.
- [Brian] Where exactly it was.
So that's why we never
researched it ourself.
- [Loren] When you think
about it, 1976 was so early.
That's why a lot of people
never really discovered
the book, "The Creature," until
the 80s
because it kinda got lost.
It was almost like this
guy had this experience,
he wanted to self-publish it
and sort of get it off his
chest,
and it wasn't really promoted.
It wasn't a book that was pushed
a lot
or even shared with that many
other people
so I found it
kind of engaging at some
level for that reason
because it wasn't a book that
was produced
to make a lot of money.
It seemed to be a very
personal mission of the one
individual
who had an experience
and wanted to publish it.
- Well, I'll tell you what.
No matter what, I'm gonna have a
beer.
- That's right. Ya gotta chug
down a couple more of these.
- Yeah, that's why I'm here.
- [Jan] I did wish to
tell someone about Kong
but whom could I trust?
My choice was Joe,
a friend whom I occasionally
beleaguered with confidences.
I asked Joe to meet me
one afternoon after work.
We walked around drinking a few
beers
and I tossed a few
apples out into the yard
hoping Kong would come out.
I could tell Joe was just
here to drink my beer
and make small talk.
He had no other interest.
I decided to keep my secret to
myself.
One afternoon I thought
I would try to get
Kong's picture as proof.
I was sitting on the porch
as he chomped down on a few
apples.
I pulled out the camera
slowly from my pocket
and Kong immediately
got up and walked off.
This occurred on several
occasions.
I could not understand Kong's
fear of the metallic objects
and so I started to read
voraciously on primate behavior.
One source by George Shaler
and his experiences with
gorillas were similar to mine.
His books were published by
the University of Chicago
Press in 1963 and 1974.
He states that
until the gorillas were
thoroughly used to him,
he never looked them directly in
the eye
nor did he point a pair of
field glasses or camera at them
in case they might have
interpreted the staring eye
or the eye of the camera as a
threat.
There was no reason for Kong
to be threatened around me,
so my attempts at taking
pictures ended.
- Well, there's a lot of
activity there right now
but it's not being reported
again.
A lot of people don't wanna
say nuthin' to anybody
because they think they're
goofy.
So they don't really say
anything.
We recently had sightings,
people talking about sightings,
of a dog body and human heads.
And we got four of them
from four different people,
so I mean, did they really see
that?
I mean, again,
Bigfoot sightings around
here all the time.
- Well, one of the-
We always heard that Paul
Johnson was one of the gentleman
who actually wrote the book.
We know Paul pretty well.
We've known him for-
He's a member of our
organization
and we've known him for
probably about 15 years I think
and he assures us that it wasn't
him.
- [Researcher] Do you
think the book was a hoax?
- I think there was some
possible truth to it.
But I mean, if you read the
whole thing
you could look it as being true
and you could look at
it as not being true,
whichever way you wanna look at
it.
I mean...
- Possibly.
Also with this documentary
coming out,
maybe if it gets into
the hands of more people
you might get a breakthrough
and somebody might actually
come up to you and say,
"I actually think I know who it
was,"
and they may be able to direct
you towards
where The Diggins' actually are,
so you could be actually
helping find the truth out
by this documentary coming out.
[relaxing instrumental music]
- As do I think the author
had a stable mental health?
And the answer is definitely
yes.
Definitely yes.
He started out as a
high school teacher
and he ended up as a
part-time teacher in college
and then a full-time teacher.
And in my association with him,
he was perfectly normal and
logical.
And
we never developed a
really firm friendship,
but in our association the
only time he got mad was
when I challenged
his authenticity.
- [Jan] It had been several
months of Kong visiting me
and eating my apples.
I had grown use to him and
welcomed every chance to see
him.
He was probably my best friend
and he didn't even know it.
In our many hours of just
sitting and squatting
and looking at each other,
there seemed to be no purpose on
his part.
He seemed to anticipate that
I would devise something
or do something to give him
something.
It does not seem strange to me
that we would sit and look
at each other for hours.
The longest Kong and I stared
at each other in one stretch
was roughly 2 1/2 hours.
During one of our staring
sessions,
Kong did actually move toward
me and touch my finger.
We touched for a brief moment
and he turned back to his
squatting spot and ate his
apples.
He was obviously shy of humans,
yet he had made contact with
me and seemed to enjoy it.
Or at least he kept coming back
for more.
[relaxing instrumental music
continues]
- [Narrator] We traveled
north to meet with
a group of Bigfoot
researchers from Cryptovania,
Bigfoot researchers who are
on the cutting-edge of finding
proof that Bigfoot exists.
We met with Tommy Cooper
and his team for a late
night investigation
and to get their opinion
if the story of "The
Creature" was possible.
- [Researcher] As far as the
animal getting used to you,
becoming sort of like friends
type thing?
- Personally, I would never tell
anyone
not to do it or to do it.
Me personally, I don't think
it's a good idea though.
I think there's a reason
we don't have a good
relationship
with these creatures.
And quite frankly, I
think in a lot of ways
they're a lot smarter than we
are.
And I don't think that's a
relationship
that people should seek to get
into.
I mean, it's something fun
and interesting and exhilarating
to study.
But as far as buddying up
with one or with a group,
I think it's a bad idea.
I think you're asking
for trouble honestly.
- [Researcher] Kinda like
the guy with the brown bear.
- Yeah the Grizzly Man, yeah.
- [Researcher] Grizzly bear.
- Yeah. That may or may
not happen, I don't know.
But there's a reason that
the stories of the Wild Men
persist all through history
but yet it's still
something that's so rare
that most people question its
existence.
- [Researcher] "The Creature,"
the book that we're really
investigating,
would you say that that author
probably gave his story in that
book?
- Yes.
- [Researcher] There was
no internet, you know?
- Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah.
And you had the written word
and books and magazines,
and that was really it.
And even then, stuff was
you had to fit your narrative
to who was writing the check.
Unlike now,
if you wanted to put out
a book in the 70s and 80s,
you really had to fill it with
what the editors wanted
you to fill it with.
And nowadays, anybody can
publish a book.
I can pick an idea out of the
air and write a book about it
and have it published
on Amazon within a month
with very low monetary
investment.
And that's really freeing.
- This was based on...
"Mountain Devil 2," is based on
a book called "The Creature,"
and a lot of people that we
talked to,
or some of the people we talked
to, say, "That's ridiculous.
"There's a lot of fake stuff in
there."
But, okay.
What's your thoughts on could
a real story be wound into
something that was exaggerated
a little bit to make a story?
You know?
- Well, I mean, sure 'cause you
look at like a lot of stuff.
I mean, that's gonna be based
on a little bit of truth,
but you also wanna try to sell a
story too
so you gotta embellish a little
bit
and make it sound it little
bit bigger than what it was.
But I mean,
there's gotta be some type
of kernel of truth to it too.
Unless you're just like a
crazy imaginative person,
I mean, to come up with a
story like that is just,
like off the bat, is just crazy.
[Nick laughing]
There's gotta be something to
it.
He had to have had some type of
experience
and whatever experience it was,
obviously it was pretty profound
to him.
But yeah, whether or not
it's as crazy as what it was,
I mean, there's still something.
- [Researcher] Are we in danger
when we go out there looking
for what we're looking for?
- I think the danger is real.
Like so many people have said,
they're a lot like people.
There's good ones, there's bad
ones.
There might be mating seasons.
There might be food shortages.
What? Any number of things
might factor into it.
But is there legit danger?
Yes, there is.
I can't say that it's always
gonna be peace and love.
- With people coming out with
these ideas
that are against the mainstream,
a lot of times you're hesitant
to come out with your sightings
and your ideas and your
experiences.
