Luke's Mothman Sighting

Luke and Mothman

My son, Luke, has always had a connection to Pt. Pleasant and the Mothman story. Although I was living in Putnam County, Luke was actually conceived while on a weekend getaway to the haunted and historic Lowe Hotel, located just across the street from the infamous Mothman Statue. His Halloween due date was pushed up to September 21 when my stubborn lil' boy decided that he was ready to be born well before the customary 40 weeks. That date of September 21 means that his birthday weekend falls on the same weekend as the annual Mothman Festival. Obviously, he's been to almost every Mothman Festival that has occurred since his first birthday, but we also just love to take small day trips down to Pt. Pleasant---which as a small child, Luke referred to as 'Mothman City.' One of the highlights of every trip was stopping for lunch at Harris' Steakhouse and ordering a 'Mothman Hamburger' from Caroline. 

Despite that connection, I was still REALLY surprised when Luke told me that he thought he had his own Mothman sighting!

I'm not sure if there's much, if anything to this sighting, but I posted it to the Facebook group, Mothman Sightings, as a way to document it and see if anyone else had seen something similar, or could give me some ideas of what he may experienced. It happened on Friday, December 18th, 2020 when he was 11 years old. Luke's grandparents and great-aunt had picked him up for an evening of Christmas light viewing. They left Hurricane with the intent of seeing the lights in Pt. Pleasant and neighboring Gallipolis, Ohio. Sometime between 5:30pm and 6pm, they stopped in Eleanor to pick up dinner at Dairy Queen.

According to Luke, while they were waiting in the drive-thru line, he saw "a Mothman on the roof of the building beside Dairy Queen." His grandfather asked him what he wanted to eat, so he turned his head to talk to him, and by the time he turned back around, the Mothman was gone. Needless to say, I was super intrigued. However, when I tried to probe him for more information, Luke was uncharacteristically reluctant to talk. He did say it looked like a man with wings, crouched down. I asked if saw red eyes, and he said no, because whatever it was had its head tilted down. After that, he just kind of shut down, and refused to say anything else about what he saw.

I thought that was weird. I thought the whole thing was weird. I mean, he is MY kid, so he's well aware of the Mothman. However, he has never shown any interest in my paranormal work, and quite honestly, thinks I'm pretty weird for being so interested in all things strange and spooky. Further, this kid is super serious and can't tell a lie to save his life, so I believe he saw SOMETHING. I just don't know what it was or why he refused to discuss it with me further. 

Unfortunately, I couldn't get over to Eleanor right away, but within the next few days I drove over there. I'm assuming that the building he was talking about is the Putnam County Vocational School. The building DOES have stuff on its roof, but nothing I saw looked like it could have been mistaken for a Mothman figure that was there one minute, and gone the next. The only explanation I can think of would be that there was a worker on the roof wearing dark clothes. Perhaps he was crouched down, working, his elbows out to the side, resembling 'wings.' Then, he got up and walked out of view, or stepped behind something and could no longer be seen. I asked Luke's grandparents, and they didn't see anything out of the ordinary. They confirmed that Luke was wide awake at the time and didn't seem...off...or anything. 

So, who knows what he saw, if anything. I had totally forgotten about this experience until recently when I came across it while searching for something else I had posted on that same Facebook group. Luke never mentioned anything about the Mothman after that, and I never pushed him for more details since he was so reluctant to talk about it. But, I figured I'd also document here on Theresa's Haunted History blog in an effort to preserve his story and reach a wider audience on the chance that someone else has seen something similar in that area. If you have your own Mothman story you'd like to share, whether in Eleanor or anywhere else, I'd love to hear it! Please share it in the comments below, or find me over on Theresa's Haunted History Facebook and let me know. Stay spooky, y'all. 

Weird Wednesday: Animals Around Charleston

Back in the early days of the 20th century, Charleston, WV was kind of a weird place. I mean, it still is...but back then, it was much more common to see such interesting sights as a horse in pants or a trained bear, escaped from a local theater, wandering around the federal building. Luckily, these delightful tales were odd enough to warrant the attention of local newspapers, and are preserved for us to enjoy today. I found both of them while researching other spooky stories in the area, and while there's nothing really PARANORMAL about these tales, they're definitely strange, and deserve a Weird Wednesday mention!

