The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1947-03-20
By BEN HAYES

They dug a grave behind the
Crum Ridge meeting house the
other day for man named George
E. Van Fossen He had died in the
WASHINGTON county home. But few
people knew whose obituary it was.
It was Thad's.
"Old Thad," as he called himself,
was the last of our woodsmen. He
lived in a hill cabin, in the woods.
I'D where the wind begins. Thad
was still in his vigor then, the leg
endary figure of Dillehay Holler.
He kept a hound He had many
guns. He hunted and fished. He
had blue eyes with a faraway look
In them.
Thad came down from the hills
to buy bread at Shep Fuckers
grocery once each week. In sum
mer he wore big straw hat. rough
woven. with a heavy brown shoe
string for band.
"Give me six loaves," Thad would
say. "One for old Thad and five for
the hound"
Thad tried to put a humorous
twist on everything he said. There
was much fun in him. His claim
To fame. at least in the three val
Ieys of Duck Creek, was that ice
never froze solid enough to sup
port him -,
'eNo difference if the crick would
freeze solid plumb to the bottom,
old Thad would get his feet wet
somehow" he once told me.
"On tother fork a hard winter
back several years froZe the crick
solid. Bill Mallett hauled fodder
across the ice on a sled with two
horses. For Bills team, that crick
was les as solid footin' as the big
road. That night / decided to cross
over. / started across the ice in the
same place Bill had been hauling
fodder, mind-ya. And b'gorshens
if I didn't break through clean ur
to my waist"
Thad never said coon or raccoor
lit was always ringtail. He slept
daytime during hunting season. We
always stopped at Thad's cablr
during night hunt. Usually
traded guns before we left. Many
boys Dragged that they had TRADED
weapons with Thad "at the deac
hour of midnight"
Thad's hill cabin was crude bu
handy. He burned coal in his fire
place. He would dig a wheelbarrov
load, then wheel it right in on thu
hearth. The holler was cool in tht
summer, for Thad could make thu
wind blow anytime he wished.
'Tt can be JUS as still as death
'thout the breeze turnin' leaf, ant
JUS as soon is / go out on the porcl
and set down in the rocker to reat
the paper, the wind starts BLOWN
so tarnation hard it blows tn
paper right out of my hand" h
said.
In his younger days, That
hunted bee trees, / have been tolo
But he didn't go to the wood:
First he went to a clover patel
and inspected the bees until he ha
found a right pert one. Then wit
his eyes (they were that good) h
followed the bee to the tree.
He had been whiZ at seinln
fish. Seiners always took Thad-
for he was good luck. Never di
the game warden catch a seinln
party that contained Thad.
My father one told me, ''Thad
the only man l know who does e2
actly what he wants to do"
The last time / saw Thad h
didn't know me. Wouldn't hav
knowed you from side of sol
leather" he said.
"Don't have no dog now. lik
a dog. But can't get out to hur
any. Old legs won't stand me. To
dear to board and buy license fc
dog JUS to look at"
Thad told men then that h
name was George. But b'gorsh,
like Thad better. When they Sa
George look around to see VIII;
George they mean"
tsMr. Van Fossen' was out of tt
question "A mans got no right
be called mister till after he's gor
and married" Thad said.
And they buried him a bachelo
He had been single man for owe
30 years.