You don't often hear about folks taking a walk in a nearby field or wooded area and coming across an animal they've never seen before.  But, it does happen on rare occasions.  One such occurrence was in the summer of 1907 in the hilly sections of New Hanover and Upper Hanover Townships.

A kangaroo that probably escaped from a traveling menagerie, was reported to have roamed the area of Pleasant Run in New Hanover Township for several years in the early 1900's.

            It was reported that several people saw a strange creature so fleet that no one could get a good look at it.  It was described as being of gray color with the head of a lamb and a body of large proportions.  When approached by a human being it darted away at tremendous speed.

            On several occasions the animal was attacked by dogs, who were bested by the strange animal when it tossed them aside with terrific force.  It emitted a yelp like a hyena and the sounds were heard often at night.

            The animal was actually seen over the previous six years but not as often as recently experienced.  That coincided with a report that a kangaroo had escaped from a menagerie traveling through that area at that time.  These Australian natives are highly adaptable to a variety of habitats.

            A traveling menagerie was a touring group that visited towns with common and exotic animals. 

            Erwin Styer saw the animal in a grove in Pleasant Run owned by Kehl Markley.  Martin Stengal also saw it.  Both men agreed that it was a kangaroo. 

            Pleasant Run was a small village located in the area of Shultz Road and Deep Creek Road in New Hanover Township.

Traveling menageries were touring groups that visited cities and towns with common and exotic animals. More than a century ago, it was the only time most rural folks  could experience exotic animals.

            But, that didn't keep the local people from being frightened and many were afraid to go out at night because of the stories told about the creature.  An item in one August, 1907 edition of the Town and Country reported, "The severest suffering has been entailed upon the young men and young women whose outdoor pleasures have encountered a severe check.  Even the most valiant wooer who would brave death for his sweetheart would hesitate about encountering a kangaroo on a lonely road at night."

            One Pleasant run lad said, "It ain't so much that I'm afraid of any wild beast that ever roamed Montgomery County, but I certainly do object to the disgrace of being knocked by the tail of a kangaroo.  I'm ready for a fair fight with any sort of animal, but a kangaroo is such a blamed coward that it just hits a fellow a terrific swipe with its tail and hind feet then runs away like a steak of lightning.  So I guess we fellows won't do much sitting up with the girls for a while."

            And, what would a good story be without a conspiracy theory?

            Some of the young men courting one of Pleasant Run's belles reported that the kangaroo story was a mean scheme of one of the youths rebuffed by her and that he was spreading the story to keep other fellows away from her.

            The sightings of the strange animal slowly died off over the months.

            To the older folks, it was never anything to get excited about.  According to the newspaper account, when asked about it, they simply winked their eye and went about their business.