From The West Virginian
30 August 1916

From The Charleston Daily Mail
24 August 1914

Silver Bridge Stories: The George Byus Family

Silver Bridge Collapse
Photo from Charleston Gazette

When the Silver Bridge, linking Pt. Pleasant, WV to Gallipolis, OH fell on December 15, 1967 many associated the tragedy with a centuries-old curse placed upon the town by Chief Cornstalk as he lay dying at the hands of the white man. Some believed that curse or not, the sightings of the strange creature known as Mothman over the past 11 months were leading up to this event. It was even rumored that Mothman had been seen on or near the bridge shortly before it's collapse. Was Mothman simply trying to warn the town of an impending disaster, or was he somehow responsible for it? Whatever connection you may or may not believe is there, the fact is that an unprecedented tragedy resulted in the lives of 46 people being lost. And, for whatever reason, this tragedy will forever be linked into the greater lore of the Mothman. 

As part of my commitment to documenting ALL aspects of West Virginia's spooky nature, I wanted to start highlighting some of the history associated with the Silver Bridge, starting with the stories behind some of the many victims. I don't want to overwhelm this blog with nothing but Silver Bridge posts, so it'll take me quite a long time to cover everything I want to cover, starting with this story of the Byus Family of Pt. Pleasant. 

On the evening of December 15, 1967, George Byus had returned from work to his home at 198 Park Drive, Pt. Pleasant, WV. His wife, Hilda was waiting on him to get home. She wanted to go out to dinner at the Bob Evans restaurant, located just across the bridge in Ohio. George, however, was tired after a long day, so Hilda decided to go get takeout instead. She loaded the couple's two daughters, 2-year old Kimberly Lynn and 10-year old Catherine Lucille 'Kathy' into the family's blue '67 Ford Mustang. 

Around 4:55pm, as the family was crossing the Silver Bridge, the bridge, heavy with rush hour traffic, collapsed. Rescue efforts began almost immediately, but unfortunately, 46 lives were lost that day. Hilda, Kimberly, and Kathy were among those lost in the tragic accident.

By the 17th, Hilda's mother, uncle, and two older siblings had come to town to await further news. Hilda's mother, Mrs. Grace Roach, was so overwhelmed with grief, that after being interviewed by the local paper, had to be helped, sobbing, back to her vehicle. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be until the morning of Thursday, December 21st that the bodies of Hilda and Kimberly were recovered, still in the blue Mustang. They were the 31st and 32nd bodies to be recovered from the collapse, being found in the 60ft deep main channel near the bridge.

Hilda and Kimberly were buried at Concord Baptist Church Cemetery in nearby Henderson, WV. The body of young Kathy was never recovered. She, along with Maxine Turner, were the only two victims of the Silver Bridge to never be found, and to this day, her body is unaccounted for. 

George Byus, the sole survivor of the family, passed away on May 15, 2012. His work as a mechanical engineer took him to many places, including Texas, where he passed. His body was brought home to West Virginia and laid to rest beside his wife and youngest daughter. It doesn't appear that the Pt. Pleasant native ever remarried or had any additional children. 

Sources: 

WV GenWeb Project

Find-a-Grave

Early Marietta Blog

The Indianapolis Star. 22 December 1967

Evansville Press. 21 December 1967

Daily News. 17 December 1967

The Ghost of Floyd Collins Comes to Marshall College

View of the Ladies' Hall, pre-1905
Source

The following newspaper article comes from a February 24, 1925 edition of the Hinton Daily News, a newspaper based in Hinton, WV (Summers County). It immediately caught my attention because not only was it about a ghost---but a ghost that was seen in Huntington, WV at Marshall College, now Marshall University!

