Leonard Boyce Rescued From Well: A HAPPY OHOCH Tale

Leonard Boyce at Williamson Memorial
with his nurse, Mrs. Madge Layne
The Weirton Daily Times 
14 August 1967

Thanks to the nature of this blog, too often I find myself sharing tragic tales of death and suffering associated with the haunted locations featured here. But, today, I wanted to share a HAPPY story from the former Williamson Memorial Hospital, now known as the haunted and historic Old Hospital on College Hill! 

On Friday, August 11th, 1967, Leonard Boyce of Lenore, WV set out to inspect a well on his family's property. Around 5:15 pm, the 15-year-old boy climbed down, but dislodged a rock, causing the wall of the well to collapse. The unfortunate youth was buried up to his shoulders in rock, mud and debris about halfway down the well. 

Rescue teams were immediately called in and worked throughout the night to free the boy. Several small cave-ins complicated the rescue operation as workers and on-lookers alike tried to keep the boy in good spirits. He was given water and hot chocolate through a tube throughout the night and encouraged to pray. Leonard admitted that at multiple times, he thought he was a 'goner,' and began to pray for forgiveness. When asked later what he was asking to be forgiven for, he confessed that he cussed sometimes. 

Heavy machinery finally arrived, and a trench was dug by the well. At about 5:07pm on Saturday, Tom Farley of Delbarton was able to pull Leonard out of a 30-inch opening, 14 feet down, feet first. Just prior, Leonard had been asking for a sandwich. 200 people were on-site to witness this miraculous recovery.

Leonard was immediately taken to Williamson Memorial Hospital, about 15 minutes away. He had a bluish complexion and his body was stiff and rigid. After 24 hours in the well, the boy's vital signs were good, but he had frost bite on his feet and needed intravenous feeding. He was entrusted to the care of Nurse Madge Layne, who was confident that the numb, hungry, and thirsty boy who had garnered so much attention for his harrowing 24 hours stuck in a well would be well enough to go home in just a few days. 

It's unlikely that those seeking ghosts at the Old Hospital on College Hill will encounter any hauntings associated with this story, but it is possible that a spirit residing in the halls of the haunted hospital may remember Nurse Layne and her dedication to her patients. If anything, this story reminds us that hospitals, while generally considered places full of negative energy, can also have happy memories attached as well. Although Williamson Memorial was a place where many died, sometimes under tragic circumstances, many others began life here...or as in other cases, had their lives SAVED here. Positive happy energy can leave an imprint on a location, too. 

If you want MORE OHOCH stories, check out my Old Hospital on College Hill page--LINK HERE! 

Tampa Bay Times
13 August 1967

Tampa Bay Times
13 August 1967

Pocahontas Ghost Causes Man to Faint

 

Today, Appalachian Ghost Tours, aided by members of WV Unseen, will return to the Pocahontas Fuel Company's office building in downtown Pocahontas, Virginia for a public investigation. I'm going to wait until after that investigation to publish a blog post on that particular location, but while we're waiting, I thought I'd share one of the town's historic ghost stories I found in the newspaper archives.  The following tale, transcribed below, comes from the Clinch Valley News and Richlands Press out of Bristol, Virginia, and is dated February 8, 1901. I honestly have no idea what the heck is going on in this story. Is it a true account, and if so did the gentleman actually see a ghost, or just a misidentification of a lady in a giant hat? Is it a bit of fanciful fiction, or even some sort of social and/or political commentary? I'll let you decide...

A POCAHONTAS GHOST

On Saturday evening a friend came in about 10 o'clock, just as all were leaving for a stroll down town. "Don't let me detain you," was his remark, "as I will go up stairs and take a sleep." In a short time he heard some noise below, slipped down in his stocking feet to the bottom of the stairs, stopping concluded that he had been dreaming. Started back, when he heard another noise, pushed the room door and standing in the middle of the room was a ghost with a horse collar extending over the forehead, about the size of a small stove pipe. He fainted. Just at time a lady entered the front door, and finding him in this condition, gathered a pitcher of water, the only water on the place, it being a dry day in Pocahontas, dashed it in his face, which revived him. He thought he had fallen in Bluestone. When he revived he found a beautiful young lady dressed in a splendid dotted white dress, with a very fashionable pompadoure hat. Not being satisfied with her looking glass she had come over to consult her young friend as to her make up. My young friend is only seventy years old, and I doubt if he gets another horse collar scare whether he will ask any of the young ladies to marry him or not. The young lady being one of the most beautiful and popular in the town, and her magnificent appearance on this occasion would have made an older man than my young friend faint. 

