Have you ever had an experience that you have absolutely zero explanations about? Have you ever come home to see that your place is a mess? Coming home to a backyard flooded with newspapers in a disorderly manner? You would simply accept that this incident is a simple mistake at first right? So what if it occurs several times? Surely you would be puzzled and intrigued to find out what is going on. This guy would always see his yard full of unwanted newspapers, so he decided to find out what the reason was. To say that he was shocked does not do justice...
So like we had mentioned, there comes a time in each of our lives where something in-explainable happens. We must have all gone through something that does not make sense, something that is totally unexpected and strange. So this is what James Eubanks went through. A few days earlier, he had come across several newspapers that were placed on his lawn.
We all know that it is a common thing for each household to subscribe to a certain newspaper or even several. It would not have been weird at all for James but the thing is that he had no memory of ever subscribing to get these newspapers. Since he was too shocked to see what had happened, he decided to place a hidden camera leaving him with discovery so shocking.
And so since he did not have any recollection of ever subscribing to this newspaper, it was a very shocking discovery that morning for him. As he went outside his North Carolina house, Eubanks did not imagine that he would ever find a newspaper next to his door. He was incredibly shocked to learn about the fact that there was one just outside...
We all know that newspapers cannot or do not just pop out of nowhere. Since Eubanks was certain that he did not register to get any, he regarded this to be a simple mistake. He initially thought of this to be a one-time thing, but boy was he wrong. Since it started happening ever so often, he came to a point where he was convinced that somebody was pranking him. He was appalled…
So one day, Eubanks woke up too what he thought wold be just another ordinary day. But as soon as he opened the door, he found a single newspaper. This was very shocking but quite subtle as compared to the other days. He would sometimes find ten copies of the Winston-Salem Journal, some shredded, in his property waiting to be discovered.
So imagine the kind of confusion he must have felt when he discovered all this unexpected paper lying on his lawn. He was perplexed and also infuriated to see that his backyard had been tempered with, that somebody had taken time to litter there. His home was not a dumping ground! He was mad that he needed to speak to his neighbors and get to the bottom of things.
And since James Eubanks felt that this was some prank played by someone who wanted to fool around, he knew he had to talk to his neighbors. After all, they could be the pranksters or maybe be the ones getting pranked too. He had a talk with his neighbors and made a discovery that their newspapers were missing. The mystery was growing.
And so what the man soon realized was that those missing newspapers that his neighbors were looking for were actually the ones mysteriously kept in the backyard. And the following day, he woke up to discover about 10 copies of the newspaper and then some too! Where are all these packages coming from? Who was to blame? Could it be the fault of a new paperboy?
After he made a closer inspection of what happened, there was yet another discovery that Eubanks made. There was something more than the torn-apart newspapers being left in his property. These were not the only litter because Eubanks found something else. And the closer he got, the more shocked he got. He simply could not believe his eyes.
As Eubanks looked around his lawn, he could see that there was something that the prankster kept in his property. What he found was something truly unexpected. As he went closer, he saw that there were phone books, still kept in their plastic bag as well. This was truly shocking! In total, Eubanks found nine phone books and a number of newspapers in his backyard. He chose one spot after he got an idea.
And so what the guy decided on doing was to plan out the best way to capture the culprit in action. Eubanks' story went viral as soon as he caught the culprit. But to catch who was behind this whole mess, he would have to come up with a fool-proof plan. He needed to catch the culprit red handed so that there was no space left for the confusion...
There was so much that needed to be planned out, but Eubanks was determined to catch the culprit. In order for the thief to be captured, Eubanks told interviewers that he needed the use of a camera. So he set one up. But this person was not exactly stealing stuff, but actually bringing them. The man then looked around for the best spot to set the camera up...
And so the only way to catch the thief was by catching the person red handed with video proof. So since Eubanks knew that a camera would be able to help in catching the culprit, he took out his camera and so he quickly set up the camera. Eubanks was confident that he would be able to find what he was looking for, the person behind this whole issue, the next day.
Since his camera was of good quality, it had motion-sensing. So Eubanks was certain that his camera would be able to do the job overnight. If they were able to catch the culprit, it would result in them knowing exactly who had caused so much issue in his property. There were so many assumptions going on in his head and Eubanks could not wait to clarify everything.
After his camera was set, Eubanks could now relax and know for sure who the person causing his frustrations were. But before he could reveal everything he learned about the thieves, Eubanks had so much to say to the interviewers. He first had to explain how everything began. He wanted people to know just what he had to do to get the answers.
He then revealed what went down when he finally decides to reveal who the thieves were. Eubanks explained, “Recently our back lot has been littered with newspapers that were still in the bag.” After several days he then “set up a game camera to find out who or what had been out there.” He finally uploaded a post claiming, “mystery solved!” So who was the thief?
There were so many possibilities as to why these newspapers and phone books were placed on his lawn. Eubanks could think of so many possibilities when thinking about the culprit. And there were two very probable reasons for what was happening. One reason could be a child playing a prank while the other could be a paper boy doing a bad job...
