The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1902-08-21
A LEGEND.
BY GEORGE w. WILSON.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

the mountain The story is not told
to everyone because the ones who tell
it and, apparently, believe it, expect
sometime to locate the cave and after
some military operations directed
against the occupants, to come into
possession of horde of money. But
that is further along.
The legend is as follows: Some time
in the past, perhaps fifty or sixty
years ago, an old miser hermit lived
in this cave. He had a great deal of
gold stored away in the inches in the
walls of the cave aud he lived simply
to count his money and to scare away
any one who came within mile of
his retreat. He lived on what roots
and berries he could find and what
meat tame panther would bring in
to him. OF clothing he had very
little-only a few pieces of skins and
possibly some old rags that he would
find.
One night while the hermit was
asleep and the panther was out hunt
ing, woodsman came along with his
axe and seeing small fire at the en-
trance of the cave, stopped to investi-
gate. He made for himself torch
and went in. Seeing the old man
sleeping, he first thought to awake
him and inquire the way out of the
woods; but glancing at the walls, he
saw the gold and that changed his
mind. He decided to fill his pockets
and get out the best he could, but
just then the miser turned over in his
sleep. The woodsman, fearing the
old man would awake before he could
load and get out, suddenly thought
to kill him and take the whole of the
treasure.
1t required but a stroke of the axe
to sever the old mans head from his
body. But the instant the axe fell
the panther jumped in upon the
scene and battle ensued. As may
be supposed, the panther won the
victory and the woodsman was left a
mangled and bleeding corpse.
Nothing more was heard of the her
nit and his cave for many years. In
deed it is hard to say how this much
was known. But after a number OF
years hunter happened along in the
vicinity of the caye and saw the con-
dition of affairs at that time.
Now the cave is in the heart of a
very dense laurel bed, and it is nc
easy matter to find it. The hunter
| just happened to come along where
he did, and he afterwards swore many
times that he would never happen to
come along there again. His expert
ence, however, does not deter the pos
SCISSORS of the secret from hunting the
treasure house.
Upon nearing the cave, the hunter
heard some moaning and growing
but, not being superstitious, he paid
little attention to the moaning anG
reJoiced at the prospect of meeting
some wild beast.
But he met more than he expected
The first thing he saw was the panther
on limb of tree. He was getting
ready to shoot when he saw some
thing else on the ground. Looking
at it he saw that it was dog-ant
such a dog 1t was as big as COW
and had two heads. Its teeth were
two inches long, and, altogether, il
was most formidable looking beast
Near it lay snake twenty feet long
with horns on its head and its tongue
ceaselessly darting in and out.
By this time the hunter was feeling
somewhat uneasy, but he had not yer
seen all. Near the snakes tail wal
the mouth of the cave, and stretched
up in it was human skeleton. L
was no ordinary skeleton, for its head
was constantly nodding and in the
sockets were Goals of fire. The mar
was getting ready to run when the
horror of all horrors appeared. L
was headless man, carrying skull
in his hands. Where the head hat
been cut off the blood was yet drip
ping, and moaning sound came from
the headless trunk. Immediately up
on its appearance everything around
set up a noise. The panther scream
ed, the dog growled, the snake hisset
and the skeleton cracked the dry
bones of it's arms against it's sides.
I Oh, horror
The hunter got away without be
ing seen by any of the extraordinary
beings, and, you may be sure, made
good time towards home as soon as he
got out of hearing of the cave.
The writer has made some investi
cations, but as yet has not learned
what the hunter drank. 1t might
have been the roseate appleiack OF
the very efficacious corn-juice, or it il