ELVES AMONG THE COAL

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 166, 10 April 1926, Page 22

ELVES AMONG THE COAL

» LITTLE “ BROWN MEN” WHO VANISH

The appearance—reported twice within nine months —of a mysterious EHle creature, which is said to resemble a human being, recently excited much interest in the Forest of Dean.

The discovery of a “little brown manlike” creature was reported from the depths of I’oolway Colliery last April. There were people at the time who declared that it was a member of some dwarfish race living underground.

A day or two ago another strange little creature appeared in a bouse at Coleford, Mrs. T. Gwilliam, of Eastbourne House saw it in her coal scuttle. "I said, ‘looks for all the world like a collier,”’ Mrs. Gwilliam told me tonight. “My daughter began to scream. I went out to get a box to put it m, but evervone was afraid of it and no one would handle it. It was crawling up the coal scuttle. , , , , “I saw that it was of dark brown colour. Its body was long and nicely set. I saw no hair on it, but it had a beautifu) little brown round head and lovely black eyes. It had two arms and two long legs. “I am sure it was not a lizard or a frog or a toad. It also had very shapeIv hips. It made no sound, but looked around and went on crawling. There were five of us in the room at the time. As no one would lift it, we carried it out in the scuttle and emptied it into the drive. When we searched next morning it was not to be found.” Mrs. Gwilliam does not believe tn the dwarf human being explanation. She imagines that the creature was a strange little animal of human-like appearances. She suggested, however, that her little visitor might be the offspring of the creature found nine months ago. Mr Leslie Jones, who found the other “little man” in April, told me that at the time he was working in very old

workings at the colliery. The little thing was brought to the surface m the coal tram. Those who saw it were the proprietor of the colliery (Mr. Amo* Brown), Mr. William Jones, and Wil* liam Tye, apd himself. They all examined it. . “We lifted it up with sticks, he recalled. “It was brown, had very soft hair on its head, its face was the size of a small teacup, and its body about 14 inches long. You could discern small ears. Its eyes, were bright and it had eyebrows. The inside of it* mouth was pink, and it had a pim£ tongue and a pink roof to the mouth* It had a full set of teeth. “There were no arms. It had two legs, just like a human being’s. It*, feet were about threequarters of an inch long with five toes on each and ’ toenails on each toe. It made no noise. “Its hair reminded me of the hair worn in old Saxon times. It walked upright. Its body was covered with short hair. . , , □ “It was lifted on the pit bank and • when we went to search for it, it had gone. As the sticks we examined it with had gone also, I think someone must have taken it.” Then are all sorts of strange belief* in the district. One woman solemnly advances the theory that the creature* , are elves who live under the forest. Another belief held by some is that the creatures are the survivors of an actual little race which once lived in the Forest of Dean and which were shut awav underground. The theory that they belong to some dwarf race is also seriously field. But of course, the general opinion is that the strange little things are cnl” some subterranean freaks of nature and which have not been encountered hitherto. Unless another specimen, is captured and examined by a scientist, the mysterv of “the little men” of the Forest of Dean will remain unsolved.