The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-12-14
THRILLING STORY
OF A WEIRD BIRD
WarIoon, the Fishermal's Terror
in Lonely Marshes.
WOMAN FR|GH ENED TODEATH
Cries Of Distress and Fear Came From
Graveyard and She Gould See
No hing-Eirds with Siren Souls
Follow Men.
WOMAN FRIGHTENED TODEATH

The "warloor' is by far the most mys-
ferrous and weird Of ali the water fowls
that dip the wing beneath the wave
OF Virginia waters.
a search in Wcbsters unabridged die
tionary failed to find such a bird and yet
every fisherman on the Chickahominy
and Panunky knows about them many
have heard their strange cries and been
wcll-nigh terrified bu supernatural cries
of grief in the loneliest OF places and in
the dead of dark night.
The "warloon has occasionally been
seen. It is nearly the size Of a goose
but darker in color. 1t Is rarely seen in
the day time and when its feartrending
source OF some long creek that leads
from the river far into the "sunken
grounds
II.iIR-RAIsING EXPERIENCE.
Here is the story of a Chickahonltny
hsherman's first Introduction to this
strange bird or devil:
one night 1 went far up thoroush-
fare in Blaiton's marsh below Lanea;
II was misty and pitch dark Inc "lnd
was blowing in gusts, and altosether ll.e
| night was as bad as ever nshernldli
encounters. When near the woods "heIe
The creel. lost itself in the dark cypress
! es of the 'sunlsen ground. heard CRIES
| that made my blood almost freeze IN
nv veins and my hair lifted my hat
:'Thev- sounded as il coming from the
lips of a woman in deepest distress, sucn
she be told without warning Of the SUD
/ den death of her husband or child IneIi
/ the crv became long wall OF distress.
! This was BROKEN by chatter ana iauSii-
| ter like one hysterical. The sou1lcs cdliIe
! from a point less than fifty yards from
! me and were as distinct on the nlSAI
! air as if but an cars length, away
| knew this must be a ''warloon. Wilcl'
! heard OF so often and shlVerea as q ooS
! when some old fisherman told similar eH-
SOULS OF SIRENS
Sometimes when fishermen are in lone
/ ~ places they find to their horror they
/ are being followed by a warloon. AS if
! 1osseesed with the lost and doomed soul
! nf a siren this omnOus bird VII! follow
| the solitary boatnan, utteiing the sac
: dest cries that have ever broken up s4
! human ears The effect is doublE start
80 ,r;,on the cries cease and are. in
! stantIy followed by the merry chatter
/ as OF two happy little girls over their
dolls The wall Of woman man Ssen as ,,. s,e
| might make as long as life lasted were
j She in the terrible embrace OF poa
! constructor. burst out again
In these lonely trips with only the weird
! bird for companion 1t sometimes mes
| close over the boat and lighting lust
| ei1ead giving the unwelcome opportunity
| for a sig:ht OF its far more unWelcome
WOMAN HEIGHTENED TO DEATH
! THO bird loves the loneliness OF the
| ,,,,-r.,- er-a1-evards too. The story is
! 80 - how once a lady was frightened
10 to'u death by it. She was alone in the
| Scnee save for several small children
They tell that turing the afternoon cries re-.
! nj, main and terror were heard from me
| ~ 3i,.dH"t;nn nj the graveyard. near the
no hn1se ~ she looked in that direction but
| could see nothing and yet the sounds grew
! louder and far sadder. The poor soul
| did not believe in ghosts yet the cyl cyl
| f7a1,cas were strong. she was frali and
practically alone and her heart not
: She fell upon the front steps with her her
| . - ~. those terrifying appeals for
seIi5 Apparently from one as HELPLESS as
! i5erseI<, She had never heard OF a war
/ loon -