Clinch Valley News and Richlands Press
08 February 1901

William Campbell Paroled from WV State Penitentiary

WV State Penitentiary 1910
Source: WV History on View

During the early 1900's, it was customary for the governor of West Virginia to grant a Christmas-time pardon to an inmate of the West Virginia State Penitentiary at Moundsville. Usually, this was the oldest prisoner in age and/or the prisoner who at that time, had served the longest sentence and was no longer considered a threat to society. I like to feature these pardons each December, but it's rare to come across a NON-holiday pardon (or in this case, early parole) of an inmate. However, I did stumble upon one such case from 1908.

In 1905, William Campbell, an African American from Summers County, was sentenced to 12 years at the penitentiary for his alleged role in a robbery that took place on a Chesapeake and Ohio train. He, along with several other African American men were accused of robbing three white men of $1.20 in cash, a watch, and a knife. The three white men were forced to exit the train at Hinton, and Campbell was later picked up in nearby Ronceverte. 

Despite the victims not being able to positively identify Campbell, they couldn't say he WASN'T there either, so he was convicted, all the while maintaining his innocence. 

Campbell was described as a model prisoner but was unable to do much of the hard labor usually assigned to inmates as part of their punishment. Instead, he spent at least two years almost exclusively in the infirmary with a terminal case of tuberculosis. In May of 1908, the warden of the penitentiary wrote to Governor Dawson, requesting an early release on behalf of Campbell. Campbell wasn't given long to live, and he had relatives in Washington, D.C. willing to care for him. The request was granted, and Campbell went to spend the rest of his days in our nation's capital. Unfortunately, due to his extremely common name and lack of other details, I was unable to definitively confirm when Campbell did finally succumb to his illness. But, I think it's safe to say that his final breath was NOT taken behind the iron bars of the West Virginia State Penitentiary at Moundsville. 

Want MORE West Virginia State Penitentiary articles? CLICK HERE!

The Daily Telegram
Clarksburg, WV
22 May 1908

 

An UnHappy Mother's Day Ghost

Happy Mother's Day from Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State! On a previous Mother's Day blog, I wrote about the strong bond between mother and child, and how that bond could not be broken, even in death. Usually, this bond is a beautiful and loving phenomenon, as illustrated in the case of the Greenbrier Ghost. Mary Heaster was so convinced that her daughter, Zona reached out to her from beyond the grave to seek help in bringing her murderer to justice, that she publicly testified this information, leading to the conviction of Zona's husband. But, today's story is a little different. When this mother passed away, her spirit reached out to them...not in a protective or loving way....but in a pretty scary way. It almost sounds like she was desperately trying to take one child WITH her. 

Did this 'ghost mother' have ill intentions toward her son, or was the ball of fire that landed on his chest, making him sick, and then her apparition carrying him towards the door before flinging him down just her way of trying to warn the family of something? Maybe she WAS being protective of the young boy, and trying to get him to the doctor! This story appeared in the July 6, 1888 edition of the (Wheeling) Daily Register, but occurs just across the river into Belmont County, OH. 

Daily Register (Wheeling, WV)
06 July 1888

Preston County Wild Man

Newburg ca 1910
Source

I wasn't planning on sharing another Wild Man story so soon, but as I was going through some old newspaper articles I had saved, I came across this story from the September 27, 1879 edition of the West Virginia Argus. It discusses a wild man located near 'Newfield.' Now, I couldn't find any confirmation of a Newfield anywhere in or near West Virginia, but the Argus is based in Preston County. There IS a town in Preston County named Newburg, which was incorporated in 1868 as a railroad town. If I had to guess, these events actually took place in Newburg.

Anyway, this is another story where the entity in question is not really a Bigfoot-type wild man but is obviously a human. However, similar to my recent story about the wild man seen around Berkeley Castle (see article HERE), this particular wild man has attributes that seem almost supernatural in nature. He is able to move with superhuman stealth and swiftness, and according to the article, glides almost snake-like, avoiding blows that should have easily hit their mark. 

This wild man was also pretty darn bold. Most of the wild man stories I post tend to feature those who are very shy in nature, trying to avoid contact with the civilized world as much as possible. This wild man, however, not only walked right into a guy's house as he was playing euchre with friends and hopped in his bed, but then SHOT HIM, hitting him in his hair, the next day. 

I've transcribed the article below with paragraph breaks to make it a little easier to read, and also included the original. In addition to the name of the town being a little off, there are some other minor errors, which I tried to leave in for the sake of posterity. 

A Wild Man

Newfield has come to the front with a hairy wild man, so awful mysterious, and formidable that he opens up a new field for thought and investigation. He has been seen by some of the most unimpeachable residents of, and visitors to, South Section. He is described as over six feet tall, clad in rough and scanty attire, and wearing a grizzly beard that reaches almost to his knees. 

