the ghosts and ruth annissue 1 of 2

written by dillon hawkins

based on the ghost stories of ruth ann musickart byaaron maylacy laffertydillon hawkins

the ghosts and ruth annissue 1 of 2

written by dillon hawkins

based on the ghost stories of ruth ann musick

art byaaron maylacy laffertydillon hawkins

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 talescopyright © 1977 by the university of kentucky press

"Big John's ghost" the telltale lilac bush and other west virginia ghost talescopyright © 1965 by the university of kentucky press

West virginia

You'll love it here! The principle at

your new school said everyone is

nice and you'll make friends in no time.

Oh, ruth ann. cheer up! it

won't be that bad. you'll meet

new people.

I don't like it here. I miss Missouri.

If you say so...

2

It's not much but it'll

be work.

honey, it's lovely. Don't you think,

ruth ann?

Look! We're here!

Yeah...

4

I miss home...

!?

Mom? Dad?

Good morning, Ruth ann! We're in the kitchen

unpacking.

... OK.

I heard a scream

last night...

It was probably just

a wild cat. Nothing to

worry about. We're in the

country!

why don't you go play outside or something? we have a lot to

unpack still. OK?

♫ Way down in

missouri where I heard this melody... ♫

♫ when i was a

little child on my mommy's

knee... ♫

6

♫ the old

folks were hummin'... ♫

♫ their

banjos were strummin'... ♫

♫ so sweet

and low... ♫

hmm... what's up

here?

oh, wow.

a cemetery...

what a strange place for a cemetery...

wow. what an old grave...

8

M. LARSON

1868 - 1942

T. PENWELL

1898 - 1954

BELOVED WIFE

SON AND BROTHER

ahh!

oooouch... here. let me help you up.

10

it looks like ya fell

pretty hard.

uh. thank you,

mister.

no problem...

here. that

scrapE looks bad.

Why don't ya sit?

there's a bench over

Yeah. I'm fine.

are ya oK?

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?

ha ha ha. ok. well, back

before the civil war around

moorefield on cole

mountain...

not really. I don't

believe in ghosts.

oh ha ha ha. i guess ya wouldn't

understand then.

Yeah. i guess. i have

nothing else better to

do...

hey, would you like to hear one? I

know ya don't believe but

I've got lots.

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.

14

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.

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?

Charles!

Mr. Jones!

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.

what happened?

no one knows.

however, one night...

MR. JONES!

16

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.

and another time, a young couple was stalked by the light.

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...

approached the light...

and the light disappeared in the blink of an eye.

AHHH!

run!

what the ... ?

this isn't funny.

?!

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.

18

ghosts aren't even

real!

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.

wow, ya are really are a

sceptic. and a critic! Ya don't

even try to believe.

ha ha ha. perhaps i

could humor ya with another story?

go ahead. try me.

sure it is

even if they are true, the ghost stories my father used to tell me back in missouri are

scarier.

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.

20

there was once a russian man who worked in the mines.

everyone called him big john.

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.

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.

22

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.

hello.

John?

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...

the ghosts and ruth annissue 2 of 2

coming fall / winter 2009