As the tale goes, Dean Beaumont, along with about 50 female students living in the girls' dormitory heard an eerie, disembodied voice. The voice was praying for his life and freedom, with special mention of freeing his leg. And, as stated in the headline of the article, the ghost was believed to be none other than Floyd Collins. And even if you don't recognize the name, you've probably come across the tragic death of Mr. Collins. 

Earlier that month, Floyd was exploring a new section of Kentucky's Mammoth Cave when he became wedged into a narrow crevice. Valiant efforts were made to free him, but the very few who were even brave enough to attempt reaching him could not quite get to him. His official date of death is recorded as February 13, 1925 and his body was left where he took his last breath. Newspapers across the nation carried daily updates on the rescue mission and surely, the young ladies of Marshall College were well aware of the situation.

Ladies' Dormitory Room
Source

In addition to the prayers, the ladies also reported hearing other strange sounds, including sobs and wails. The college president ordered an investigation into finding an explanation for the ghostly noises, but none was ever found, despite the fact that floorboards were ripped up and walls thoroughly examined.  

I thought surely the dormitory where these strange events took place nearly 100 years ago would have been long ago torn down, but thanks to a helpful archive of 1920's era school catalogs digitized on the university's webpage, I was able to discern that in February of 1925, the ladies' dormitories were located in a space called College Hall, formerly Ladies' Hall. College Hall survives today as the back section of the main administrative building known as Old Main!

So, if you ever find yourself walking the hallowed halls of the oldest building on campus, make sure you take a moment to stop and listen. You just might hear the cries of cave explorer Floyd Collins, still crying out for his life a century later. 

Students "Aroused" By The Ghost of Floyd Collins

Huntington, W.Va., Feb. 24th--"The ghost of Floyd Collins" is haunting a girls' dormitory at Marshall College here and has so frightened the 400 co-eds that school work is virtually paralysed, it was reported when the faculty of the institution called a meeting to investigate the mystery. 

Numerous students said they heard Collins praying between midnight and 3a.m. Wierd noises accompanied the prayers.

"Spare my life, O Lord! Loosen my leg; allow me my freedom, I beseech Thee," the praying voice said.

Dean Beaumont and half a hundred co-eds were aroused by the noise.

The prayer was followed by a series of wails and sobs.

President M.P. Shawkey was notified of the mystery and ordered an investigation.

Floors were taken up and walls were tapped without finding a trace of the "ghost."

The Ghost of Gardiner Hall

Gardiner Hall-Source

Shepherdstown, West Virginia has recently been labeled as one of the most haunted towns in the United States. And while hauntings can be found all over the area, quite a few of the town's ghosts are associated with Shepherd University! I'm sure I'll be covering more of these school spirits in later blogs, but today I wanted to highlight the haunting of Gardiner Hall. 

As legend states, Gardiner Hall, dedicated in 1966, is haunted by the ghost of Patty, a former Homecoming Queen, who died when she slipped in the shower, hitting her head. Patty has been seen walking across the football field on the night of homecoming, but she generally tends to spend the majority of the academic year hanging out on the second floor of Gardiner Hall, where she's been seen roaming the halls. In addition to manifesting in front of terrified underclassmen, Patty also tends to take out her frustrations against a portrait of Mabel Gardiner, former history professor and Dean of Women, for whom the building is named. It is said that to appease Patty, the portrait must be displayed upside down, or else all hell breaks loose. It is believed that Patty somehow blames Gardiner for her accidental death. 

Over the years, quite a few residents of Gardiner Hall have reported experiencing the ghost of Patty. One thing I noticed that was really interesting is that several witnesses claim that the number on their room door was upside down, and they were warned not to change it, unless they wanted to feel the wrath of Patty. Cold spots, phantom footsteps, and unexplained lights are all blamed on Patty, who was described as one witness as having long, brown hair and wearing all white.

Patricia Loy's Grave at Ebenezer Cemetery
Photo by BillionGraves

To many who have lived in Gardiner Hall, there is no doubt that the building is haunted, but for many years, there was a lot of confusion as to just who the Homecoming Queen was or how she died. Fortunately, we have some additional information!

