Nestled in the Colorado River were several natural water falls that was created by a shelf of limestone running diagonally across the river from northeast to southwest. The upper layer of limestone, brownish on the exterior but a deep blue inside, was so hard and cherty it was mistaken for marble. The falls were actually three distinct formations at the head of a canyon 1.25 miles long, with a drop of some 50 feet through the limestone strata. This natural formation is the namesake of the community that sprang up around it in 1887. Marble Falls, Texas quickly grew to a population of 1,800 citizens within the decade.
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| Picture from the article in the Washington Bee (May 11, 1901) |
An article written in a Washington D.C. newspaper called the Washington Bee ( May 11, 1901, entitled, "Carried Off The Girl") tells a tale of one of the early settlers named Ramie Arland. Here is the article from the 1901 newspaper;
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A young lady out in Marble Falls, Texas was carried off by a "bear man" and returned home unhurt to tell tale.
The Kickapoo Indians of this region have long believed in a great "beat man" who rules all the bear of the mountains. Miss Ramie Arland, the heroine of this thrilling adventure, believes her encounter was with the
chief bear himself.
Ramie Arland is a pretty girl and the acknowledged belle of Marble Falls. She has always been a skeptic as to the existence of the "bear man."
The remarkable story she tells has however, gone far to convince the most skeptical.
The "bear man" in this case ventured almost to the back door of the Arlands, says the San Francisco Chronicle. Ramie went out recently early one evening to gather her flock of sheep, which were grazing near by.
This was a common occurrence and her absence was not noticed by the family until her mother heard her daughter scream wildly a short distance from the house. She rushed to the door. The screams were repeated but this time accompanied by the scream of a panther.
The mother seized a gun and rushed into the woods, but could find no trace of her daughter. She returned to the house and, collecting a hunting party, searched the woods all night. No trace of the missing girl could be found.
It was not until the next day that a hunter, wandering in the woods several miles from Marble Falls, found Ramie Arland aimlessly walking about. He helped her home, where she quickly recovered from her experience.
"l was walking along a narrow trail," she says, in telling her story "when a large black bear suddenly appeared in front of me. lIe quickly turned to run away when a curious looking animal, running on four feet, sprang out of the chaparral into the trail. I saw at a glance that the monster in some way resembled a human being, and it flashed across my mind that I was confronted the "bear king" of the KiekaPoos. It threw one of its long arms about my neck, glared into my and uttered horrible sound. I expected to be torn to fragments. The creature seized me and ran toward the mountains.
"It its cave at last and then left me lying on the ground. I tried to at once, but the creature struck me repeatedly on the head when I did so. I gave myself for lost. Finally, however,, he lay down to sleep. I waited an hour before attempting to steal away."
When the settlers cowboys heard this strange story they at once set out in the direction of the Moon mountains for the purpose of destroying the monster.
It ground its teeth together, and while pounding its breast, it would roar and scream like a panther. It was now so apparent to the hunters that the thing was at least human in shape that they hesitated to fire upon it. While they were deliberating it suddenly bounded rage straight toward the astounded hunters. They were compelled to kill It in self-defense.The article mentions a San Francisco Chronicle article but this author could not find any stories about this incident online. What became of the animals remains is unknown or what happen to the Arland girl after this horrific experience. Those details remains in the past of Marble Falls, Texas.
