The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1899-02-23
"The Devils Den."

y grottO Of the same Christian name may b.
10 found 1T the foot of PoweIl's VALLEY il
Campbell county, Tenn, three mile, abOv,
Carcyville.
r. The Devils Den in Washington county
Va, is north of Holston River, and par
1 haps two miles north Of Clinch Mountain,
the summit of which is regarded "a the
D dividing line between Russell and Wash
= ington counties. 1t is also about sixteen
: miles north of Bristol, and perhaps fifteen
0 west Of Abingdon, locally known as the
Y "River Hills" country.
: Various conjectures AS to the origin Of
these we'll defined earth mark. have been
{ written. When a boy I have camped in
| "Csney Valley" cut all night, "a lone
t sentinel" with the hope of witnessing a
Spanish spectre or the surprised spook Of
a happy hunting ground Indian, or some
{ messenger courier sent up by a synod Of
COLLINS, whom it was said would assemble
there periodically underground to gcind
their joints, but generally the result of
these midnight watches vero fruitlcss.
On one occasion, however, I stopped
over night with Mr.. j. D. Under at the
mouth of Smiths Creek, within a mile of
the Legendary %crevice in Cane' Valley
Knob. Squire 10. Under, as he was
famili,rly known, VAS = very pleasant
gentleman, , good talker, and entertained
ne with uncanny legends associated with
this Devils Den Knob country until the
1--WE sma' hours O. night" when ! sue
ceeded in inducing 10 to make a "board
light" and accompany me round the knob
to witness certain statements he embodied
in conversation. On the way 10 admitted
that ID was not erery night that spOOks
could he seen. However, he Was reason
ably certain some singular apparation
would appear to convince me that "there
were more things in the world than were
dreamed Of IN my philosophy" Armed
with a aboard light" and an old flint lock
pistol, We solemnly repaired to the seclud-
ed chamber of ghosts. Double file We
cautiously and slowly Proceeded down the
wide high walled promenade. | holding ,
the torch on the right side and 10, armed a
with the flint lock pistol bringing up the Z
rear guard on the left, when / distinctly
heard a wavering suppressed shark" and )
simultaneously a blood curdling, wild, oft =
noise escaped from behind. and | /,
also heard the retreating footsteps of 10, !,
who had got a move on himself and o
was playing it down tho mountain side like =
boy who thought he heard something in Ia
Ne BUSIEST The unpleasant situation, in n
which was placed, can only be imagined b
md laughed at by the wicked. / cant =,
spliIc Over it 10 THE dag. Squire 10 -,
my trusty guido and well armed
was cut of from me and forced N
o retire, and leave me alone in a prison, b,
With a perpendicular wall 100 feet high. o'
he entrance to my prison was guarded -
" the author Of the prolonged, uncarthly ar
ioises have just tried to describe, and to
hrowsd my aboard torch light" back at =
asst approaching ghostly demon, who kept
p his voice and aimed to effect an egress
t the west entrance, but to my borrow,
~ light WAS eItinguished, inky darkness
the deepening gloom, and, oh,
and ministers of grace attend me-
g thou = spirit Of health, COLLINS damned .
ring with thee, airs from heaven, or blasts -
rom hell, bs thy %intents wicked or char e
table" y
= my last hopo together =
it'll my aboard light" was %extinguished.
r in the west end Of the Devils Den, \
eat way off, but through which I had to 4
'ss, was a red fire containing moving
lures, Of black human form. Quick as
ought | made a Decline for the fire.
losts and all; goaded to desperation with -.
c what'ever-it-was at my heels. The '"
ack demon advanced with the velocity
a Wild engine, b%eIching forth at every
up a quick succession Of earth splitting a..
unds, reverberating against the walled
ssage-way like the unearthly walls Of a ful
spirit. On, on bounded quick as ais
mining. | saw the dark objects draw
from the fire, with one mighty leap
lied over the FIRE, and out at the west
d. Bang! bang! bang! sounded H.
icy OF musketry, as | leaped over the fin
}, and out of Devils Den. "IIl he
ibled and twisted if VIC hdint killed
Indadie's Old black SOW" remarked one
| passed cautiously down to the river.
cs, and hang me for a Yankee spy, i! F"
It believe that was Frank Lindsey -
1m we shot at" chimed in the familiar
&c of Gordon Williams, whom | had
from a boy, and who it seems was
riding a pass that night. This was.
eve, in 1863, when men dreaded ghosts,
e bullets, and to this day il is an em-
to ME, to have an old SOW SlG
p out of a hollow chestnut tree while 81
passing it quietly and escape barking
a dog! FRANK LINDSEY s. &
). fatty deny being frightened on IS
occasion, but squarely own up that
Out of the DEVILS Den much ouickar asuM;