And it really-
How can you have accurate data
if people are afraid to come
forward?
And so, if you want accuracy
you've gotta accept all of the
phenomenon.
You can't just restrict
it to the ones that
if you only accept
things that can be proven
right here, right now,
you're gonna limit yourself,
you're gonna limit the data
that you have for crunching.
- [Researcher] Would you have
a relationship with Bigfoot
coming around?
- Well, I mean, the one guy
that we did an interview with
and he came up for the weekend,
Greg Yost,
I mean, he has a
relationship built with them.
It was really kind of wild,
'cause he says that they follow
him
and that gets into the
whole interdimensional thing
which that might be it.
But when we were up on top of
the hill
and we started getting this
noise,
and he started talking to the
one
and he was saying the name
of the Bigfoot that he knew.
And as soon as he said that
name, I mean it was crazy.
There was stuff getting tossed,
there was stuff running just
right outside of our view.
But it was just crazy how
as soon as he said, "Inky,"
that was the name of the
Bigfoot.
As soon as he said that,
it was just like it just lit
up with activity around us.
So that was pretty crazy.
So yeah, I think you can have
a relationship with them.
I think you gotta be pretty
open-minded
and just kinda open heart
and just kinda go into it.
But yeah, it could also get bad
I feel.
- [Loren] I think it's a ongoing
mystery
and I really do think that's an
unknown.
It's one of those mysteries
in the Bigfoot field
that will keep being discussed
because it's so compelling.
And seems as if, what if it was
real?
What if it was an interaction
between a professor
and a Bigfoot in the
hills of Pennsylvania?
That would be a pretty
remarkable event to document.
And let's hopefully get
more and more on it.
Maybe some relative,
maybe some grandkid of the
professor
will come forth someday and
we'll be able to know more.
[relaxing instrumental music]
- [Jan] It had been a few
days since I had seen Kong.
I was worried due to the
hunting season being in effect.
Every time I heard a gun
shot off in the distance,
I was worried it was Kong.
But another side of me hoped
that
he was just resting deep in the
forest.
My property was connected
to Chestnut Ridge
by a wide band of forest.
Chestnut Ridge was about 16
miles away as a crow flies.
It is entirely forested from
the West Virginia border,
almost to the northern
border of Pennsylvania.
It contains Forbes State
Forest and Laurel Caverns.
I'm hoping Kong lived in
some section of the unexplored
caverns.
No Kong this evening.
Perhaps the hunters in the
area are keeping him away.
I just hope that he is safe.
[somber instrumental music]
Hunting season had passed
and I had high hopes
that Kong would return.
I got a beer out of the fridge
and walked out on the porch,
and there he was squatting down.
He seemed a bit off.
No signs that he had
been shot by any hunters.
I pulled some apples out
and tossed them his way
but he had no interest in them.
I could tell something
was wrong with Kong.
[somber instrumental music
continues]
Slowly I made my way toward him
and he slowly extended his hand.
I touched his extended
hand and held it awhile.
He drew it closer to his body
and held my hand close to his
chest.
He closed his eyes.
He was obviously ill.
I sat with Kong for a few
hours before he got up
and walked off into the forest.
[somber instrumental music
continues]
[somber instrumental music
continues]
[relaxing instrumental music]
- I do believe that there
would be some sort of burial
because in the few times I've
heard the encounters of people
that said they actually
shot one and dropped it,
or whatever they say,
another one swings in, grabs
it and skedaddles with it.
So I think they do do
something with the bodies.
But that being said,
how many times you seen
a dead bear in the woods?
How many times have you seen
a dead bobcat or a coyote?
Nature's pretty efficient.
Bones don't last long.
Soft tissue doesn't last long.
There's too many things out
there looking for a meal
and especially around here.
I mean, in a matter of a few
short days
everything's gonna be gone.
[relaxing instrumental music
continues]
- I think as a rule if there
was a systematic problem,
I think we would already know
because I think these things are
around us
almost a lot of the time
when we're in the woods.
So if there was a problem,
if they were out to get us,
I think we would already know as
a rule.
- And I also like to encourage
people to come forward
and share their experiences
without fear of ridicule.
Because if we only listen
to the brave and the bold,
we're not gonna get all of the
story.
And if you are looking
for what exactly this is,
you have to explore all that
phenomenon
and you have to explore
the people that have
what you might call crazy
experiences.
And you have to include that.
If you're just picking and
choosing,
you're not doing any science.
You're not even really
doing any crunching,
you're just building a narrative
is kinda how I look at it.
- [Researcher] Let's talk about
gifting.
Good idea or bad idea?
- I mean, I wouldn't be
doing it in my backyard.
If you're gonna gift it like my
sister,
she was at this party
spot they used to hang out
down by a crick or whatever.
Well, the one night they had an
experience
where something came into
where they were hanging out
and they all quit going
there and hanging out.
Well, she started going there
just trying to figure out what
it was
and she started leaving fruits
and vegetables out there.
And then she started going there
and there was little round rocks
and stuff
that was getting left on the log
in place of the fruits
that she was leaving.
But yeah, I just told her, I was
like,
"That's cool out there
"but don't be doing that by
your house and everything
"'cause once you quit then
"I think you're pulling in some-
"You're gonna make them mad.
"You're gonna piss them off."
Because they get use to this
relationship
or whatever that you're
building with them,
and then you just cut ties
and stuff is just gonna get bad
I feel.
[somber instrumental music]
- [Loren] He didn't kill
it but he found it dead
and then he buried it,
and he felt that people could
claim that
he had been involved in the
demise of this creature.
So I don't know.
It's one of those cases
where I'd have to say
I don't know at the end of the
day.
But I thought the possibility
was there
enough for me to wanna pursue it
and look at the various details
of it.
And it was in an area that
there had been a lot of tales,
folklore and sightings,
so it seemed realistic in that
regard too.
- Yeah, well, as I told
you I believe John Tomikel
was the actual writer of "The
Creature."
You know in looking at some of
the things.
He was in the army in 1952.
He was divorced shortly after
the first publication of "The
Creature."
I think it was around
1975, '76 he got divorced.
And the funny this is,
is the way I determined that
was from property records.
As a private investigator,
one of the things I do is,
all right, I don't need
to talk to anybody.
Let's see if there is evidence
to back up the claim of the
book.
And at looking at, okay,
we know John Tomikel
was in the Korean War.
We know John Tomikel was
an earth science teacher.
We know John Tomikel got
divorced
shortly after the first
publication of the book.
And then we look at Jan Klement.
Jan Klement was in the army in
'52.
Jan Klement was an earth science
teacher.
Jan Klement got divorced in the
70s.
And even more to the fact was
the copyright found at
the Library of Congress
and the item number was
actually,
it was A757910,
"The Creature."
[somber instrumental music]
- [Jan] Several days passed.
When I went out to look for
Kong,
he was nowhere to be found.
No evidences indicated his
presence
at any time since our last
encounter.
Each evening I built a
fire and had a cold beer.
That night in particular
was colder than the others.
I decided to head inside for the
night
when I noticed something
laying off in the distance.
I shined my light on the object.
I was stunned to see Kong lying
there.
Stood there in a frozen
state for several minutes
before I tried to test his
state.
He was dead and rigor mortis had
set in.
What to do?
My first thought was that
I now had evidence of a species
to measure
and to show to the public.
The horror of the public
asking me questions
and invading my private
life was too much for me.
It wasn't fair to Kong either.
My decision was to bury Kong
with the idea that I could dig
him up
if I ever decided to do
so and needed to do so.
