"The Bench-Leg"
In the hills of Eastern Kentucky, just along the West Viginia border lies an area of hills known as Gobal Ridge. Local residents have often told tales of a creature that roams these hills. The creature is known as The Bench-Leg.
The creature is apparently the size of a large dog or a young calf. Its coat is a deep black with the slight gleem of phosphoresence. The unusual traits are a wooden leg and the head of a man. No photos exist and only fleeting sightings have been reported.
The legend of the creature is an old tale told by many firesides in Lawrence County. The tale is of a panhandler that wandered the hills in the late 1700's peddling his wares to the few farms in the area. One night he was attacked by a group of bandits intent on robbing him. He resisted and was killed. To cover their crime the bandits chopped up the body along with a young calf and buried them under an old oak tree. Supposedly the creature rose soon after to exact its revenge.
A recorded account (Big Sandy News, 10/06/1897), tells the tale of a local mortician who had decided that he wasn't doing enough business. He convinced the town doctor to start poisoning his patients. Both parties literally made a killing. No one suspected the rise in deaths in the area as the doctor assured them it was an outbreak of smallpox. Their plan was going along well until something went wrong.
The doctor was riding his horse home one evening when something jumped out of the tree above him (a certain old oak, by coincidence) and landed on the back of his horse. The horse reared and the doctor was thrown. His back was broken and he was paralyzed. In town he confessed to his crimes and described the creature that had jumped onto his horse as a half-dog, half-man thing that clubbed him off his horse. Both he and the mortician were tried and hanged.
No other officially recorded incidents have occured, though everyone in the area can tell you of a sighting of the Bench-Leg by themselves or someone they know. The tree long thought to be the infamous location of the attack on the old peddler has never been excavated. Though one woman, while plowing a field nearby, did find a gold coin dated 1797. The current owners of the land will not allow any excavation.
Several theories have been offered. They include: a unique family of black panthers or black cougars living in the area, a were-wolf, a lean black bear (these are freqently spotted in the area), or simple rural legend. No one is really sure, though current sightings are spoken of constantly. Hopefully someday, someone will learn the truth.
If you have anything to add or a story to tell, please e-mail me. I'll post it and keep it on file.
This page hosted by 
Get your own Free Home Page