Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1920-12-31

Oh NC" RlNeT OH TIC lcll DdIIh.
There were two men in organs Bat
terry named Wcavcr--Aylctte and
John G.. One Of these l am not
sure which mot that | have forgot
ten the men, but only which was
John and which was Aylcttc) was
telling ghost stories one night rs
actual facts ridiculcd him for
even believing in ghosts. and he
challenged me to go with him only
two or three miles before day and
promised to show me ghost or
supernatural being between early
dawn and sunrise. promptly ac-
ccpted the challenge, but Weaver
changed his mind and said hC
would not 60 unless there were sew
cral men in the party and some
arms. There were several men III
the cabin and Weaver proceeded
TO narrate what We would witness
if we would go with him. Gust
here l should say that he had pre-
viously served in the cavalry and
had only recently been transferred
TO the Artillery Without pretend.
ing TO reproduce his actual words
l shall give their substance using
the first personal prpnoun TO dc.
note him.
You know" he said. down just
below the Narrows there begins &
stretch of level land about q mile
long and maybe a quarter of a mile
wide at the middle tapering of tC
a point at the lower end where the
road starts up the mountain. 1t is
bounded on The right by the river
and on the left by mountain OF
bluff. About two years ago tho
cavalry command to which belong
ed was stationed here 10 guard the
Narrows and u picket of several
men was kept at the lower end OF
this strip of level land to watch tho
road where it comes down the
mountain. | was several times or
this duty and witnessed what l an
going to tell. Regularly between
early dawn and broad day. and be.
tween sunset and dark one or tho
other of two things happened. One
of them was as follows: We would
hear great rumbling UP in the
mountain and presently man on
a horse would come down through
the woods and descend the bluff
almost vertically, across the road
pass along by big log making the
earth tremble all the while, until
they reached a bunch of aldcrs be.
side the log. and there they sudden.
ly vanished just as a light goes out
The other thing that happened
sometimes was this: We would
hear the same awful rumbling. and
instead of man and a horse. a
beast would appear and pursue The
SINE course till he reached the road
and then he would sit down as a
dog sits, in a certain fence corner,
always the same one, for fifteen or
twenty minutes, then he would 90
to the log and walk on it till he
reached the bunch of alders. when
he would suddenly vanish He was
was the most terrible thing ! ever
saw--rough. bony, knotty, of a
tawny color, and his head and face
just enough like mans to make
him perfectly horrible. Once a
large number of men waited for him
with loaded carbineS; but when he
came making the earth trcmblc a,
every step, no man dared to fire OH
him."
Such was Weavcr's story. Meal
lister was in camp and | am fairly
sure Clark was also. went at once
and brought them (certainly Meal.
lister and questioned them without
their knowing anything about Wea-
ver's story, and brought out the
fact that the animal they saw was
sitting in fence corner looking
across the road and was exactly as
Weaver had described him, and
that the place was the same. ask
ed what time of day it was when
they passed the animal, and brought
out the fact that the sun had lust
set and they were fastening to
reach the ford mile away before
darkness set in.
a great storm came that night
and next day when we were trying
our one small arm, an Enfield rifle.
II burst in the hands of young John
=. Lewis hurting him severely. Be
fore we could procure other arms
the drivers. (including Weavcr)
were sent home with their horses.
Before they returned, Richmond
fell. and the Battalion marched to
Dublin. Our guns had been left in
Lynchburg.
] have no theory as to what the
animal was that McAllister and
Clark saw, nor how the remarkable
agreement between the facts and
part OF Weaver's story is to be en-
planned; only am sure that there
was no collision among the men
concerned.
MILTON w. HUMPHREYS.