the character of ruth ann is loosely based on folklorist ruth ann musick. Ruth Ann Musick taught appalachian folklore at fairmont state college (now fairmont state university) and published several collections of west virginia folk stories. In her time, ruth ann musick was considered one of the leading scholars in appalachian folklore. Her most noteworthy texts on west virginia and appalachian folklore are coffin hollow and other ghost tales and the telltale lilac bush and other west virginia ghost tales. the ghost stories "The Cole Mountain light" and "big john's ghost" in this comic can be found in those collections, respectively. the author and artists of this comic would like to thank the university of kentucky press for their permission to recreate ms. musick's stories in comic form. "The cole mountain light" coffin hollow and other ghost tales copyright 1977 by the university of kentucky press "Big John's ghost" the telltale lilac bush and other west virginia ghost tales copyright 1965 by the university of kentucky press
West virginia
I don't like it here. I miss Missouri. Oh, ruth ann. cheer up! it won't be that bad. you'll meet new people. You'll love it here! The principle at your new school said everyone is nice and you'll make friends in no time. If you say so... 2
Look! We're here! It's not much but it'll be work. honey, it's lovely. Don't you think, ruth ann? Yeah...
!? I miss home... 4
Mom? Dad? It was probably just a wild cat. Nothing to worry about. We're in the country! Good morning, Ruth ann! We're in the kitchen unpacking. I heard a scream last night... why don't you go play outside or something? we have a lot to unpack still. OK?... OK.
Way down in missouri where I heard this melody... when i was a little child on my mommy's knee... the old folks were hummin'... their banjos were strummin'... so sweet and low... 6
oh, wow. hmm... what's up here? a cemetery...
what a strange place for a cemetery... wow. what an old grave... 8
ahh! oooouch... here. let me help you up.
it looks like ya fell pretty hard. uh. thank you, mister. no problem... here. that scrape looks bad. are ya ok? Yeah. I'm fine. Why don't ya sit? there's a bench over 10
so, what's a young girl like yaself doing out here alone? i was bored. i just moved here from missouri. this place is boring. nothing but rednecks and coal miners. that's not true. i find this place very interestin'. I love passin' through here. If you say so. I do. i think west virginia has a lot of character. what do you mean?
it has character because it has more than just rednecks and coal miners. it has stories. in fact, those coal miners and rednecks all have a story. i have a story... the hills have stories... even the dead have stories. how can the dead tell stories? 12
tell me, do ya like ghost stories? not really. I don't believe in ghosts. oh ha ha ha. i guess ya wouldn't understand then. hey, would you like to hear one? I know ya don't believe but I've got lots. Yeah. i guess. i have nothing else better to do... ha ha ha. ok. well, back before the civil war around moorefield on cole mountain...
THERE WAS A land OWNER by the name of charles jones AND HIS YOUNG SLAVE. THE land OWNER WAS A KIND MAN WHO TREATED THE YOUNG SLAVE WARMLY. one night, while raccoon huntin', the young slave went to retrieve their catch, leavin' the owner behind. when the young slave returned, his master had disappeared. Mr. Jones? Charles! no one accused the boy of foul play because they knew he was one of the owner's most trusted slaves. So a search party was created... and they searched cole mountain for days in the hopes of findin' the slave boy's master. Mr. Jones! 14
after a week, the party gave up searchin'... except for the slave boy. the young slave searched for his master every day and night. everyone in the area would see his lantern patrollin' the mountain side searching. on the anniversary of the land owner's disappearance, the young slave made one last attempt to find his master and was never seen again. his lantern light disappeared. MR. JONES! what happened? no one knows. however, one night...
a yellow light appeared on cole mountain. they say this strange light is the lantern of the slave boy's ghost still searchin' for his lost owner. it's said that the light has even chased hunters off the mountain. AHHH! run! and another time, a young couple was stalked by the light. what the...? the young man had heard stories of the cole mountain light and thought it was a prank. He got out of his car to investigate... this isn't funny. and the light disappeared in the blink of an eye.?! approached the light... 16
the light from the young slave boy's lantern can still be seen on some nights as he continues to search cole mountain for his long, lost owner. So, what do ya think? sorry but i don't buy it. it's not scary nor do i believe it.
ghosts aren't even real! even if they are true, the ghost stories my father used to tell me back in missouri are scarier. wow, ya are really are a sceptic. and a critic! Ya don't even try to believe. i'm sorry to disappoint ya but as i was passin' through moorefield, i heard the story and saw the light myself. it's true. ha ha ha. perhaps i could humor ya with another story? go ahead. try me. sure it is 18
ok. its another story i heard while passin' through a small mining town. ya ready? ready as i'll ever be. well, i heard this story from the grandson of a coal miner in grant town.
everyone called him big john. there was once a russian man who worked in the mines. he worked with the grandfather of the man who told me this story. not only did they work together, they were the best of friends. one day, while planting charges, there was an accident. 20
a stick of dynamite ignited prematurely. the grandfather survived but big john did not. he died instantly. for a long time, the grandfather was sad. he missed his friend... but he continued his work day in and day out. sometimes the grandfather would think he heard big john talking to him while he was working. he would turn around to answer to only find himself alone in the shaft.
one day, he heard big john again. like before, the grandfather turned around to answer. only this time, big john was there. big john looked to him and said -- and then disappeared. John? hello. 22
and from there on, whenever the grandfather heard big john, he didn't turn around. so, what do ya think about that story? scary enough for ya? is that the best you can do? come on. it's obvious it was just his imagination. he missed his friend. well, miss... ruth ann.
miss ruth ann, you're a tough one. but trust me, i'll scare ya before it's over. and you'll believe! you think you can convince me? oh, i know i can and i will. ya just wait... to be continued...