Gardiner Hall-Source

Patricia Loy was a 20 year old college student from Romney, West Virginia who I believe was majoring in Education. Her life tragically ended on July 22, 1988 when, according to her former roommate, she was killed in a car crash in the early morning hours while driving home to Romney from her job. During the academic year, she stayed on the third floor of Gardiner Hall, where she was described by another roommate (in the Senior Wills section published by the school newspaper, The Picket) as frequenting Tuesday Night Jams at The Reunion, and going on trips to the nearby Spook Hill in Maryland. She is buried in Ebenezer Cemetery in Romney. 

So who IS the ghost of Gardiner Hall? 

I honestly couldn't tell you. Patty Loy is obviously NOT the homecoming queen of the legend, because it is confirmed that she did not pass away in the dorm showers from a head injury. Was there another homecoming queen, lost to history, who lost her life in such a manner? If there was, and she lived in Gardiner Hall, there must have been a pretty elaborate cover up, because in the grand scheme of things, the building is not that old. Ouija board sessions from dorm residents seem to convince users that they are indeed talking to someone named Patty. So, maybe it IS Patricia Loy. Just because she passed away in a different manner from what the legend states, and in a different place, doesn't mean that her spirit couldn't return. Perhaps she enjoyed her time at Shepherd University with her friends so much, that she made her way back there after bodily death. Maybe her life was taken so unexpectedly that she doesn't even realize that she's no longer in her physical body, and is still 'living' her best college life. 

Whether the ghost of Gardiner Hall is Patricia Loy, another former student, or even Mabel Gardiner herself, I only have one question: what's with wanting everything turned upside down? 

Sources and Further Reading:

True Identity: Shepherd College Ghost, by Matthew Jeremy Edler, as reported to WVGhosts.com. Published July 14, 2004. 

Shepherd College-Gardiner Hall by Mike, as reported to WVGhosts.com. Published July 14, 2004

Exhuming the Legends of Shepherd University. The Picket, October 22, 2013

BillionGraves: Ebenezer Cemetery--Patricia Ann Loy

The Picket. May 2, 1990. Senior Will of Cathy Junkins. Page 9

Legends of Shepherd University's Campus. SU Website

Friday Funny: Find the Right One

 It's almost Valentine's Day, so I thought this might be a good reminder. If you're feeling alone, don't be! Your demons are always with you! Have a safe and happy Valentine's weekend, and remember to stay spooky. 

Book Review: The Wild Man of North America

Title: The Wild Man of North America--Historic Newspaper Accounts About Encounters with Wild Men, Feral Humans and Other Curiosities

Author: Louis R. Petolicchio

Published: 2021 by Witherspoon Publishing (Sutton, WV)

Back in December, Spectral Research and Investigation returned to Sutton, WV for a holiday get-together and investigation of the Haunted Haymond House. In a serendipitous turn of events, right after we confirmed our date, the West Virginia Bigfoot Museum announced that they'd be holding a special event called the Yeti Expo on the same day we were going to be in town! Obviously, myself and other members of the team jumped on the opportunity, and if you know me...you know I can't attend such an event without picking up souvenirs in the form of whatever paranormal nonfiction books are being sold!

After touring the West Virginia Bigfoot Museum, perusing the interesting items for sale at the Mountain Laurel Country store, and talking with Les O'Dell of WV Cryptids and Strange Encounters about HIS new book (Theresa's Review of West Virginia Cryptids) I picked out a book from the museum's gift shop area. The book I chose was The Wild Man of North America by Louis R. Petolicchio.

In another moment of serendipity, Louis was actually the one who rang up my purchases at the register! We had a lovely little chat about the book, the museum, and what I was in town for. He gave me some inside info about the book as well---apparently there was a mix-up with the cover art, and the image on the front of the book was NOT part of the public domain. So, there was only a limited run of this particular edition, with a re-publish coming soon. I promised that I'd come back and buy the updated copy as well, just for my own personal paranormal nonfiction collection. That seemed to tickle him, and he offered to sign my copy, which I gladly agreed to.

