Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1871-06-16
E'aiRCY C0keHkEN.
A TRUE STORY OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

lhe small town of Dycusburg, in Ken.
tucky, Is situated on the Cumberland river,
and IS, perhaps, Que OF the oldest settlements
in Wcstcrn Kentucky. There is an old e
Gcnd connected with the place, which is so
weird and thrilling that we reproduce it,
feeling that its narration will not fail tn cx.
cto IN tho reader deep and wonderful in.
tcrcst. The town itself is shclvcl in by a
range of bold and rugged hills, which forii,
semi circle, commencing and ending with
the river, and among these hills there arc
several rcccSscS or gr0ttncs, filed with stone
rubbish and the iecaycd trunks of f.!lcn tim
Der, VILE on the suburbs of the cluster of
houses which constitute the village there vet
stand the ruined and blasted relies of large
old oaks, whose gnarlcd buughs and storm
rittcd trunks Indicate that they have been
scathcd by naDya lightnings blade and have
bravcd many thundcr's crash. They stand
there as the hoary monument Of antiquity,
tand tell of the ages that have rolled by them
|icach leaving its impress upon their wrinklcd
bodies. Just under the trownny side of Que
OF the barren Hills, and removed some dis.
tanco from any regular road or beaten path,
there stands cabin now crum5l,ss with dc.
cay, which was the first structure credited in
the neighborhood for the habta,iou sof Tie
white MAN, and which, no doubt, dten slci
tered from the p'i'css storms of winter tlie
settler wLo hui't t, and, perhaps, many a
time afforded protection to lis wife and little
ones from the savage wolves and snarliny
panthcrs that often howied aud screamed
among the tangled maZcs of under growth,
which still triuges the marsh close 10y. This
l.obiutlon is occupied by an old woman whose
NE Is to many mystery, and whose history
Is only sufficiently known to be involved in
obs Guilty. She las small, crampcd features
large eyes, slim visage and cnaciatcd form,
which, combined with wo1uI, haegard look
are not little calculated to excite Il painful
interest in the mind of stranger who meets
her Her voice is truly an unnatural1Oue,
and sounds us il it proceeded from G4!9szes szss
rather than those of flesh. Its cold, keen,
sepuchral tone falls upon the ear like metal
upon the floor of Il vault. Strange stories are
I told of the old woman, hut more nf Ills
anon. dIngy dress, tattcred with long
wear, torn in many places by repeated contact
with briars and branbles together with an old
brown shawl, constitute her usual dress, while
long used rcd handkerchief, with the ends
ravclcd into slircds, affords the only rro,cc
ton for hcr head, even when she aundcrs
forth in storm and rain She occupies the
Int a:cnc; and whenever visitor nttcn,pts
to invade the precincts of her loneliness She
sinks away Into the darkest corner of the
rude apartment, as if she wished to avoid
the scrutiny Of the hunan eye
Near this ,linpIatcd howell there stands n
small brick tenement, whose walls, SO long
nntenanttd, lave begun to noder and decay.
The roof has grown SO rickety many Of Tie
old oak shingles having been blown oil by
the wind, that rain and hail and snow invade
the lnmost rcccsscs of the building, aud, in
deed, so complete is the havoc wrought by
time, that the ruined walls now afford almost
the only protection from either wind or rain
No one, or Mt least but few, ever visit this
moldering tenement, and those who are ia.
m!liar with its history would greatly prefer
brcasting the coldest blast and Drawing Tie
most angry storm than TO taking advantage of
the partial shelter it affords. Everything
about 1t seems bleak and desolate Nature,
1T appears, has forever Withdrawn from the
spot her gifts of cvcrgrecns and flowers A
gray, rusty looking vine, creeping along the
ruined wall, furnishes the only appearance of
anything like ornamental shruhbcry about
the premises, aud an old rose bush standing
IN the south eastern corner, which produces
but one rose and that blood rcd, is the only
Hover that has ever been known to blossom
there. dark spIotch upon the remnant Of
the dccayed oak lloor, Oh which the rays OF
the sun Or moon fall at certain hours Of the
day or night, with an indistnct aud mottlcd
radiance, tells perhaps the secret OF the ut
ter oncliacss OF theficscrted spot
The story goc1 that young man, who
passed by.thc name aof Percy Corbir, came
from Virginia years ae6and this
habitation. There @ss something pystcri.
oTs about him Which has never yet been ex.
planned. His polished manners, cultivated
mind and handsome features indicated clear.
ly that he was Of high birth and excellent
education. Ayoung man SO gifted, SO caldh~
lated for an ornament to society, and with
the fields OF pleasure or ambition before him,
would hardly have thus isolated himself
from, the world to take up his permanent
abode in this then wilderness without soulc
extraordinary incentive. No one has ever
been able to learn anything, however, of his
history and his brief career, SO peculiar
and melancholy in its character remains yet
to be accounted for. The old settlers say
That when he came to this State his face was
remarkably bright, his eye Of mild blue,
indicating gentle disposition, but at times
a wild and unnatural expression, which, was
anything but pleasant to the beholdcr, mlile
his lips, from their compression, cvinccd Aoth
courage and resolution. He was oftsn ssEn
wandering alone, musing abstractcdly {no
doubt, upon some dread secret which lay at
the bottom of his heart. A faithful dog fol