[somber instrumental music
continues]
It was almost impossible to
get his body into my vehicle
but I was able to manage with
a picnic table and a rope.
I grabbed some tools and a
shovel
and headed toward Winds
Gap in Chestnut Ridge.
It was a remote area.
I thought about the fact that
no dead creatures like
him have ever been found.
Perhaps I got to him before
the others of his kind
could gather him up.
I should have buried him on
my property where he fell,
but at that time
I was not thinking as
logically as I am now.
[somber orchestral music]
[door clicking]
[engine roaring]
[somber orchestral music
continues]
[rain falling]
[ax cutting]
[rain falling]
I drove over the ridge through
the gap and cut the motor,
drifting down the road
to where I could stop
and do the burial.
I tried to drag Kong into the
woods but he was too heavy.
There was only one thing I could
do.
I took out the ax
and started cutting him
into moveable pieces.
First, his head came off.
I moved to his arms and legs
next.
I was crying uncontrollably
the entire time.
With the rest of the energy
I had left I dug a grave.
The pieces of Kong lay
in disarray about me.
I stood there for a
moment to catch my breath
when I noticed a car wheel.
The West Virginia,
Pennsylvania border is strewn
with car parts from the mountain
people
that live in these isolated
areas.
I took the wheel with the idea
that
if I ever wanted to find
the grave site again,
all I had to do was
bury the wheel with Kong
and use my metal detector to
find it.
I covered him quickly and
thought about Kong, my friend.
[somber orchestral music
continues]
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh
- [Jan] Weeks had passed slowly
and I reflected upon my
association with Kong.
He was a creature of the
deep forest, a quiet soul.
There are days when I just sit
here
and hope that I see my
friend one more time.
I listen really hard to the
forest.
At times I trick myself to
thinking
Kong was coming through the
woods for one last apple.
Perhaps I just miss my friend.
[somber orchestral music
continues]
- I really hate to tell you this
story
but I'll do it.
Since I'm 91 years old,
I should set the record
straight.
It was about three years
after the book was published
and I had buried
the 500 copies,
and
I had written a couple of books
myself on
scientific subjects.
Someone might get the
impression since I write books,
novels, that I wrote
"The Creature."
I edited "The Creature,"
but I did not write it.
The story is the work of Jan
Klement.
There was a picnic at a
place called Mingo Creek
which is in Southwestern
Pennsylvania,
and I was
the kind of the feature there
because I had prepared all
these edible wild plants.
And there were other
people involved there.
And Jan Klement showed up.
When we were
kind of by ourselves,
I started berating him
about "The Creature"
and saying,
"You know it's unbelievable."
And he got quite mad at me.
And he said,
"Okay, I'll show you where he's
buried."
And right away, my eyes, I said,
"This was gonna be it."
So we decided to take his truck
and I put my shovel in the back
of it,
and he was gonna let me dig it
up.
We got out
and we started walking through
underbrush.
It was multi-floral rows
and it was very difficult to get
through.
And this was three years after
the fact.
So he said, "Why don't
you go down the right
"and I'll go to the left
"and you look for a mound of
dirt."
He said, "It shouldn't be hard
to find."
So I'm scrabbling around
and he's on the other side,
and all of a sudden he
hollers, "Son of a bitch!"
And I raced over
through all kinds of underbrush
and there he was standing beside
a hole in the ground that was
about the size of a bath tub.
And I looked at it
and it was full of
golden rod and thistles,
but it was a good depression.
And then there was a mound of
dirt on the other side of it.
And
I remember he said that he had
buried
a car wheel or truck wheel with
it.
So I scraped around and, sure
enough,
there was a truck wheel there.
And
that was it and we rode back in
silence.
And he was really upset.
And we got back to our vehicles.
He went his way and I went mine
and that was that.
[choir singing in foreign
language]
[choir singing in foreign
language]
[choir singing in foreign
language]
[choir singing in foreign
language]
- [Jan] To this day,
I will not discuss Kong
with anyone personally.
And even if you, the viewer,
should discover who I am,
I will refuse to discuss
these events with you.
Just assume that this is fiction
and not worth legitimate time.
[choir singing in foreign
language]
[choir singing in foreign
language]
- [Narrator] Since the first
edition of "The Creature"
was published, there have
been many phone calls
concerning the identity of the
author.
The publisher has pledged to
keep the author anonymous.
The only other information
that has been provided is that
the cabin and its property
was sold years ago.
In 1986, the cabin was burned
to the ground by arsonists.
The ruins of the cabin are still
there,
as well as remnants of the pond.
The property is overgrown
with weeds and brush.
Several very expensive houses
have been built in the area
and the present owner has
refused to sell to developers.
There continues to be sightings
of creatures in the area
to this day.
[choir singing in foreign
language]
[choir singing in foreign
language]
[choir singing in foreign
language]
[choir singing in foreign
language]
[choir singing in foreign
language]
[choir singing in foreign
language]
[choir singing in foreign
language]
- [Narrator] In 1976, a
book titled "The Creature"
by Jan Klement was published.
A story about a man
and his interactions
with a Bigfoot creature.
For many years the book was a
mystery.
Could the book just be an
elaborate hoax?
Or could the remains of a
Bigfoot
be buried in the
foothills of Pennsylvania?
[choir singing in foreign
language]
[film reel clicking]
[film reel clicking]
[film reel clicking]
[relaxing guitar music]
Do not stand at my grave and
weep
I am not there, I do not sleep
I am a thousand winds that
blow
I am the diamond glimpse on
the snow
I am the sunlight or ripened
grain
I am the gentle autumn rain
When you waken in the morning
hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circle of
flight
I am the soft stars
that shine at night
Do not stand at my grave and
cry
I am not there, I did not die
[somber instrumental music]
[somber instrumental music
continues]
[haunting instrumental music]
[haunting instrumental music
continues]
[relaxing orchestral music]
[relaxing orchestral music
continues]
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh
Oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
[relaxing orchestral music
continues]
[thunder crashing]
[rain falling]
[thunder crashing]
[thunder crashing]
[mysterious dramatic music]
[thunder crashing]
[haunting instrumental music]
- [Narrator] Fear is
in the mind, they say,
but I strongly believe
that the eyes manufacture
the fear that resides in the
mind.
I have portrayed this in
the movie "Mountain Devil,"
a film that was very
difficult to bring to life.
A story about two hunters
coming face-to-face
with something they had never
seen before,
a creature that was
suppose to be just a myth
was now pounding on the
outside of their cabin door.
But the human strength lies in
the ability
to think of a solution out of a
crisis.
And there it was: Rifles.
- [Hunter] Shoot, Randy, Shoot!
[guns blasting]
- [Narrator] To bring down
that Goliath, so they thought.
To bury it and try to forget
what they just experienced.
But even in death,
the creature still haunted
those terrified hunters.
"Mountain Devil" had
become a very long journey
and I felt satisfied when it was
time
to bring it to an audience
and then finally laying it to
rest.
Searching for the truth
about Frank Peterson
had become a emotional roller
coaster for several years.
At the end,
I will always wonder if the
truth was in
that eight millimeter film.
I felt I had said all
I needed to say about
the Bigfoot phenomena in
Pennsylvania.
Until now.
Several years ago,
I stumbled upon a book
titled "The Creature,"
and I found myself
asking the same questions
as I did while making "Mountain
Devil."
But the question had become,
could I go to that place one
more time?
It was this book that
re-lit those memories.
So I wanted to understand
the inspiration for the book,
"The Creature."
What propelled that art?
Was it fiction or non-fiction?
I believe the author has
his side to the story,
just like I have a reason for
mine.
I began to analyze the
book from front to back,
looking for clues on each page.
