Devil-dog
WARNING: This tale contains mountain dialect, scary critters, and does not obey the rules of correct grammar and punctuation. Read with a light on and lock the door.
There is a part of the Smoky Mountains, especially in the higher ups, a certain area that seemed to be off limits to all moral being, men and including dogs. On cold foggy winters night some of the low-landers were often seen to turn their head and whisper they heard strange, spooky sounds, and freighting howling on those nights. A screaming howling of someone about to have their throat cut. Most of the whispers became ghost tales and myths. But one was connected to my family.
Once upon a time there lived a man and his mule. One early morning in the fall they had started up Nolan’s Mountain that led to Cataloochee Valley. Something out of the sky swooped down and knocked Willy Messer’s hat right off his head, a big black ugly raven.
But Willy thought nothing about it, stopped the wagon, set the brake, got out, and retrieved his hat. As he did he looked up at his mule and said, “George Washington, what in the world got into that black bastard, knockin’ my hat off my head. You would think it was tryin’ to scare somebody.”
Walking around to the front of George Washington as he adjusted his hat he asked his soul mate, “You’uns believe in ghost and gobblin’ George Washington?”
His soul mate shook his head up and down.
Willy laughed, got back in his wagon, and kept going. They were on their way to see Willy’s Uncle Ahab. Uncle Ahab had sent word for Willy to come to the farm over in Cataloochee Valley. He had a new dog for him to train.
Willy knew the ways with animals more than anyone else in Haygood County. You might say, he was their county vet. When they got sick, hurt, or needed special training, it was Willy who they went too. But he also took a lot of kidding about talking to all the animals. Willy didn’t care. Folks jest decided he had a special gift.
But Willy had already known about the dog. He had had a dream about a dog a month ago. Now he thought this could be the dog his Uncle Ahab planned to give him. The strange part, there was a big black buzzard in his dream and that made him a little upset. He had heard the old wives tale about the famous big black crow buzzard from Devil’s Hell Cave, a cave that nobody had ever seen. An evil critter out of Hell with a bell around its feet that bringing death to anyone who looks up and sees it over their head, the evil critter know as the “Bell Ringer from Hell”. Mama used the old ghost tale to threaten their kids. Willy had heard it all his life.
“If you don’t behave, I’m gonna get the Bell Ringer after you’uns!”
It got to be that folks were scared to look up if they heard a bell, wouldn’t turn their heads. Willy didn’t hold with the old wives tale but now after seeing that raven act so strange, he jest didn’t rightly know.
However, he did take time out to say to George Washington, “Don’t worry George Washington. It’s not the right buzzard but the wrong bird too, or is it?”
George Washington said nothing.
When they got there, Uncle Ahab took Willy to his barn.
Uncle Ahab, “What I got fur you’uns Willy is the strangest dog I’ve ever seen. I’ve been raisin’ bear dogs all my life, but I ain’t never seen a god damn dog like this here. Close that barn door behind you. I don’t want this son of a bitch to get out that there door or we will never catch him.”
Willy smiled and mumbled, “This is got to be some dog if Uncle Ahab is a’feared of him. He’s the best bear dog man in this here county.”
As they walked thru the barn door, Willy closed the door behind him and said, “Well Uncle Ahab! If you is a’feared of this here dog, I might not want any part of that bastard.” and laughed.
“Oh! I’m ain’t a’feared of that there bastard. That’s not the trouble! We just can’t catch him. That’s the trouble! He won’t come to us, even for a bone. Dam’nest dog I’ve ever seen that want come to you’uns fur a’bone.”
When Willy saw the dog, George Washington saw Willy turn a little white, something Willy never did, now his soul mate wondered why. It was the same dog in Willy’s dream. Willy said nothing and walked over to the dog. But first turned his head to Uncle Ahab and asked, “Do the bastard bite?”
The dog never moved, but laid there watching Willy, showed no signs of upset, and stuck his head out for Willy to pet
“Naw! It don’t bite. But ain’t it the strangest looking dog you’uns ever never seen. He looks like he ain’t got no eyes. Look how far back in his head them eyes are’s. I can’t even tell what colors they are’s. Damn dog I ever seen. Ever seen one like him?
Willy replied, “Nope! Never ever seen a dog like this one. Look at them feet! Bigger than any dog I’ve ever seen. Got a funny smell about him. But he seems to be friendly. He wants me to pet his head. Come here boy! Come here boy!” as Willy waved for the dog to come, but he never moved.
Willy stood up and backed off, said, “Well! He’s friendly enuff. Don’t bite. I believe he and I will get along. Where did you’uns find him?”
Uncle Ahab, “I’ll tell you’uns in a minute, but first there’s something else you need to know. And you ain’t gonna believe this. When you try to put a collar on him, you’uns can’t. He throws that bastard off, slips it over his head. We finally put a chocker on him, but had to take it off when he almost strangled his self. Damn dog I’ve ever seen.”
Willy’s now worn a puzzled look and asked, “Where in the hell did you get him? I hope you didn’t pay much for a dog you can’t collar.”
Unsle Ahab, “Naw! I didn’t have to buy him. He found us! He came out of nowhere and came up with the pack when we were chasing a bear way up there over on Devil’s Hell ridge. Never been up that high before. Don’t think too many hunters have, a’cause it’s so god damn thick and full of drop offs, nobody dares go up there. The only reason we went was the god damn bear took off up there. My old Daddy told me to never ever never hunt that ridge. Funny things have been known to happen up there that nobody will talk abouts. If it hadn’t been for that bear, I wouldn’t have ever gone.
