Ghost Stories

Eight Toes

Ok,as I've saidbefore,my family on my mother's side were moonshiners.They livedin a long dark hollow called Duncan fork on Trace Ck. of Mingo Co.West Virgina.Their's was a large family.It consisted of my greatgrandfather,his wife,and if I'm not mistaken,either 12 or 14 oftheir offspring along with the wifes and husbands of the onesthat were married.All or most of them lived in Duncan fork andraised corn and sold moonshine to support their families.The timewas around the late 1920s and/or early 1930s.My grandmother saidthat most of the women would work the fields and watch for thelaw,but there was always some of them on guard with rifles.

She said it started with one of my great uncles seeingsomething,while returning from making a delivery of shine.Thedeliveries were always made after dark.While coming back acrossthe mountain between Bias,WV,and Duncan fork he heard a loudscream,like something dying or in great pain.When he stopped hiswagon to see what it was,he saw a large dark animal of some kindon the oppisite side of the hill from him.He said it was not abear or anything he had ever seen before.When it started to comeacross the little hollow towards him,he shot at it with his rifle.Butit didn't seem to have any effect.It just screamed and ran away.

After this it was seen many times in the following two years orso around Duncan fork.It was shot at many times,but with noapprent affect.They started calling it "Eight Toes"because when its tracks were found,they always had eight toes.Ican't remember if there were eight on each foot or only on one.

My grandmother told me about one time when my grandfather wasbringing a load of suger across the hill,the thing suddenlyjumped into the trail and swung a paw or arm at him.It missed himand he took off as fast as his horse could go.When he got homethat night,there were four deep cuts across his horse's side anda 50 pound bag of suger had been torn open.Grandpaw said he'dshot at it with his pistol,but didn't know if he'd hit it ornot,the way his horse was jumping around.

Grandma told him that the thing had been sent to punish them forthe things they were doing.She said there had been 3 lawmenkilled on Duncan fork the day the thing jumped grandpa.

There were many accounts of the thing getting after the men andtearing up their stills,while they were either making moonshineor bring stuff in to make it.But she said it never seemed tobother the women.

One time she and another woman were going to draw water from thewell late at night when it stood up behind the well houseing.Shesaid it was at least 7 to 8 feet tall and stood and walked awayon two legs like a man.She said it was hard to tell what coler itwas,but she thought it was a dark brown.

About two years after the thing was first seen,the law finallydid get in to smash the stills in the head of the hollow (afterkillings on both sides).The thing was not seen after this.Maybeit was something sent by "whoever"to help stop all thethings going on at the time in Duncan fork,who knows.---JOE