- El Dragón Invisible and El Diario de la República
April 10, 2004
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- **Child hospitalized; claims he was startled by El Uñudo
("The Clawed One")
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- SAN LUIS -- Local
residents, police and community protection brigades went in search of the
elusive creature, but it managed to escape yet again. The child only suffered
a fright.
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- First it was a source of amusement and very few paid
it any attention. But the fact is that since Wednesday night, El Uñudo
went on to become the main subject of conversation in [the town of] Justo
Daract after a child was hospitalized with nervous shock after having encountered
the mysterious character.
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- As mentioned by this newspaper in earlier editions, the
strange character drew attention when it appeared before some young women
who work for the Community Safety Watch, one of whom fainted. In any event,
the most serious episode involving this creature occurred on Wednesday
night, when a child heading home from doing some errands was startled by
it.
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- According to the information collected, the 11 year-old
boy was returning home when on the dark corner of Liniers and Los Andes
streets in Justo Daract's Barrio Nrote, he felt someone tap him on the
back. Upon turning around, he found something or someone that frightened
him considerably. Terrified, the boy ran home screaming, alerting neighbors
to the situation. They immediately came out of their homes to find out
what the commotion was about.
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- Whiel residents of this sector, adjacent to the train
station, started the search, elements of the 18th Sheriff's Department
combed the area as well, without positive results.
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- Journalist Maura Avila of the RJD1 radio station reached
the scene to conduct interviews as the search continued. She told El Diario
de la República the following: "I was informed that there was
a great deal of movement in Barrio Norte, near the hospital, and we headed
there just as the police arrived. We learneed that El Uñudo had
appeared -- a character who has gained notoriety in Justo Daract because
he/it has been appearing for several days now, and has now terrified an
11 year-old on the corner of Liniers and Los Andes."
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- [...] "Those who claim having seen El Uñudo
[say] that it doesn't have human form, rather an animal one, adding that
it walks on four legs and hops, being capable of very swift movments."
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- The search, conducted by residents, policemen and community
watch memebrs, concentrated around the railroad tracks since "some
claimed having seen it climb to the very top of the grain silos found there.
Some men climbed but saw nothing abnormal. They also search nearby wells
without any results. It managed to escape once again."
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- Regarding the child, the journalist confirmed that "he
was taken to the hospital to see if he'd experienced any injuries, but
it was made clear that he'd only suffered a good fright."
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- Beyond the remarks and eyewitness accounts regarding
this phenomenon, Maura Avila stated: "Personally, I've seen nothing
at all, and I think that there isn't much reality to it and a good deal
of psychosis. It is true that much is being said about this character in
Justo Daract, especially among the kids, but it could be a case of mass
hysteria."
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- She added that El Uñudo" isn't the only weirdo
being spoken about in town: "There have been other cases, and not
only featuring this entity, and they always take place in poorly lit locations.
For example, a naked man is believed to appear in certain areas as well."
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- Avila finally added that "it is worth noting the
time at which these episodes take place, that is to say, Easter Week. In
this regard, there are those who speak of the existence of black magic
cults that could be involved in these events."
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- A resident of Barrio Norte told the Panorama Informativo
radio show, hosted by Maura Avila, that what happened was "that a
little boy was frightened and the neighbors, especially the men, ran everywhere
and couldn't catch it, although many saw it. The kid was taken to the hospital
and the entire neighborhood is alarmed, since this character, who I believe
is known as El Uñudo, has already appeared in this area twice before."
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- The woman added that "there is very little light
in the neighborhood, so let's see if the commission can do something about
it because you can't see a thing at night. But there is a great deal of
concern now because it's not normal. It isn't a game anymore and an end
must be found to this situation."
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- Many sources claimed that several police officers were
able to reach the mysterious fugitive on Wednesday night, and were able
to trap it, but in a display of tremendous strength, and because of its
slippery body, it was able to slip away and escape with prodigious leaps
and bounds.
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- Sheriff Miguel Miranda of Section 18 rejected said stories,
stating that "it is true that there are rumors about a person dressed
in black, but officially we have nothing, no reports making reference
to such an event. In any case, we have increased our patrols as a preventive
measure." The police officer acknowledged having ehard remarks that
the creature "walks on four legs like an animal and hops like a kangaroo,
but there is no evidence to corroborate such statements."
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- While some alleged witnesses describe it as a mythical,
almost ethereal animal, others have described it as a tall man, dressed
in black and caped, covering his face with a mask and using gloves equipped
with long, seemingly metallic nails -- a detail which earned him the name
"The Clawed One" (El Uñudo). His latest apparition leads
to the belief that its a person disguised with the aim of frightening the
population. Added to this is the fact that children and teenagers in Justo
Daracat are fans of the "X-Men" cartoons, whose protagonists
are mutants. One of them--Wolverine--has metallic claws as his main weapon
for fighting crime.
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- On the other hand, the exploits of this mysterious creature
are reminiscent of others that aroused popular curiosity at the time. Last
year, around this same date, there was talk of "The Crow" (El
Cuervo), a being described as similar to the bird in question, while in
2002 several locals claimed having seen two individuals clad in white robes,
and others recalled another character whose brief fame earned him the nickname
"Green Hood" (El Encapuchado Verde) until he was identified as
a mentally impaired individual.
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- Most people have a predilection for fear at the level
offered by a horror film. This explains the repercussion achieved by these
strange apparitions. However, beyond the countless anectdotes that keep
piling up, nothing proves the existence of the paranormal in these events.
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- On the other hand, most people suspect that behind this
situation are one or two individuals who want to have fun by frightening
people, not dismissing the possibility that these could be deranged persons
or practitioners of black magic or the occult in general. Some residents
of Justo Daract told this newspaper that they knew who were the parties
behind this wave of apparitions.
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- Padre Fabián, parish priest in Justo Daract, dismisses
the phenomenon, saying that "there are only three things to be said:
first there isn't enough street lighting in Justo Daract. Therefore, at
night one sees not only clawed ones, but also dinosaurs, sea serpents and
other things, especially when there's a psychosis afoot. Secondly, if a
prankster is involved, he will be apprehended at any time by the authorities,
since the police force is on alert. Finally, if it is a supernatural force,
it would evidently be some game of the Devil to confound people, since
at this time of the year their attention should be fixed on Christ. Of
course, you can add the psychological element to all this, especially in
small towns and cities."
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- Translation (c) 2004. Scott Corrales, Institute of Hispanic
Ufology (IHU). Special thanks to Mario Luis Bracamonte and Carlos Iurchuk.
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- http://www.geocities.com/dragoninvisible/unudo.htm
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