The Alderson Lion

Summer 2023
Lion statue and Historical Sign

Straddling Monroe and Greenbrier Counties is the little town of Alderson, WV. Perhaps more well-known for being the site of the first federal prison for women (where Martha Stewart did her stint for insider trading), students of the strange and unusual know Alderson has another claim to fame: The Alderson Lion.

In 1890, French and Company's Great Railroad Show, a small circus and menagerie, made a stop in the area. During their stay, the lioness gave birth to a litter of cubs. According to sources, there were anywhere from 3 to 5 cubs born during this time. Unfortunately, the circus wasn't prepared to allow one of their star attractions time off to care for her new family...and there certainly wasn't enough extra staff to offer the care needed to raise the cubs by hand. So, the order was given for an employee to take the cubs down to the river to drown them. Some sources say that two of the cubs had already died by this point, leaving three to face a watery grave. 

Luckily, the wife of the local blacksmith happened to see what was going on. Mrs. Susan Beabout (there's about 50 different spellings given for her last name and I'm not sure which is correct) couldn't stand to see the cubs drowned and offered to take them herself. Despite her best efforts, only one cub would survive, a male which went by the name of 'French,' or in some cases, 'Leo.'

French was a tame and docile animal. He was raised with Tabby the cat and would often gently carry his little friend around in his mouth. The young lion was largely allowed to roam the town by himself, and often followed his owner wherever she went. French was a curious creature, and loved interacting with the townsfolk, who at first were okay with the idea of their local lion. But, French was growing up...

The Bridge the Traveling Salesman
Jumped Off to Avoid French

The townsfolk began to express concerns when French started transitioning from a cute, little cub into a full-sized male lion. To further complicate things, one evening a traveling salesman was crossing the bridge from the southside to the northside. He heard something walking behind him, and as he turned to investigate, found himself face to face with a LION. Terrified by seeing the King of the Jungle in little Alderson, WV, the salesman took off running, and leapt off the bridge into the Greenbrier River, where he swam for shore. He made it to the northside, and to the home of a local doctor, where he promptly fainted dead away. 

In another tale, another traveler who had made a stop while riding the train from Richmond to Cincinnati, had a run-in with French. Perhaps having imbibed a little too much, this gentleman was also pretty freaked out about running head-first into a LION downtown. 

Due to incidents such as these, and growing concerns from citizens, the town passed a law stating that all lions must be leashed. That law is still technically on the books to this day. At first, Mrs. Beabout fenced in her yard and kept French leashed when out, but again, there were concerns as the gentle giant began to outgrow the small property. 

In the fall of 1891, the 11-month old lion was donated to the Rock Creek Park Zoo in Washington, D.C. Zoo superintendent, W.H. Blackburn, remarked that French was one of the finest specimens he'd ever seen, and the lion soon became a star attraction. According to some sources, French would not stay at the zoo, however. He was possibly later sold to Barnum and Bailey circus in 1894, or perhaps died in 1894. Whatever French's fate, he left a lasting impression on a small town. In addition to the strange leash law still on the books, the town boasts subtle nods to French in the form of statues, artworks, and even a festival called Lion Days. 

Further Reading and Sources:

William G. Pomeroy Foundation Historical Marker Article

WV Encyclopedia: Alderson Lion

West Virgina Argus
01 October 1891

The Independent Herald (Hinton, WV)
23 February 1938

Hinton Daily News
06 January 1960

Beckley Post-Herald
08 November 1965

French's Advertisement
The Valley Virginian
02 October 1890

Pterodactyl: A Friday Funny

Source

A recent live-streaming of Wild and Weird Radio made me remember a rather strange incident that happened back in 2007. When you think about the gravity of the situation (how this young man could have really hurt himself or someone else and the idea that there may be some underlying mental health issues involved) it isn't really THAT funny, but the whole incident is absurd enough to classify it as a Friday Funny. Plus, I'll admit that when I did first hear this story, I may have laughed just a little too hard. 

Anyway...

The date was Thursday, December 27th, 2007. A 29 year old man from Wenatchee, Washington was driving northbound on Wenatchee Avenue around 11:30pm. According to witnesses, the man drifted into the southbound lane, drove for a little less than a block while on-coming traffic pulled over to accommodate him... and then crashed into a street lamp. 