And my first clue was the
publishing company itself,
the Allegheny Press.
After a little searching online
I found the address but no phone
number.
My best effort was to write a
letter
and my efforts did pay
off with a response.
[relaxing instrumental music]
[upbeat instrumental music]
[upbeat instrumental music
continues]
[upbeat instrumental music
continues]
- My name is John Tomikel
and I am 91 years old.
And I was at one time
the publisher of "The Creature."
We would go to conventions
and there is where I
met the man Jan Klement.
And we were friends.
We were friendly but we were not
friends.
At one convention
he asked me if I would consider
publishing a book that he wrote.
And
I said, "Well, what's it about?"
And he said,
"It's about my experiences with
Bigfoot."
[mysterious instrumental music]
[relaxing instrumental music]
- [Jan] Sometimes the mind
plays strange tricks upon us
and with the passage of time,
we find it difficult to
separate truth from fantasy.
Time has passed, about
two years to be exact,
and I feel that I'd
better write down my story
before it passes into the
gray area of unreality.
[relaxing instrumental music
continues]
I have never seen such
a creature in my life.
My first impression was that
the creature was ape-like
or man-like, about seven feet
tall
and covered with brown hair.
The creature seems very powerful
with well-developed legs
and shoulder muscles.
I felt very fortunate
to see such a creature.
It was no longer folklore to me.
[relaxing instrumental music
continues]
- [Narrator] We needed
to find out more about
the locations where this story
"The Creature" took place
so we headed south to
Dunbar, Pennsylvania,
to meet up
with some of the leading
experts in the Bigfoot field
for some answers.
I started with Stan Gordon,
who has been researching
the Bigfoot phenomena
near the Chestnut Ridge for many
years.
- I've heard people tell me that
they're familiar with the book
and I've heard some people say
who they thought who
possibly was involved,
but nobody really had any proof,
any really good information.
I remember many, many years ago
I tried to do some follow up on
it
but really couldn't get
anywhere.
And I was so busy
investigating current reports,
I really couldn't donate a lot
of time to the investigation.
But it's a very, very
interesting story.
The question is,
is how much there is truthful
and how much may not be?
But it is a very interesting
story
and I'll keep an open
mind to all possibilities.
[relaxing instrumental music]
- [Narrator] Could we be
on the trail of discovering
who the author truly was
and the possible location of
where
this encounter took place?
- [Researcher] "The Creature,"
the book,
is possibly fiction or
non-fiction?
I know I already asked these
questions,
but I'm just kind of repeating
them.
- I'd like to believe
that it's true but...
And as far as percentage is
concerned,
I would lean toward maybe
60/40 that it's true
and 40 that it isn't.
The way he described the
creature,
it's pretty believable.
But like I also have
said to many people that
some of the nuances
and the little characteristics
of the creature,
it's really hard to believe
as far as
its behavior with Jan Klement.
As far as just staring at each
other for periods of up to
an hour and half, two hours at a
time,
just looking at each other
and observing each other.
No real close interaction,
of course, as he had written.
I believe it's possible. I
really do.
- My name's Eric Altman.
I'm from North Huntington,
Pennsylvania,
in the southwestern corner of
the state.
And I did investigating
sightings
and claims of a Bigfoot
creature for going on
close to 22 years now.
The book and experiences
that Jan wrote about
are very detailed.
He provides extremely
detailed information about
the creature itself,
some of it's unusual behaviors
and habits.
And he talks about having
almost daily encounters
with the creature.
And at that time, back in the
mid-1970s,
before the book was released,
there was little information
that was released to the public.
Just the general encounters
that Jan had in the book,
so it's very intriguing to
read that kind of minute detail
that he writes about in the
story.
There were some theories that
were put out
by a few experienced Bigfoot
researchers.
Loren Coleman proposed a theory,
I believe Loren proposed
it was chemistry professor,
Dr. Paul Johnson at the
University of Duquesne.
But upon questioning Paul,
myself and other people have
asked him,
he said he absolutely was
not the author of the book.
We know the author of the book
claims that
he was an earth science
professor
at a small university in
the Pittsburgh region,
although we don't know who it
is.
- [Narrator] Dr. Paul
Johnson is a professor
at a local university in
Pennsylvania.
For many years, people in the
Bigfoot community thought that
Dr. Johnson had written
the book "The Creature."
We attempted to reach out
to him for an interview
but he denied.
He did send the following email
with his thoughts on the matter.
The following is his email:
Around 1995, a writer for
the "Mountain Journal,"
who had previously interviewed
me,
ran across the book, "The
Creature" in a yard sale.
He photocopied the pages
and mailed it to me.
I was told that the publisher
knew the author's true name
and promised never to reveal it.
I read the book and
decided it was fictional.
Apparently someone decided that
the author was a college science
teacher
in Western Pennsylvania
and the author choose the
pseudonym
because Roberto Clemente was
his favorite ball player,
so he changed the letter C to a
K
and dropped the letter E at the
end.
For the next 20 years,
many researchers suspected
that I was the author
because Roberto was my
favorite ball player
and, of course, I teach at a
university.
I always told them I was not the
author.
Dr. Paul G. Johnson.
- One of the stipulations that
the man Klement wanted
was his identity not to be known
because even I was ridiculing
him,
and so he was really upset about
that.
And so
we had to have an author
and so I gave him the name Jan
Klement
which was the name of
one of my grandfathers.
[relaxing instrumental music]
- [Jan] For about a week
thereafter
I set apples on the railing with
no luck.
I would set out two apples at a
time
and would not leave more
than that overnight.
Why should the creature want my
apples
when he could pick his own from
any of the wild apple trees
that abound in the area?
The creature's appearance
at my home escaped me.
Deep down I still hope to
able to see it one more time.
After several weeks,
the creature appeared
again for some apples.
He came from around the cabin
and was standing four feet from
the porch.
I stood still for a moment,
then I made slight hand motions
for the creature to come to me.
I realized at once that it was
not a human
and hand motions meant nothing,
so I retrieved an apple
and tossed it at the creature's
feet.
He picked up the apples and
began to chomp down on them.
I threw him another and another.
And on the third apple I
spoke in low hushed tones,
increasing my volume to
normal about the 10th apple.
The creature loaded most
of these in his arms
and walked to the bushes
at the end of the clearing
and disappeared.
- During the time it happened,
of course I was out there
investigating with my teams
so many of the Bigfoot
sightings here in Pennsylvania.
And it was being covered
extensively
by the local news media.
It was on radio and TV.
Newspapers were giving
it a lot of coverage.
There were a lot of details
about some of my investigations
that were coming out at the
time.
[somber instrumental music]
- I guess I'm not surprised in
that
a pact had been made with
the publisher with regard to
not letting out the factual
information with regard to that.
Especially if you can...
The element of trust is
probably as strong today
as it was yesteryear,
but there had to be
a good bond between the
author and the publisher
in order to keep that story
safe.
- If the author of the
book is still living today,
there could be terms
that could be acceptable
and agreed upon
where the author could
still remain anonymous,
that the alleged burial site
would remain secret and
confidential,
that even today, years later,
a forensic scientific
investigation
could be done on the site.
And this author indicated that
he was very concerned over
preserving the species
of this unknown creature.
And if that was the case,
this would help to first
strongly indicate
and strongly confirm that
there's some type of unknown
species of creature out there
but may also help to protect
this unknown species as well.
- We don't know exactly
where the cabin that
he called The Diggins' was
or where it burned down,
so we can't really
validate that information
to say the book was a legitimate
book.
However, it does provide
a lot of details to it,
especially to the creature,
his experiences with Kong.