Unfortunately, Louis R. Petolicchio recently lost a battle with Covid, a huge loss to his family and friends, as well as the community of Sutton and the Bigfoot/cryptid research community. He was such a nice, likable person, and I was really sad to hear of his passing. I only got to speak with him the one time, but he made me feel very welcome and appreciated and it really bothers me that my next visit to the WV Bigfoot Museum won't include me telling him how much I LOVED his book! 

The Wild Man of North America is a really cool collection of vintage newspaper articles, dating back from the early 1800's through the early 1900's. Throughout the United States, newspapers in nearly every city and state ran articles about Wild Men--strange, feral human-like creatures that seemed to be covered in fur/hair, were nearly always nude or nearly-nude, and who often had quite the bad temper towards anyone who tried to make contact. 

Louis makes a note in the introduction that these types of stories seem to fall into three broader categories: 1. Large, hairy bipedal humanoids that we'd probably classify as a Bigfoot or a Sasquatch today. 2. Feral humans, who can use tools, are often violent, and if caught, speak gibberish and are usually deemed to be insane. And, 3. Lost hominids, which seem to be neither man, nor beast...not quite as elusive and animalistic as a Bigfoot, but taking on some human-like characteristics, such as using fire, clubs, and other tools. For the most part, I agree with these classifications, but reading through the stories, I can definitely see some shared characteristics and similarities between some stories that I think make classification of such 'creatures' a little more gray. 

Either way, this is an excellent book for the Bigfoot researcher, or who is interested in a historical perspective of creature reports that we'd probably classify as a Bigfoot today. Although quite a few of the tales included are obviously humans who for whatever reason found themselves living away from 'modern civilization,' there are plenty of stories that really do seem to be more cryptozoological in nature. For me personally, I'm not ready to head out in the deep woods looking for Bigfoot today, but I really enjoy deep diving into the history of sightings and trying to make connections with the research being done today. Plus, its just really entertaining! The writing style and language used in some of these articles is downright hilarious, and reads like something you'd find in the Weekly World News...not an established, respected newspaper. 

In addition to the large section on these Wild Men stories, there's a chapter on the infamous Teddy Roosevelt's re-telling of a friend's possible Bigfoot experience, as well as a small section of newspaper articles on other curiosities, including a ton of articles on giant skeletons found in burial mounds and some creature reports that sound a lot like misplaced kangaroos! If this book is lacking anything (which I don't think it is) I think I would have liked to have some additional commentary by Mr. Petolicchio. Additional commentary really isn't NEEDED throughout most of the book, but I would have been interested in whether or not he would make any connections between giant skeletons and deceased Sasquatch creatures and just some general thoughts on the nature of these stories. I was super pleased, however, to see several stories from West Virginia and surrounding areas, including a really weird story where a wild man attacked a train near Morgantown (Wild Man Attacks Train Near Morgantown)!

I am so happy that I was able to pick up a copy of this book when I did, and I'm even happier that I got the opportunity to meet Mr. Petolicchio. My heart goes out to his friends and family who lost a good man too soon. This book will take a place of honor on my bookshelf, as a reminder of the awesome contributions to the field of Bigfoot research made by Mr. Petolicchio. Today, the WV Bigfoot Museum will reopen to the public--if you're in the Sutton area, stop by and let them know you support them. I've also included a link below to the family's GoFundMe page in case you'd like to help out. And of course, if you get the opportunity to add this book to YOUR collection, I highly recommend you do so! It is a well written, well-curated collection of really interesting historical news accounts that is a must-have for any researcher wanting to see how reports of hairy hominid creatures has evolved over the last 200 years!

Petolicchio Family GoFundMe

Want MORE Book Reviews?

Louis Petolicchio
Photo by Braxton Citizens' News

The Singing Spirit Wife of Kanawha County

Source

I've got another historic newspaper article to share with you today! Although this clipping can be found in the November 8, 1886 edition of the The Mail--a newspaper out of Stockton, California, the tale told is actually from deep within the mountains of West Virginia. Cannelton, WV is now located in present-day Fayette County, with Cannelton Mountain at the boundary of Kanawha County. 