Fortunately, there were no serious injuries in this single-vehicle crash, and after being treated at Central Washington Hospital, the man was released into police custody, where he was charged with negligent driving. When police asked what caused the man to drift into the wrong lane and ultimately crash, he would only respond with a one-word answer: pterodactyl. 

Obviously, the man was given a breath-alcohol test on the scene, but according to Sgt. Cherie Smith, there was only a minimal amount of alcohol in the man's system. I've never seen a follow-up as to whether a full toxicology screen showed anything else in his system, and the press seemed to have dropped the matter after the initial story. 

So what happened? Did this guy really see a pterodactyl, or was this just a spur-of-the-moment excuse for the accident? There were witnesses to the incident and no one else reported a long-extinct flying reptile, or any similar creature, either on the scene or in the general area that night. However...

Washington State does apparently have quite a few sightings of pterodactyls/pterosaurs, reported before AND after this event, especially in the vicinity of Olympic National Park, according to crypto-researcher Loren Coleman.  That's interesting, but I'm not sure it's enough to prove that this guy really did see a pterodactyl anywhere outside of his own mind. Happily, no one was hurt and this story became just one in a long list of head-scratching, chuckle inducing WTF moments. 

*As far as I can tell, this story first appeared 28 December 2007 in the  Everett Herald in an article written by Rachel Schleif...which is where the info came from. Stay spooky ya'll...and keep your eyes on the skies, EXCEPT while trying to drive! 

Weird Creature Haunts Bluefield, WV

Today's Throwback Thursday vintage news article comes from the Charleston Daily Mail.  It was published on 2 September 1923 and tells an interesting tale of something strange seen along Memorial Avenue in Bluefield, WV.  West Virginia certainly is no stranger to weird creatures and with the new Fallout 76 game featuring so many of them, I'm glad to have the opportunity to share a few of the lesser known.  But, what this some sort of monster or creature...or was it a ghost?  Perhaps it was all just a practical joke.  We may never know, but please enjoy this strange little article, transcribed below and if you're looking for MORE of West Virginia's strange creatures, check out these articles on the Bluefield Gargoyle and the Creature of  Milton's Kilgore Creek!  Stay spooky and stay away from those Petting Parties!

WEIRD CREATURE HAUNTING ROAD SOUTH OF BLUEFIELD
Old Ghost Story of Neighborhood Dug Up and Retold With Assertion That Present Apparition Is Same Old Spirit; Petting Parties Losing Popularity

BLUEFIELD--Sept. 1--A creature dressed in black, chalky white face, with large, shining eyes and long claws is reported to be haunting the south Bluefield roads.  For the last several nights motorists have reported the strange creature appearing in the most lonely spots as though rising from a bush or clump of high weeds. It walks on all fours and as a car passes it appears and raising to its hind feet, it claws at the air with its vicious loafing claw.  Some of the motorists have stopped and even gone back to investigate the proceedings, but found nothing.  A car of young Romeos, several nights ago, decided to capture it, staged a chase, but after running for several yards the ghost-like creature disappeared among some wild underbrush.  The young men were terrified and returned to the bright lights with wild stories.  Several times the police of the city have tried to make a capture but have never been able to see the object or so much speculation.  But it is there, and has been seen by numerous citizens of Bluefield.  Last night it was reported snooping around in the brush along Memorial Avenue and on the old Cumberland Turnpike.

In this day of reality, it is foolish to say there are any ghosts in the world, but there are many in this vicinity who swear the thing is a ghost.  A farmer from Bland County (Virginia side of Bluefield) by the name of Bailey, who was in the city yesterday selling produce in the city market, offered an old tale of the early days of this section as a solution for the mystery.  The story is too long to repeat, but it seems the residents of about fifty years ago can remember a crazy widow who lived along the old turnpike.  The boys in that day used to rock her house and the more timid people avoided passing after dark. One night her body was found in the road near her house.  For many years after, they claimed the section was haunted.

Whether it is a ghost or whether it is someone playing a prank, the effect is the same on joyriders.  Especially the ones who ride at a late hour hunting lonely spots to stage petting parties.  Of course the gentlemen connected with night riding are all brave men but they do not wish to take a chance.  And they do not wish anything to come sneaking around and hopping up on the running board when least wanted.  So again joyriders will have to keep a good lookout for it might not be a ghost and it might not stay in the same place every night.