Although he has chased several fishermen who have invaded his secluded domain in quest of brook trout, and shot a peaceable farmer near Newfield station, no active steps have been made toward his capture, and yet he roams at large. His latest and most daring exploit occurred about a week ago, when he left the gloom of the forest and actually entered an unoccupied dwelling in the broad light of day.

Large and heavy as the wild man is, he glides so swiftly and silently that he frequently is at hand before his coming has been observed. In this silent, ghost-like manner he is said to have floated into the house of a farmer named Payne. The farmer and three companions were engaged in an interesting game of euchre and were not aware of the wild untilan's company. Payne felt something bushy touching the back part of his head, when, looking up, he found it to be the great beard of the strange hermit. Payne jumped to his feet, and would have struck the silent visitor with a chair, but he avoided the blow, and with mysterious steps made his way to an adjoining room and stretched himself upon a bed.

Payne followed him and again raised the chair to strike him, but again he seemed to glide from beneath it, and this time he made his exit through the window by a gliding, snake-like motion, but as silently as a wreath of smoke ascends to the blue ether. The farmer watched him and saw him leave his premises and enter a patch of woods near by, and supposed he had disappeared for good, but during the evening of that same day he returned and was seen standing under a tree near the house as though deliberating whether to enter the house. After standing there a short time, he turned around suddenly and ran rapidly back to the woods. 

Next day one of the farmer's cows strayed away and he started off to look for it. Shortly after he left the house his family heard the sharp report of a rifle, and in a few minutes back came Payne, pale and breathless, and well-nigh done for. As soon as he could set the machinery of speech in motion he described in graphic language the cause of his excitement. It was an encounter with the wild man. He said he was walking through a small clearing, calling "ko boss, ko boss," when without warning he heard a rifle discharged close by and felt the wind of a bullet as it whistled over his forehead through the rim of his felt hat and through his erect hair. He fell flat upon the ground, partially stunned, and it was well he did, for the wild man, thinking his first shot had proved fatal, shouldered his piece and strode off into the underbrush. This strange episode is at present the theme uppermost all through South Section, and it is said that a posse of hunters are preparing to track the wild man, and if possible effect his capture alive or dead. 

West Virginia Argus
27 September 1879

TALA Tales: Dean Metheny

Find-a-Grave
Photo by Elaine Everitt

Whether there for an overnight investigation, or just a paranormal tour, visitors to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, WV are inundated with tragic tales of the patients who once called the old hospital home. Many believe that quite a few of those patients remain there to this day, and guides share their stories, as well as possible interactions with them in the spirit realm. One particular haunting that leaves an impression on all who hear of it, is the ghost of Dean Metheny and his tormentors. 

Dean Metheny was born October 20, 1937 to parents Pauletta and Lewis Metheny. Unfortunately, Dean would suffer developmental delays. Those who knew him described him as very sweet and child-like. For the most part, he was a docile, happy guy...until he wasn't. Dean was prone to violent outbursts, most likely an expression of frustration brought on by not being able to clearly communicate his needs and wants to those around him. 

As a grown man, it would have been increasingly difficult for aging parents to not only control these violent outbursts, but provide adequate treatment and care for his condition. It was decided that the best place for him to be was in a state institution, which in this case was the Weston State Hospital. 

In September of 1987, Dean was just a month away from celebrating his 50th birthday. Due to his violent outbursts, he was assigned to Ward F, along with some of the more violent patients at the hospital. It is said that on the day in question, Dean spent time coloring with a nurse, before being sent to a seclusion dorm. Secluded, it was not, however. In the room with him were David Michael Mason (25 years old) and James Woods (30 years old). Annoyed by Dean's child-like demeanor, the two men decided to make him be quiet. They wrapped a bedsheet around his neck and strung him up over a pipe in the room. There they kept him until he lost consciousness. Then, they took him down, let him regain consciousness....and then they did it again. This went on for several sessions before the two men either got bored, tired, or scared they were going to get in trouble. 

To put an end to their games, one of them held Dean's head down and positioned one of the legs of the metal-framed bed over his head. The other man then jumped up and down on the bed, piercing Dean's skull and killing him. On one of my visits to the asylum, a tour guide said that when asked why they had killed him, Mason and Woods claimed that they didn't kill him---a ghost did. I'm not sure if this was actually the case, because I can't currently find any other mention of that story. It may be something confused with an 1877 murder at the asylum where a patient killed his roommate and then claimed that God had made him do it (see article HERE). 