He does describe a lot of the
area
and where the book may have
taken place
in the Dunbar Mountains,
the Southern Chestnut Ridge
in Southwestern PA, Fayette
County.
[somber instrumental music
continues]
- [Loren] The book was
brought to my attention
by other researchers
and it was so detailed.
It was so realistic
in terms of
how I knew from my
investigations
for over 50 years
how people really do approach
contact.
And what was remarkable was
done so matter-of-factly.
I knew a lot of
researchers in Pennsylvania
back in the 60s and 70s
and thought maybe I could
even figure out who it was,
the biology professor or at one
point,
he called himself an
earth science professor.
So it was nicely hidden in the
story,
all of the clues to who this
was.
And I asked various people,
some of whom I even knew as
professors.
They all denied being that
individual.
But it did seem like,
it definitely seemed like
there was something to there.
It was a very privately
published publication
and I felt that the
person that published it
was perhaps the same person
that was being the hero
or the narrator in the book.
So I certainly think that's a
possibility.
[somber instrumental music
continues]
[relaxing instrumental music]
- [Jan] The next evening he
returned a little earlier
and took apples from my hand,
but would not really let me get
near him.
As long as the railing
was between us he was calm
and when I went to leave the
porch,
he would walk away and
watch me over his shoulder.
As you the viewer may ask,
"Was I not frightened?"
I was terrified and
excited at the same time.
I knew this creature could
end my life very quickly
if it wanted to.
On one occasion, a young
deer came up to the field.
The creature noticed it and
quickly leaped to its feet
and was off like a flash of
lighting.
[relaxing instrumental music
continues]
[birds chirping]
[leaves rustling]
[mouth chomping]
[footsteps crunching]
His speed was fantastic
and he ran the deer down
before it got more than a 100
feet away.
[footsteps crunching]
He picked it up in his powerful
hands
and slammed it to the ground.
I assume, killing it instantly.
Instead of returning to me,
he put the deer under his arm
and stalked off through the
brush.
I did not see him again for five
days.
I worried that the creature
might want to try human flesh at
first,
but after a while the
thought did not bother me.
He ate none of his food in front
of me
and perhaps he did not eat it at
all.
I wondered if he had family
and perhaps he was feeding them
that deer.
That day I decided to give him a
name.
I gave him the name Kong.
[enchanting instrumental music]
- He asked for all kinds of
guarantees.
That I wouldn't mention his name
anywhere
and that as far as he was
concerned he didn't exist.
So that was
one of the bargains that I made
with him
and
so far I have stuck to that
bargain.
[enchanting instrumental music
continues]
- [Narrator] I reached out to
Steve Kulls,
a Bigfoot Investigator
located in Upstate New York.
Steve had done extensive
research
into the book "The
Creature," and the author.
I wanted to get his ideas
on who the author could be
and if the story held any merit.
- Well, the first was to do
was actually read the book.
And in my copy of the book
I highlighted a number of
sections in it
that contained biographical
data if you read the book.
So in this case, Jan Klement is,
well, the whole thing wrapped in
one.
So I need to look at him as a
person
to see, kind of build a profile.
So I was looking for a college
professor
who taught earth science,
who got divorced shortly
after the book got published,
who was in the military service
in 1952
to '54 specifically.
No person named Jan Klement
existed.
I mean, I've run it even
through background services
and it was a no-go.
The funny thing is in
conversation
with some of the locals,
one of them being,
and I believe he's an
entomologist in the area
who has a fascination
with the Bigfoot mystery,
actually knew of a Klement's
Point.
And this got me really
excited because I'm thinking,
"Maybe the place does exist."
So I get on the Google Maps
and look at the satellite shots
and one of the giveaways in
the later editions was that
the cabin in the 80s had been
burned down
but the footprint of
the cabin still exists.
And this Klement's Point had
this footprint of this cabin
with a pond which back in
the 60s and 70s, early 70s,
overlooked cow pastures so it
really fit.
[enchanting instrumental music
continues]
[relaxing instrumental music]
- [Jan] My efforts at tracking
Kong were always in vain
for he left no trails
or tracks of any kind.
The forest area has many large
rock formations and caves.
I often wondered if Kong
stayed in one of the caves
in the area.
Unfortunately, no Kong today.
[relaxing instrumental music
continues]
- Once again, attributed to the
fact that
I'm sure he was a very
knowledgeable educated man
in quite a few science fields.
And, of course, he had a base of
friends.
He had the zoology professor,
anthropology people that
he could confer with
in neighboring universities,
whether it be Waynesburg
College,
whether it be California State
College.
Back then they weren't
universities.
So he was handed, I think,
a platter of good information
that he would be to write from
in a very believable manner.
- Yeah, I've been doing
this now going on 61 years.
I knew many of the main people
involved in Bigfoot research
back in those days and I've
learned of many others since,
and I've never heard it brought
up
that anybody who was involved
in investigations actively
may have been involved with the
book.
I've heard rumors of people who
may have been involved with the
book
that other people were following
up
and trying to find out
who this person might be.
But to be honest with you,
I was so busy investigating
other reports
I really didn't have time
to follow up on the book.
[relaxing instrumental music
continues]
I would think that somebody
who had their first encounter
as talked about in the book,
they would have gone
through much more detail.
Also the behavior of the
creature
that's described in the book.
So the author is talking
about the fact that
this creature after a period of
time
begins to make frequent, almost
daily,
visits to the property,
that they're actually
having meals together
and they get very close.
And that's something again of
the
hundreds of Bigfoot cases I've
worked on,
this is something that
just doesn't come up.
- The author, he's using a pen
name.
We don't know exactly where the
cabin
that he called The Diggins'
was or where it burned down,
so we can't really
validate that information.
However, without any way
to validate who he was
or where the actual cabin sat,
we can't follow up on those
claims.
And to this day,
no one really knows if it is a
non-fiction
or a fictional book.
- [Researcher] This road
in particular is where
Jan Klement had taken
Kong after Kong's death,
from the northern portion
towards Chestnut Ridge
and Dunbar Township and Game
Lands 51,
in a south direction onto Wind
Gaps Road
and decided he was going
to bury the creature.
He did so off to the side of the
road
because it was very handy.
Unfortunately, also cumbersome
in that
he was trying to handle
the weight of the creature
by himself.
- I believe I was looking at a
map,
I wanna say circa 1968,
1967, somewhere in there of that
area.
And sure enough, there was
a pull-off before the border
and there looked like there
could be
some trails in that particular
area.
The description in the book
says that he could see the hill,
over the next hill was
actually West Virginia.
So that could really only equate
for three different areas really
that where he would be able
to see a hill on the
other side of the border.
So it came down to like three
different fingers almost
as this site came.
But getting out to that site
is the last step, you know?
[soft mysterious music]
- [Narrator] It seemed as if
I had more questions than
answers.
Who was this mystery writer?
And why would they hide
after writing such a story?
My thoughts ran in several
directions.
Was the story even true?
Or a complex hoax?
Or could there be the remains of
a Bigfoot
in the foothills of Pennsylvania
waiting to be discovered?
I headed north towards
Indiana, Pennsylvania,
to meet up with another
group of Bigfoot researchers
and hoped to find an answer to
the mystery of the creature.
[soft mysterious music
continues]
- I am the Director of the
Fayette County
Pennsylvania Bigfoot Research
Project
and also West Virginia Center
for Unexplained Events.
- [Researcher] And your name is?
- Fred Saluga.
[camera snapping]
I believe he may have had some
interaction with the Bigfoot
but I don't think that, I mean,
towards the end of the book
where he chopped him up and that
I don't really believe that.
But again, with the apple,
the apples and that.
