The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-02-14

when a detachment of Federal troops de-
stToy0d it.
At tho end Of the wal Wallahss was
badly grown up with bushes and BRAN
bles, the fences were all gone, the house n
ruin, and the large cotton gin stood roof
less and %forlorn, the rusted machinery. all
exposed TO the weather and falling to
pieces.
Nobody came to occupy or assume own
ership Of the place, nor did anyone know
what had become Of the Vsrplanks.
About September, 1863. there arose a ru-
had been aeon at Wallahee. II was such q
preposterous story (told BY two or three
not over reputable negroes) that little no
tico was at first given to it by the neigh
bors. The boy was long-haired, wild-eysd,
poorly clad, 50 thtse negross said, and ran
like a deer whenever he WAS approached.
But in a little while, SO ready are people
to receive gruesome impressions, the story
was 9 familiar one at the tiresides Of all the
families along Pearl river for miles, and
although everybody openly refused to be-
lieve q word of it, a good deal of talk was
had about it.
Again and again the negroes who we're
cutting wood near Wallshes saw. or pre-
tended to see, tho wild dishsvsled boy
skulking furtively in the thickets or run
ming, Ehnstly and emaciated, through the
open pine woods.
Ono day Squire Gordon was riding along
by why of the bridle-path known in the
neighborhood as Little Wolf trail, when
suddenly this strange, much talked-of lad
stepped forth from a dump Of nav bushes
u little way ahead of him. The .pparition
startled not only the squire but his horse as
we'll. Indeed the lnttor shied go yiciously
that his rider was tumblod all of q heap at
the side Of the path. 10 be sure there was
nothing in tho boys looks particularly
%frightful, although his eyes were sunksn,
clothes ludicrously worn and tattered.
When the squire scrambled to his feet
the al partition was gone.
AS socn rs it became known that a just
ice OF the peace could testify to the story
Of tho wild boy of Wallahee there was q
both the blacks and thew hitos. What had
before this been q nero treside whisper
now swelled to a veritable vonder-tale.
And now more and more frequently the
boy was seen, by this one or that one,
black or white, il was always in some
lonely ploce near Wallahee, and hs invaria
bly, evaded in the most mysterious way
any would-be p%ursusr. Finally it began to
be observed that no matter where he
started up, be never failed to run toward Il
coitain Nea of swamp land which was
covered with wispa OF cane and tangled
clumps Of moss-hung oak trees. He seemed
to like the night bettsr than this day, es-
p~ocially when the moon shonc. Many good
people aft mod that tlev had seen him
looking wistfully in through their win
dows, and that before they could get OF
doors he was gone.
So tho matter won't on until nearly every
BODY had seen the wild boy of Wallahee,
and those who hadn't seen him were ex-
pecting to do SO every momont. More
than once a party of msn organized than
selves and went on a systematic hunt, de-
terminad to capture this mysterious little
fellow; but every trial ended in failure.
TITS er sperit, thet'a what it air." de-
clared old ANDY Davis. ''How dye s'pose
ye,ro goin' ter ketch er ghost?:"
Andy was the Oldest inhabitant. His
memoir went back to 1929, when the Yer
pianks first came to Wnllnhee.
They WIS q Ieetlo boy Il livin' thar at
Tom Verplank war guarjin of-Tom he'd no
chin Of is own-an' thet leetle Teller dis
erpeared mighty s'picionable like: 7 mem
bers it very we'll. They wus some talk