Dean's body was taken home to his family, and he was buried in the Shady Grove Cemetery in Bruceton Mills. His killers, already institutionalized for violent crimes, didn't really suffer any consequences for taking a life. In fact, Mason would go on to be involved in the death of ANOTHER patient several years later. In 1992, Mason beat up George Bodie, who died shortly after. It was ruled that even though he died of a heart attack, it was a result of the interaction with Mason. (See article HERE)

TALA 2017

Today, ghost hunters have claimed that the quiet, shy ghost of Dean likes to interact them in the area of his death, which was ironically fairly close to the nurse's station. Dean, who was believed to be mute (possibly deaf/mute) enjoys communicating in ways he wasn't able to in life, by using devices such as flashlights and the Ovilus. Some visitors have even felt a gentle hug in what is known as 'Dean's Room.' But witnesses have often reported that not long after making contact with Dean, at least one (and sometimes two) shadowy male figures will show up. These shadow beings produce a feeling of nausea and uneasiness to many who witness them, and it is reported that there is a considerable mood shift. This is when Dean tends to quiet down and disappear, prompting many to believe that the shadows, which didn't show up until AFTER Mason's death off-site, are the spirits of his tormentors. 

Theresa's Note: For years, I've put off sharing this particular story out of respect for both living family members/parties involved, and because I never actually LIKE to share tragedies. As a paranormal researcher/investigator, I have a lot of conflicting feelings about sharing stories like this. On one hand, I don't want to exploit the tragic nature of death and suffering for the sake of a good ghost story. But on the other hand, since these stories ARE a part of history and ARE a piece of the puzzle when it comes to understanding why locations are haunted, I feel like it's important to share them as accurately as possible, giving a voice to those who can no longer speak for themselves. 

Interestingly, the sources that I remember being available on this specific case are almost impossible for me to find now. I can't even find any relevant newspaper articles on my archive services of choice. Sometime in the near future, I plan on going to check out the microfiche collection at the library, so if I find anything of note, I'll update then. And, if you do get the opportunity to investigate this fascinating location, maybe take along some crayons and paper and take a few minutes to color with Dean. Speak gently to him and listen for him to communicate back in his unique way. Hopefully, he'll one day finally find the peace and safety he deserved, but was so tragically denied. 

Want MORE TALA Tales?

The Wild Man of Berkeley Castle

 

The Hills Behind Berkeley Castle

Wild man stories, as found in old newspaper articles, can be broadly categorized in one of two ways: 1. potential Bigfoot-type creatures, or 2. Real humans, often those suffering from mental illness. The wild man of Berkeley Springs seems to fit into the category of being human---but maybe not your average crazy guy.

In the spring of 1902, the citizens of Berkeley Springs were trying to capture a 'wild man.' This fellow, clad in a blue coat and trousers, was apparently living in the area. At the time, the Samuel Taylor Suit castle was unoccupied. Several witnesses claimed that the man was sleeping at night in the castle. Around dawn, he'd shimmy down the stone columns of the castle, and retreat into the wilderness behind the estate. He was said to have been as swift as a deer, and able to easily navigate the rocky, craggy hillside. He also had a keen eye, and was able to detect any would-be captors. 

But who was this not-so-wild wild man? By the color of his clothing, it may suggest that he was a veteran of the Union Army. Certainly, the Eastern Panhandle saw quite a bit of action during the Civil War, but by 1902, this man should have been about 60 years old or older. Could a man of that age really move around the rough terrain that easily? But...what if he was not a LIVING man, but a ghost?

Berkeley Castle was built by Samuel Taylor Suit in the 1880's as a way to woo his young wife, Rosa Pelham. Suit died after a brief illness in 1888, never seeing the castle's construction fully complete. Rosa finished the castle, but blew through her inheritance by hosting lavish parties at the castle. It is rumored that her husband may or may not have died of natural causes, a claim which gained further suspicion as two of Rosa's lovers also died in the castle. 

Was the man in blue simply a squatter, taking refuge in an empty castle at night...or was he the ghost of one of Rosa's lovers? Could he be the ghost of a Union soldier who died in the area during the Civil War? I'll let you decide!   

Check out my previous blog post on the Ghosts of Berkeley Castle!

Martinsburg Herald
19 April 1902

The Devil Steals a Body

Obviously, I come across some really weird stuff in my research, but this incident from Arkansas in 1913 is probably one of the weirder things I've seen in a LONG time. According to an article that appeared in the Fairmont West Virginian on June 21, 1913, a group of mourners were sitting up with the corpse of farmer near Waldron, Arkansas. To everyone's shock, a creature, complete with horns and a red-painted face entered the home, wrapped in chains. The red-furred creature was also clad in white robes, and apparently did not utter a word as he entered. Understandably, the witnesses fled, and upon returning, found the coffin of the farmer completely empty. Was this some cruel prank, or did the Devil himself come to collect one of his own?

The Fairmont West Virginian
21 June 1913