And also, I recently went out
and was doing some research
on the police chief
because he talked about the
police chief had nine kids.
And I talked to a lady in
a township up by Dunbar.
She said that the police chief
up there
had anywhere between seven to
nine kids.
So it's very possible
that was the police chief,
but he's dead now.
- Yeah, we have talked
to people about the book
and it seems like a lot of
people don't believe in it.
There's always that but, you
know?
What if there is some truth in
this book?
- Did he write it to be so
unbelievable
that people wouldn't believe
it so they wouldn't pursue
the location that maybe
it actually did happen?
[camera snapping]
Even though you say there
wasn't many resources back then,
we did not have the internet
but there were many books
written
back in the 60s and 70s on
Bigfoot
and there were a lot of
articles and magazines out.
So he did have that as resources
as opposed to the internet.
- [Researcher] Do you really
believe
this guy had that experience?
- Ah...
I would not say he
completely didn't, all right?
I believe that there are people
that actually been talking to
Bigfoot for the last 15 years.
I mean, down in West Virginia
they were telling us that
they used to run the
Bigfoot out of the barn
because he was eating the cow
stuff.
I think Bigfoot was like a
family member to a lot of
people.
- Now the first time I read the
book,
I just read it through
as just reading a story.
The second time I was paying
more attention to the details
and trying to figure things out.
But it says in the book that
everything,
names have been changed,
locations have been changed.
So could it have been somewhere
else?
Could it have been actually
in the area of Fayette County
and Dunbar, like it says in the
book,
and he's just trying to throw
people off?
Who knows?
It coulda happened in West
Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania.
- It was very general what he
said,
so it would be kinda like
looking for a needle in a
haystack.
- [Terrie] Exactly.
- [Brian] Where exactly it was.
So that's why we never
researched it ourself.
- [Loren] When you think
about it, 1976 was so early.
That's why a lot of people
never really discovered
the book, "The Creature," until
the 80s
because it kinda got lost.
It was almost like this
guy had this experience,
he wanted to self-publish it
and sort of get it off his
chest,
and it wasn't really promoted.
It wasn't a book that was pushed
a lot
or even shared with that many
other people
so I found it
kind of engaging at some
level for that reason
because it wasn't a book that
was produced
to make a lot of money.
It seemed to be a very
personal mission of the one
individual
who had an experience
and wanted to publish it.
- Well, I'll tell you what.
No matter what, I'm gonna have a
beer.
- That's right. Ya gotta chug
down a couple more of these.
- Yeah, that's why I'm here.
- [Jan] I did wish to
tell someone about Kong
but whom could I trust?
My choice was Joe,
a friend whom I occasionally
beleaguered with confidences.
I asked Joe to meet me
one afternoon after work.
We walked around drinking a few
beers
and I tossed a few
apples out into the yard
hoping Kong would come out.
I could tell Joe was just
here to drink my beer
and make small talk.
He had no other interest.
I decided to keep my secret to
myself.
One afternoon I thought
I would try to get
Kong's picture as proof.
I was sitting on the porch
as he chomped down on a few
apples.
I pulled out the camera
slowly from my pocket
and Kong immediately
got up and walked off.
This occurred on several
occasions.
I could not understand Kong's
fear of the metallic objects
and so I started to read
voraciously on primate behavior.
One source by George Shaler
and his experiences with
gorillas were similar to mine.
His books were published by
the University of Chicago
Press in 1963 and 1974.
He states that
until the gorillas were
thoroughly used to him,
he never looked them directly in
the eye
nor did he point a pair of
field glasses or camera at them
in case they might have
interpreted the staring eye
or the eye of the camera as a
threat.
There was no reason for Kong
to be threatened around me,
so my attempts at taking
pictures ended.
- Well, there's a lot of
activity there right now
but it's not being reported
again.
A lot of people don't wanna
say nuthin' to anybody
because they think they're
goofy.
So they don't really say
anything.
We recently had sightings,
people talking about sightings,
of a dog body and human heads.
And we got four of them
from four different people,
so I mean, did they really see
that?
I mean, again,
Bigfoot sightings around
here all the time.
- Well, one of the-
We always heard that Paul
Johnson was one of the gentleman
who actually wrote the book.
We know Paul pretty well.
We've known him for-
He's a member of our
organization
and we've known him for
probably about 15 years I think
and he assures us that it wasn't
him.
- [Researcher] Do you
think the book was a hoax?
- I think there was some
possible truth to it.
But I mean, if you read the
whole thing
you could look it as being true
and you could look at
it as not being true,
whichever way you wanna look at
it.
I mean...
- Possibly.
Also with this documentary
coming out,
maybe if it gets into
the hands of more people
you might get a breakthrough
and somebody might actually
come up to you and say,
"I actually think I know who it
was,"
and they may be able to direct
you towards
where The Diggins' actually are,
so you could be actually
helping find the truth out
by this documentary coming out.
[relaxing instrumental music]
- As do I think the author
had a stable mental health?
And the answer is definitely
yes.
Definitely yes.
He started out as a
high school teacher
and he ended up as a
part-time teacher in college
and then a full-time teacher.
And in my association with him,
he was perfectly normal and
logical.
And
we never developed a
really firm friendship,
but in our association the
only time he got mad was
when I challenged
his authenticity.
- [Jan] It had been several
months of Kong visiting me
and eating my apples.
I had grown use to him and
welcomed every chance to see
him.
He was probably my best friend
and he didn't even know it.
In our many hours of just
sitting and squatting
and looking at each other,
there seemed to be no purpose on
his part.
He seemed to anticipate that
I would devise something
or do something to give him
something.
It does not seem strange to me
that we would sit and look
at each other for hours.
The longest Kong and I stared
at each other in one stretch
was roughly 2 1/2 hours.
During one of our staring
sessions,
Kong did actually move toward
me and touch my finger.
We touched for a brief moment
and he turned back to his
squatting spot and ate his
apples.
He was obviously shy of humans,
yet he had made contact with
me and seemed to enjoy it.
Or at least he kept coming back
for more.
[relaxing instrumental music
continues]
- [Narrator] We traveled
north to meet with
a group of Bigfoot
researchers from Cryptovania,
Bigfoot researchers who are
on the cutting-edge of finding
proof that Bigfoot exists.
We met with Tommy Cooper
and his team for a late
night investigation
and to get their opinion
if the story of "The
Creature" was possible.
- [Researcher] As far as the
animal getting used to you,
becoming sort of like friends
type thing?
- Personally, I would never tell
anyone
not to do it or to do it.
Me personally, I don't think
it's a good idea though.
I think there's a reason
we don't have a good
relationship
with these creatures.
And quite frankly, I
think in a lot of ways
they're a lot smarter than we
are.
And I don't think that's a
relationship
that people should seek to get
into.
I mean, it's something fun
and interesting and exhilarating
to study.
But as far as buddying up
with one or with a group,
I think it's a bad idea.
I think you're asking
for trouble honestly.
- [Researcher] Kinda like
the guy with the brown bear.
- Yeah the Grizzly Man, yeah.
- [Researcher] Grizzly bear.
- Yeah. That may or may
not happen, I don't know.
But there's a reason that
the stories of the Wild Men
persist all through history
but yet it's still
something that's so rare
that most people question its
existence.
- [Researcher] "The Creature,"
the book that we're really
investigating,
would you say that that author
probably gave his story in that
book?
- Yes.
- [Researcher] There was
no internet, you know?
- Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah.
And you had the written word
and books and magazines,
and that was really it.
And even then, stuff was
you had to fit your narrative
to who was writing the check.