Uncle Ahab shook the shes out of pipe on the bottom of his boot and said. "But this here damn dog ain’t a’feard of nothing. Not even the Devil himself. He were leading the pack and torn into that bear like he knew what he were doing. Damn good fighter. But you can’t control him. That’s why I sent for you. If you can’t control him, nobody can.”
Willy asked, “Well! How in the hell did you get him in the barn?”
Uncle Ahab shook his head, grinned, “The boys and me chased that son of a bitch all over this here barn yard and couldn’t catch him. Then we tried to run the bastard off. But he would run out there so far and stop, wouldn’t go any further. Frank even shot at him, but that didn’t do any good. Claimed he hit him, but I thinks different. He jest didn’t want to leave. Never had a dog I couldn’t catch. You ever seen this here kind before?”
Willy shook his head, “Naw! But if you can’t catch him, how in the hell am I gonna catch him? How did you get him in the barn?”
Uncle Ahab, “It were your cousin Chillydog’s idea. We put the other dogs in thu barn. Strange, they didn’t want to get close to him either. You could tell they didn’t like his smell, a’feaded of him. We closed all the other doors but one. Threw a bone thru the door opening and he chased it down inside the barn. Then Chillydog ran up and slammed the door shut. Got’uns!”
Willy now laughing hard, caught up quick, said, “Well! How am I gonna catch him if you can’t?”
Uncle Ahab moved to a stump seat and said, “Ah! We can catch him in the barn, but that’s not the trouble. What he does later is the trouble.”
Willy took out his Bull Durum smoking sack, rolled a cigarette, lit it, and smiled, “Ok! You’uns gots me. What’s the trouble?”
Uncle Ahab motion for Chillydog with a hand and said, “Chillydog you and Frank corner that bastard and put that chocker collar and chain on that idiot for you'uns," afterward he handed Willy the end of the chain.
The dog fell motionless to the ground.
Uncle Ahab, “See what I mean? Ok! He’s yours. Let’s see you lead him out of this here barn.”
Willy walked over, picked up one end of the chain, and motioned for the dog to follow. But the dog jest set down. Willy went over it again. The dog didn’t move. He pulled on the chain. Nothing! He jerked on the chain. Nothing! Willy will not kick or beat a dog. It’s not his way. But the dog never moved.
Willy, “If that don’t hair lip a goat. Never seen a dog that won’t lead, but that’s ok.. When I get him home, I’ll feed him real good and we can get to know each other better. I’ll bring him back in about a week Uncle Ahab. I see what the trouble is now.”
Willy tied to lead the dog again but he wouldn’t move. So he finally picked him up and carried him to the front seat of his wagon. Uncle Ahab and his boys said goodbye and wished him luck. As far as they were concerned, Willy could keep that son of a bitch strange dog.
But, Willy spent all of his spare time carrying the strange dog around with him everywhere he went. Most folks got to where they looked forward to see Willy coming in his wagon. They knew he probably had that strange dog that wouldn’t lead. It got to be a big thing for all to try and see if they could make him lead or even stand up. Every time he would jest laid there not moving regardless of any coaxing with or without food. Everyone had a remedy for a cure but none worked.
Then it happened. One cold morning after the night of a big thick fog, Willy family couldn’t find their number one son. He was missing. But Willy liked to roam at night with his soul mate George Washington and eat Mama’s buttercups and drink his Daddy’s cherry jump moonshine.
But they found George Washington in it stall. Nothing made sense.
At first the family thought it strange that the strange dog, his collar, and chain were also gone while George Washington left behind. After a week they put out a search party for Willy, but nothing was found. It seemed that Willy, strange dog, chain, and collar was gone somewhere, but where?
After a month they still thought he was traveling some place and would return. But after two years, they lost all hoper.
After a couple of months they gave up, stopped all searches. Some thought he stepped in a hole that was plentiful in the mountains. The holes were deep and would close over a victim, never to be seen again.
Two years later a team of government surveyor walked in the front door of the High Sheriff of Haygood County‘s office. They had come from the high ridges of the Smoky Mountains where they were establishing a new state line between Tennessee and North Carolina. There had always been a question about the correctness of the line made back in the 1800. They said they had something unusual to show him. They had found this something while surveying some high ridges that had never been surveyed before.
One of the men had a tow sack. He stepped forward and dumped on the floor all contains of the tow sack. Spilled out were a trace chain, an old leather collar, and a pile of human bones.
Then said, “The chain was locked around a big tree. That tree looked like somebody had tried to beat it to death. The collar was around somebody neck, who ever that was,” and he pointed to the bones . "Here are some pieces of old clothing and a well worn hat. Who it was, we don’t know.”
The High Sheriff remembered the strange case of the disappearing Willy Archibald Augustus Messer, but if this was him. He didn’t know. It would take time.
Now listen and rememberr, sometimes on a cold foggy winter night in the middle of bear season, some say, “I heard that Devil-dog chasing Willy last night, or maybe it was Willy trying to catch that Devil-dog.”
And some will say, “Well! Something was chasing something and whatever it was, it sure was a howling, a chain was a slapping, and thu smell of sulfur was everywhere."
However there's some in the knows who says,"Willy got chained to a giant Chestnut tree with Satan Collar around his neck for getting caught! He gots caught for runnin' down a sawdust aisle nake at a big Holly Roller Tent Meetin' and peed on a dog-barkin', head-shakin', hound-dog howlin' preacher-man’s boots." that's the way hit is.
