posted on May, 26 2004 @ 09:13 AM
I grew up in the SW VA area, though its been many years since I lived there. Many of the farmers in the area were quite sure panthers were about.
My uncle used to tell me of a spot you could go right at sunset and listen to the panthers scream. He said it was panthers, but said they sounded
almost like a woman screaming. Which makes me wonder if it really was panthers.
But, as far as panthers go, I remember way back (probably in the 70's as I was just a boy). The local paper ran a picture of a black panther a deputy
had hit with his car and killed one night on some back road.
Once I wishing in the Clinch river (again in the 70's) and I heard a huge splash comming from the opposite bank. There were some overhanging trees
over the water and whatever it was was swam upriver about 50 feet under the overhanging trees and got out. I didn't get a great look at it, but it
looked like a big cat to me. Short ears, very long tail, etc..
Many, many years ago (before I was born) something got what would have been a great uncle of mine. He was on a hillside picking blackberries while
some other men worked in the field below.
Suddenly they hear him scream. The men can't see anything because the berry bushes are so thick. They all go charging up the hill and into the
thicket.
They found the metal bucket he was putting the berries in laying on the ground with a side caved in. They searched for days - but that bucket was
the only trace of him they ever found.
I remember one of the old farmers had a small stuffed unidentified critter he had shot. Ugly looking thing, it looked kinda like a weasel, possum and
coon had made babies. As far as I know, he never had any type of scientific analysis done on it to see if it was really an unknown animal or just a
weird looking possum. The farmer is long since dead - no idea what ever happened to the stuffed critter... His wife probably tossed it - she hated
it.
Other stuff - as mentioned, lots of ghost stories in those areas. Lots of caves. Lots of Native American arrowheads and such scattered about if you
keep your eyes open. The same uncle that told me of the panthers knew of a hole you could drop a rock in and never hear it hit bottom.