Phantom Snipers, Slashers, and Animal Rippers

Phantom gunmen who terrorize a town for weeks and then disappear. Unseen maniacs who expertly dissect livestock and even domesticated animals. Knife-wielding ghosts who slash people in the streets. These are the phantom assailants and they've been terrorizing us since the late 1700s. Who or what are they? The author digs through mounds of old newspapers and journals to find the answer and what he finds is very disturbing.