Unlike now,
if you wanted to put out
a book in the 70s and 80s,
you really had to fill it with
what the editors wanted
you to fill it with.
And nowadays, anybody can
publish a book.
I can pick an idea out of the
air and write a book about it
and have it published
on Amazon within a month
with very low monetary
investment.
And that's really freeing.
- This was based on...
"Mountain Devil 2," is based on
a book called "The Creature,"
and a lot of people that we
talked to,
or some of the people we talked
to, say, "That's ridiculous.
"There's a lot of fake stuff in
there."
But, okay.
What's your thoughts on could
a real story be wound into
something that was exaggerated
a little bit to make a story?
You know?
- Well, I mean, sure 'cause you
look at like a lot of stuff.
I mean, that's gonna be based
on a little bit of truth,
but you also wanna try to sell a
story too
so you gotta embellish a little
bit
and make it sound it little
bit bigger than what it was.
But I mean,
there's gotta be some type
of kernel of truth to it too.
Unless you're just like a
crazy imaginative person,
I mean, to come up with a
story like that is just,
like off the bat, is just crazy.
[Nick laughing]
There's gotta be something to
it.
He had to have had some type of
experience
and whatever experience it was,
obviously it was pretty profound
to him.
But yeah, whether or not
it's as crazy as what it was,
I mean, there's still something.
- [Researcher] Are we in danger
when we go out there looking
for what we're looking for?
- I think the danger is real.
Like so many people have said,
they're a lot like people.
There's good ones, there's bad
ones.
There might be mating seasons.
There might be food shortages.
What? Any number of things
might factor into it.
But is there legit danger?
Yes, there is.
I can't say that it's always
gonna be peace and love.
- With people coming out with
these ideas
that are against the mainstream,
a lot of times you're hesitant
to come out with your sightings
and your ideas and your
experiences.
And it really-
How can you have accurate data
if people are afraid to come
forward?
And so, if you want accuracy
you've gotta accept all of the
phenomenon.
You can't just restrict
it to the ones that
if you only accept
things that can be proven
right here, right now,
you're gonna limit yourself,
you're gonna limit the data
that you have for crunching.
- [Researcher] Would you have
a relationship with Bigfoot
coming around?
- Well, I mean, the one guy
that we did an interview with
and he came up for the weekend,
Greg Yost,
I mean, he has a
relationship built with them.
It was really kind of wild,
'cause he says that they follow
him
and that gets into the
whole interdimensional thing
which that might be it.
But when we were up on top of
the hill
and we started getting this
noise,
and he started talking to the
one
and he was saying the name
of the Bigfoot that he knew.
And as soon as he said that
name, I mean it was crazy.
There was stuff getting tossed,
there was stuff running just
right outside of our view.
But it was just crazy how
as soon as he said, "Inky,"
that was the name of the
Bigfoot.
As soon as he said that,
it was just like it just lit
up with activity around us.
So that was pretty crazy.
So yeah, I think you can have
a relationship with them.
I think you gotta be pretty
open-minded
and just kinda open heart
and just kinda go into it.
But yeah, it could also get bad
I feel.
- [Loren] I think it's a ongoing
mystery
and I really do think that's an
unknown.
It's one of those mysteries
in the Bigfoot field
that will keep being discussed
because it's so compelling.
And seems as if, what if it was
real?
What if it was an interaction
between a professor
and a Bigfoot in the
hills of Pennsylvania?
That would be a pretty
remarkable event to document.
And let's hopefully get
more and more on it.
Maybe some relative,
maybe some grandkid of the
professor
will come forth someday and
we'll be able to know more.
[relaxing instrumental music]
- [Jan] It had been a few
days since I had seen Kong.
I was worried due to the
hunting season being in effect.
Every time I heard a gun
shot off in the distance,
I was worried it was Kong.
But another side of me hoped
that
he was just resting deep in the
forest.
My property was connected
to Chestnut Ridge
by a wide band of forest.
Chestnut Ridge was about 16
miles away as a crow flies.
It is entirely forested from
the West Virginia border,
almost to the northern
border of Pennsylvania.
It contains Forbes State
Forest and Laurel Caverns.
I'm hoping Kong lived in
some section of the unexplored
caverns.
No Kong this evening.
Perhaps the hunters in the
area are keeping him away.
I just hope that he is safe.
[somber instrumental music]
Hunting season had passed
and I had high hopes
that Kong would return.
I got a beer out of the fridge
and walked out on the porch,
and there he was squatting down.
He seemed a bit off.
No signs that he had
been shot by any hunters.
I pulled some apples out
and tossed them his way
but he had no interest in them.
I could tell something
was wrong with Kong.
[somber instrumental music
continues]
Slowly I made my way toward him
and he slowly extended his hand.
I touched his extended
hand and held it awhile.
He drew it closer to his body
and held my hand close to his
chest.
He closed his eyes.
He was obviously ill.
I sat with Kong for a few
hours before he got up
and walked off into the forest.
[somber instrumental music
continues]
[somber instrumental music
continues]
[relaxing instrumental music]
- I do believe that there
would be some sort of burial
because in the few times I've
heard the encounters of people
that said they actually
shot one and dropped it,
or whatever they say,
another one swings in, grabs
it and skedaddles with it.
So I think they do do
something with the bodies.
But that being said,
how many times you seen
a dead bear in the woods?
How many times have you seen
a dead bobcat or a coyote?
Nature's pretty efficient.
Bones don't last long.
Soft tissue doesn't last long.
There's too many things out
there looking for a meal
and especially around here.
I mean, in a matter of a few
short days
everything's gonna be gone.
[relaxing instrumental music
continues]
- I think as a rule if there
was a systematic problem,
I think we would already know
because I think these things are
around us
almost a lot of the time
when we're in the woods.
So if there was a problem,
if they were out to get us,
I think we would already know as
a rule.
- And I also like to encourage
people to come forward
and share their experiences
without fear of ridicule.
Because if we only listen
to the brave and the bold,
we're not gonna get all of the
story.
And if you are looking
for what exactly this is,
you have to explore all that
phenomenon
and you have to explore
the people that have
what you might call crazy
experiences.
And you have to include that.
If you're just picking and
choosing,
you're not doing any science.
You're not even really
doing any crunching,
you're just building a narrative
is kinda how I look at it.
- [Researcher] Let's talk about
gifting.
Good idea or bad idea?
- I mean, I wouldn't be
doing it in my backyard.
If you're gonna gift it like my
sister,
she was at this party
spot they used to hang out
down by a crick or whatever.
Well, the one night they had an
experience
where something came into
where they were hanging out
and they all quit going
there and hanging out.
Well, she started going there
just trying to figure out what
it was
and she started leaving fruits
and vegetables out there.
And then she started going there
and there was little round rocks
and stuff
that was getting left on the log
in place of the fruits
that she was leaving.
But yeah, I just told her, I was
like,
"That's cool out there
"but don't be doing that by
your house and everything
"'cause once you quit then
"I think you're pulling in some-
"You're gonna make them mad.
"You're gonna piss them off."
Because they get use to this
relationship
or whatever that you're
building with them,
and then you just cut ties
and stuff is just gonna get bad
I feel.
[somber instrumental music]
- [Loren] He didn't kill
it but he found it dead
and then he buried it,
and he felt that people could
claim that
he had been involved in the
demise of this creature.
So I don't know.
It's one of those cases
where I'd have to say
I don't know at the end of the
day.
But I thought the possibility
was there
enough for me to wanna pursue it
and look at the various details
of it.
And it was in an area that
there had been a lot of tales,
folklore and sightings,
so it seemed realistic in that
regard too.
- Yeah, well, as I told
you I believe John Tomikel
was the actual writer of "The
Creature."