What could the reason be then? Well, could it have been that there was a grudge being held against Eubanks? So he had kept his camera in his backyard for the whole night in the hopes that it would capture the thief in action. And when he retrieved his camera, what he saw on his eyes was unbelievable… He had to play the clip several times to fully grasp what he saw...
And while Eubanks had mentally prepared to catch a youngster or someone who would pass as a thief, he was completely awestruck to see who was the one behind all this problem. He was patiently waiting for the screen to show him who had been keeping all these newspapers on the front lawn of his house. But what he found was not what he expected in a million years.
He finally revealed what the reason was. “The back lot is being visited by gray foxes,” he described in a Facebook update. The person who had been doing all this was not a person but what Eubanks actually had were wild visitors. So were they the reason he received so many of those “gifts?” The man still found it confusing and kept watching the clip until it ended...
Eubanks could see that there were gray foxes roaming around in his property. These foxes looked like they were having a great time in his yard. They were running around and playing about, not realizing that there was a camera that was capturing their every move. Little did they know that Eubanks was recording whatever they did...
And in regards to what he saw, Eubanks revealed that “the guys in the first photo show up about 9:30 PM and play until 5:30 AM the next morning. The second photo is a bit blurred because of his speed, but you can plainly see him carrying a newspaper in his mouth.” These foxes were, in fact, the ones bringing in the newspaper! It was surely a hilarious capture…
And since the foxes were not aware that they were being filmed, they were up to their usual shenanigans. The camera was placed there and so Eubanks had multiple photos of his “paperboys.” He took to Facebook and posted, “This morning there were seven papers and three Yellow Page phone books out there – still in their plastic bags. These guys have been busy!”
After he posted about what happened on Facebook, so many people got to know about his unbelievable story. So pretty soon, even the media wanted in on the details. And in a matter of a few days, Eubanks went ahead and appeared on FOX 8 News in Winston-Salem. He was called there to narrate the story about the foxes who had kept newspapers on his lawn.
And so after he managed to identify exactly who had been keeping all the newspapers and phone books in is property, Eubanks made the incredible discovery as to who the culprits were. It was such bizarre news that he ended up appearing on television. “Without the pictures no one would believe it. I assure you,” Eubanks revealed to the interviewers.
And on his interview, he gave an in-depth explanation of just how these foxes gave him the shock of his life. He even admitted and revealed just how shocked he was and that he “really had trouble believing it at first.” However, as soon as the footage finished, there was no doubt that the foxes were responsible for everything. He explained how the foxes got the newspapers in the first place.
From what the clip showed, there was no denying that these foxes were not aware of the wrong they were doing. The seemed blissful and carefree as they ran around the property that Eubanks resides in. The man after seeing them revealed what they did with the newspapers, that after they “steal them and play with them. They drag the papers around and throw them up in the air.”
And if you really think about it, it is quite puzzling because newspapers are not really that fascinating, especially for a fox. What had given them the idea that these could be used as toys? It is a known fact that foxes enjoy stealing dog toys, blankets or shoes. However, them stealing phone books and newspapers is certainly hard to explain.
Experts revealed later that foxes are inquisitive animals, they are always drawn to something that smells fresh and new. Anything new for them is a perfect toy. So these foxes were just excited to smell and play with the newspapers because they smelled new. And after playing with it, they decided to leave it for their friend James Eubanks to discover on his lawn.
A fox has the traits of both a dog and a cat. Hence, we do not have to explain how playful they would be. To learn about the fact that they fetch newspapers like dogs are not something shocking at all. And on this particularly blurry photo, the fox can be seen doing exactly this. Eubanks then made a joke, “since its newspapers, it must be Fox News.”
There is one thing that Eubanks can do since he had this ongoing problem of getting unwanted newspapers on his property. He already knows firsthand that foxes are excellent in delivering and also misplacing newspapers, so what he could get is a dog. The dog can hopefully teach him to deliver the “gifts” that the foxes have stolen from his other neighbors.
And in the end, the issue that Eubanks was feeling turned out to be such a funny story. In the meantime, the mischievous and active foxes were having loads of fun, while Eubanks was the one who had to deal with all the mess. Adding to the stress, even his neighbors were desperately searching for their lost newspapers. And was the paperboy to blame at all?
And so, the papers after being destroyed by foxes were actually being paid for by subscribers. It does not take a scientist to understand the kind of anger these people must have towards the paperboy’s services. But how were they to know that this was not the fault of a human being, but that of someone completely unexpected...
And so the blame had initially gone to the paperboy whom everyone thought was not doing his job well. But even so, the paperboy would not have been happy to learn that everyone pointed fingers at him for this mess. We sure hope he had not lost his job due to this confusion. As for Eubanks, the kind of experience he had was a bizarre and unforgettable one for sure...
Even though some wild animals like these foxes seem to appear mysterious or harmful, it is not always the case. But there are times when these animals love to just fool around and have fun too. Let’s hope that the Eubanks’ neighbors were able to find an effective way to keep their newspaper from being taken by these foxes.