VAN METER VISITOR,Iowa

117 years ago, a strange creature was said to have paid a visit to the small town of Van Meter in Iowa.

The strange events occurred in October of 1903. Several respected members of the community told of a mysterious half-animal, half-human winged creature that terrorized some of the town's residents during several nights in the course of the week. Descriptions of the beast suggested that it had large bat-like wings, left a terrible stench wherever it went, and, even stranger, it fired beams of bright light from its forehead.