You know in looking at some of
the things.
He was in the army in 1952.
He was divorced shortly after
the first publication of "The
Creature."
I think it was around
1975, '76 he got divorced.
And the funny this is,
is the way I determined that
was from property records.
As a private investigator,
one of the things I do is,
all right, I don't need
to talk to anybody.
Let's see if there is evidence
to back up the claim of the
book.
And at looking at, okay,
we know John Tomikel
was in the Korean War.
We know John Tomikel was
an earth science teacher.
We know John Tomikel got
divorced
shortly after the first
publication of the book.
And then we look at Jan Klement.
Jan Klement was in the army in
'52.
Jan Klement was an earth science
teacher.
Jan Klement got divorced in the
70s.
And even more to the fact was
the copyright found at
the Library of Congress
and the item number was
actually,
it was A757910,
"The Creature."
[somber instrumental music]
- [Jan] Several days passed.
When I went out to look for
Kong,
he was nowhere to be found.
No evidences indicated his
presence
at any time since our last
encounter.
Each evening I built a
fire and had a cold beer.
That night in particular
was colder than the others.
I decided to head inside for the
night
when I noticed something
laying off in the distance.
I shined my light on the object.
I was stunned to see Kong lying
there.
Stood there in a frozen
state for several minutes
before I tried to test his
state.
He was dead and rigor mortis had
set in.
What to do?
My first thought was that
I now had evidence of a species
to measure
and to show to the public.
The horror of the public
asking me questions
and invading my private
life was too much for me.
It wasn't fair to Kong either.
My decision was to bury Kong
with the idea that I could dig
him up
if I ever decided to do
so and needed to do so.
[somber instrumental music
continues]
It was almost impossible to
get his body into my vehicle
but I was able to manage with
a picnic table and a rope.
I grabbed some tools and a
shovel
and headed toward Winds
Gap in Chestnut Ridge.
It was a remote area.
I thought about the fact that
no dead creatures like
him have ever been found.
Perhaps I got to him before
the others of his kind
could gather him up.
I should have buried him on
my property where he fell,
but at that time
I was not thinking as
logically as I am now.
[somber orchestral music]
[door clicking]
[engine roaring]
[somber orchestral music
continues]
[rain falling]
[ax cutting]
[rain falling]
I drove over the ridge through
the gap and cut the motor,
drifting down the road
to where I could stop
and do the burial.
I tried to drag Kong into the
woods but he was too heavy.
There was only one thing I could
do.
I took out the ax
and started cutting him
into moveable pieces.
First, his head came off.
I moved to his arms and legs
next.
I was crying uncontrollably
the entire time.
With the rest of the energy
I had left I dug a grave.
The pieces of Kong lay
in disarray about me.
I stood there for a
moment to catch my breath
when I noticed a car wheel.
The West Virginia,
Pennsylvania border is strewn
with car parts from the mountain
people
that live in these isolated
areas.
I took the wheel with the idea
that
if I ever wanted to find
the grave site again,
all I had to do was
bury the wheel with Kong
and use my metal detector to
find it.
I covered him quickly and
thought about Kong, my friend.
[somber orchestral music
continues]
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh
- [Jan] Weeks had passed slowly
and I reflected upon my
association with Kong.
He was a creature of the
deep forest, a quiet soul.
There are days when I just sit
here
and hope that I see my
friend one more time.
I listen really hard to the
forest.
At times I trick myself to
thinking
Kong was coming through the
woods for one last apple.
Perhaps I just miss my friend.
[somber orchestral music
continues]
- I really hate to tell you this
story
but I'll do it.
Since I'm 91 years old,
I should set the record
straight.
It was about three years
after the book was published
and I had buried
the 500 copies,
and
I had written a couple of books
myself on
scientific subjects.
Someone might get the
impression since I write books,
novels, that I wrote
"The Creature."
I edited "The Creature,"
but I did not write it.
The story is the work of Jan
Klement.
There was a picnic at a
place called Mingo Creek
which is in Southwestern
Pennsylvania,
and I was
the kind of the feature there
because I had prepared all
these edible wild plants.
And there were other
people involved there.
And Jan Klement showed up.
When we were
kind of by ourselves,
I started berating him
about "The Creature"
and saying,
"You know it's unbelievable."
And he got quite mad at me.
And he said,
"Okay, I'll show you where he's
buried."
And right away, my eyes, I said,
"This was gonna be it."
So we decided to take his truck
and I put my shovel in the back
of it,
and he was gonna let me dig it
up.
We got out
and we started walking through
underbrush.
It was multi-floral rows
and it was very difficult to get
through.
And this was three years after
the fact.
So he said, "Why don't
you go down the right
"and I'll go to the left
"and you look for a mound of
dirt."
He said, "It shouldn't be hard
to find."
So I'm scrabbling around
and he's on the other side,
and all of a sudden he
hollers, "Son of a bitch!"
And I raced over
through all kinds of underbrush
and there he was standing beside
a hole in the ground that was
about the size of a bath tub.
And I looked at it
and it was full of
golden rod and thistles,
but it was a good depression.
And then there was a mound of
dirt on the other side of it.
And
I remember he said that he had
buried
a car wheel or truck wheel with
it.
So I scraped around and, sure
enough,
there was a truck wheel there.
And
that was it and we rode back in
silence.
And he was really upset.
And we got back to our vehicles.
He went his way and I went mine
and that was that.
[choir singing in foreign
language]
[choir singing in foreign
language]
[choir singing in foreign
language]
[choir singing in foreign
language]
- [Jan] To this day,
I will not discuss Kong
with anyone personally.
And even if you, the viewer,
should discover who I am,
I will refuse to discuss
these events with you.
Just assume that this is fiction
and not worth legitimate time.
[choir singing in foreign
language]
[choir singing in foreign
language]
- [Narrator] Since the first
edition of "The Creature"
was published, there have
been many phone calls
concerning the identity of the
author.
The publisher has pledged to
keep the author anonymous.
The only other information
that has been provided is that
the cabin and its property
was sold years ago.
In 1986, the cabin was burned
to the ground by arsonists.
The ruins of the cabin are still
there,
as well as remnants of the pond.
The property is overgrown
with weeds and brush.
Several very expensive houses
have been built in the area
and the present owner has
refused to sell to developers.
There continues to be sightings
of creatures in the area
to this day.
[choir singing in foreign
language]
[choir singing in foreign
language]
[choir singing in foreign
language]
[choir singing in foreign
language]
[choir singing in foreign
language]
[choir singing in foreign
language]
[choir singing in foreign
language]
- [Narrator] In 1976, a
book titled "The Creature"
by Jan Klement was published.
A story about a man
and his interactions
with a Bigfoot creature.
For many years the book was a
mystery.
Could the book just be an
elaborate hoax?
Or could the remains of a
Bigfoot
be buried in the
foothills of Pennsylvania?
[choir singing in foreign
language]
[film reel clicking]
[film reel clicking]
[film reel clicking]
[relaxing guitar music]
Do not stand at my grave and
weep
I am not there, I do not sleep
I am a thousand winds that
blow
I am the diamond glimpse on
the snow
I am the sunlight or ripened
grain
I am the gentle autumn rain
When you waken in the morning
hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circle of
flight
I am the soft stars
that shine at night
Do not stand at my grave and
cry
I am not there, I did not die
[somber instrumental music]
[somber instrumental music
continues]
[haunting instrumental music]
[haunting instrumental music
continues]
[relaxing orchestral music]
[relaxing orchestral music
continues]
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh
Oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
[relaxing orchestral music
continues]
[thunder crashing]
[rain falling]
[thunder crashing]