The Flat Mountain Beast

This vintage newspaper article comes from a November 26, 1920 edition of the Greenbrier Independent, a paper based in Lewisburg, WV.  It seems as if many believe the 'beast' is an escaped circus gorilla...but could it be something more?  The size and reddish coloring suggest that it could be a Bigfoot, and although I'm not a zoologist, I would think that even with our mountains, a journey from Wheeling to the Lewisburg area would result in a few more reported sightings.  I'll let you decide for yourself, though!  Here's the text as it appears in the original article:

SAW A 'WHAT IS IT.' 

A strange beast is said to have been seen roaming around on Flat Mountain within the past week.  It is said to stand about 6 feet high, apparently weighs 350 pounds, and is of a reddish and blackish color.  The beast, which resembles a gorilla, is said to have a broken chain around its neck.

It is reported that among those who have seen the beast are Opie Wikle and Wm. Hedrick, who live near Broad Run, and that the beast gave him a chase one night about a week ago.  The report of a strange beast of the description noted above has thrown a scare into some of the residents of Flat Mountain and 'Old Betsy' has been greased up in a number of homes and made ready for business.

Several weeks ago a strange beast whose description was not unlike that of the above animal was reported to be roaming one of the mountains of Pocahontas county was neither killed nor captured. The beast seen on Flat Mountain may be the same.  It is reported to have two long upper and and three long lower teeth.

Others are said to have seen the "critter," and have coupled it with a circus wreck said to have happened near Wheeling about three months ago, when a gorilla 5 1-2 feet tall is said to have escaped into Pennsylvania. The beast may have taken to the mountains and started South, which would account for its presence in Pocahontas county and later in this section.  Such explanation is better than none at least, for it is claimed firmly that the animal is not a product of either a vivid or a disordered imagination.---Alderson Advertiser