This is a really interesting story of a preacher and his wife, both of whom seemed to have some rather spooky characteristics about them. When the wife passes away, she leaves a rather bizarre request for her husband to follow, which he does, much to the horror of those living in the surrounding communities. But, things get even worse for him when he decides to go back on that request and bring a new wife to his home. I hope you enjoy this strange little tale and share it with others so that together we can keep the rich, and sometimes weird, folklore of West Virginia alive. 

A SINGING SPIRIT-WIFE

The Haunted Glen in the West Virginia Mountains

Corr. Cincinnati Enquirer

There is a wild country in the rear of Cannelton mountain, in the western part of Kanawha county, West Virginia. Strange people, many of whom are nomadic in habit, strange customs and strange habitations may be found for the looking. Here the "sing-diggers," or cave dwellers, thrive in wild luxuriance; here the "Brotherhood of Prayer" and Church of God sects, whose curious rites of humility and penance recall the history of druidical worship. On the southern slope of a mountain about five miles beyond "the settlement"--as these primitive-mannered people still call the villages--Edom Smith, a free-will Baptist, pitched his tent ten years ago. His claims for preferment were speedily recognized and a following obtained. 

A rude hut was his dwelling-place, in a dense wood, never touched by sunshine, and hard by a little stream, spring-fed, and a twinkling waterfall. Here the owls hooted grewsomely in the night time. Deacon Smith was pale, cadaverous and solemn. His wife was of the gypsy type--dark, of stormy mien, alert and active. That she ruled the deacon with no gentle rod no one had reason to doubt. She held herself aloof from "his people," though taking part in the Saturday night services. He never preached save at night, and then only in the light of the moon.

The dark woman was held in veneration by the "sing-diggers," for she sang as none others could, and gave them healing potions and charms against the evil one. Once, it is said, that when Edom Smith spoke of death and the grave in his discourse, she shrieked aloud and rebuked her husband with angry words. It was known that her terror of death amounted to madness, and she had extorted an oath from him never to consign her body to the ground, but to enclose it in an oaken box, to be deposited on a specific stump near the house. For want of sunlight she fell ill of rheumatism one Autumn and died when the leaves were coming out again in the tangle of vines on the tent.

Edom Smith remembered his vow, and respected it. Within sight of the bridle-path that led to the highway a few miles beyond, on the stump that Olga had selected, the rude oak box containing her remains was placed. The people besought him to bury the remains, but he said he durst not break his word, for she had promised to haunt him for this, and always kept her word. Then they made a new path to the river that they might avoid the awful spectacle of that discolored box, where the figure in white came every twilight and wandered to the waterfall. This weird vision was a common sight, it was said, and they persistently prayed the deacon to put the coffin under ground, where the dead belong. Elfish screams were heard in the moonlight hour, it was told, and wild songs, such as Olga used to sing as she sat by the cabin door. 

All knew that strong, strangely sweet voice, and shuddered when they heard its echoes among the trees. But no one complained to the authorities of the horror, and the box remained through that Summer and one Winter undisturbed. It finally disappeared, no one knew why, and were afraid to ask concerning it. But the mystery was explained when he brought a bride to the hut. She had steadily refused to share his lot until the former wife was put away. 

But the songs went on as of old, and the awful cries of the gloaming, till they called it the haunted glen, through which belated travelers hurried to the nearest habitation. It was found that Edom Smith had carried the box to a cavern, almost at the mountain top, on the other side. How he succeeded in reaching the place without assistance was more than anybody could understand, but no one questioned that awful matter.

There on a ledge of rock in the cave may yet be seen the oaken box, over which the mosses grow and the ancient ferns, and where the dolesome nighthawks scream a mournful threnody. The rattlesnakes hiss about the place and fantastic vine drapes the mouth of the tomb with scarlet blossoms. The tale is told that Deacon Smith had never peace in the hut with his new wife, for the ghostly songs of the restless Olga, and that his Bible had bloody fingermarks throughout. So they left the place one night, going no one knew whither, leaving everything as though they would return, but they never did, none hearing from them or the cause of their hegira.

Perhaps they were murdered, say the "song-people." Who can tell? But the furniture disappeared a month later, and then a fire destroyed the house--by what means no one could say. They still say the songs may yet be heard in the twilight and the awful shrieks in the midnight hour. And they will tell this tale to succeeding generations, and warn them of the haunted cave near the mountain top, and the ghost of the lonely glen. 

Wild Man Attacks Train Near Morgantown

Opekiska Locks and Dam
Source

Last December,  I had the opportunity to head up to Sutton, WV and attend the Yeti Festival, hosted by the West Virginia Bigfoot Museum! While I was there, I purchased a copy of Louis R. Petolicchio's awesome book, The Wild Man of North America: Historic Newspaper Accounts About Encounters with Wild Men, Feral Humans and Other Curiosities. I was pleasantly surprised to see the following account from March 3, 1905 included in the book. The Daily Telegram, a newspaper based in Clarksburg, WV, reported that passenger trains coming through Opekiska, a small community in Monongalia County, located along the Monongahela River between Fairmont and Morgantown, were being attacked by a wild man! After one man was arrested, the attacks continued, scaring both train personnel and passengers so badly that they refused to go after the wild man themselves. 

I think this is a really interesting story in the annals of wild man lore, because to me, there is no mistaking this wild man as anything other than a normal human, possibly suffering with a mental illness. Despite being described as a 'giant,' by today's standards, his estimated height of 6' is about average for a man, and the fact that he was able to shoot a gun (given that it was the same 'wild man' in each encounter) would be more indicative of a human being than something more...animalistic. But, that does bring up a fascinating point...was this Lynch fellow involved in the first incident, and a separate 'man' involved later on? If so, why was Lynch trying to flag down the train? Was he trying to escape the true wild man? And just where did this wild man come from? In many stories where the wild man is clearly a human being, it is suspected that he is an escaped inmate, of either the prison system or the insane asylum, or has otherwise witnessed something so horrible that he takes to the wilderness and becomes feral, slowly losing his human identity which is replaced with more animalistic characteristics. I'll be completely honest: while I love this story as another one of WV's oddities, I'm a little disappointed that this is not an example of a wild man story that is clearly an early sighting of what we'd call a Bigfoot or Sasquatch today.  Anyway, I'll get more into my theories of Wild Men, both from a historical perspective AND a modern one, in another blog, so until then, enjoy this strange and fascinating tale from right here in the Mountain State. 

WILD MAN ATTACKS TRAIN

Giant Creature in Human Form with Bristles on Face Is at Large Near Morgantown

03 March 1905

The Daily Telegram (Clarksburg, WV)

The citizens of Monongalia County are thoroughly aroused over the strange and murderous actions of a man in that country, whose identity has not been established so far and whose capture seems a remote possibility, unless the state authorities organize a posse and force him to surrender.

Only a few days ago as chronicled, a man was seen standing on the track in front of a passenger train nearing Morgantown.  He was violently waving his hands.  The train did not stop and he was compelled to step aside to save himself. As the train was passing he fired several shots at it.

Later a fellow Lynch was arrested suspected of the deed and is yet held. But after his arrest the matter of trying to hold up passenger trains continued and Thursday afternoon at Opakeiski* as the passenger train was coming toward Fairmont a strange looking man stoned it.  The train stopped after having run him and the brakeman went back to arrest the fellow, but as he approached him the fellow showed fight and the trainman grew so nervous over the man's strange appearance that he returned to the train.

By the time he boarded the train, it had started again, but the brakeman called upon the passengers to volunteer to go with him and capture the giant--as he was at least six feet tall and wore a beard all over his face which looked more like a mass of bristles than whiskers. 

The passengers were not sufficiently alarmed over the attempt made by the fellow on their lives to organize themselves into a posse and pursue him. 

*You can read the original newspaper article as it appears in the Daily Telegram on the Chronicling America website, located at THIS LINK.