The Witch of Roan Mountain by Blaire Edens

Author:Blaire Edens [Edens, Blaire]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Goodreads: 26831562
Publisher: Hot Penny Press
Published: 2014-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

*****

The Avery County Museum was located next to the courthouse. Housed in the old jail, built in 1912, the collection included photographs, genealogy resources and books and newspapers. In high school, Maeve had used the collection to flesh out the family tree as a Christmas present for Granny.

Mrs. Hightower was still at the front counter.

“Hey, Maeve. I haven’t seen you in a coon’s age.” The older lady was small and weathered. Her gray hair was wound in a loose bun at the back of her head and her glasses looked like they hadn’t been cleaned in years. “What brings you to the museum?”

“I was wondering if you had any information on Delphine Whitson.”

Mrs. Hightower’s face froze. “Why are you interested in her?”

Maeve wasn’t sure how to answer. From the look on the woman’s face, it was obvious that Delphine wasn’t her favorite subject. “I was talking to Virgil the other day and he mentioned the story. I’d forgotten about it and just wanted to read a little about the legend.”

“That’s borrowing trouble.”

“I don’t believe in ghosts, Mrs. Hightower. I’m just interested in the legal part of the story, being a lawyer and all.”

There was a long silence. “I guess I can understand that. Follow me.”

Maeve followed her to a closet in the back of the building. Mrs. Hightower clicked on the light and shuffled through several boxes on the shelves. Finally she pulled one down and handed it to Maeve. “This is most of what we have. Mitchell County sent it over a few years ago when they were refurbishing the library. Since Delphine is buried in Avery County, they thought we should have this box.”

“Any idea where it came from?”

Mrs. Hightower shook her head. “Not really. I haven’t catalogued it so I don’t know much about what’s in there.”

“How could you resist?”

“Easy. I don’t like messing with anything that deals with witchcraft. Scares me.”

“Surely you don’t believe witchcraft is a real thing.”

“I hope it isn’t but I don’t want to bet on the wrong side of the question. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks,” Maeve said. She blew the dust off the top of the box. “I can’t wait to dive into this treasure trove.”

After settling at a large table, she took the lid off the box and pulled out several albums. Made of tooled leather, they were scrapbooks. The materials inside were yellow and brittle with age. She sat down and flipped the pages slowly.

Filled with newspaper clippings, the first book seemed to be a chronicle of Delphine’s trial. Maeve opened her notebook and began taking notes. The articles were arranged in sequential order so Maeve was able to create a timeline.

In 1866, Delphine was arrested on suspicion of murder. According to the article, she’d shot and killed her lover, Jenks Harper, after he ended the affair and declared his intention to go back to his wife. His wife, Bessie, had witnessed the shooting and demanded the immediate arrest of Delphine.

When the sheriff went to Delphine’s cabin, he found a Springfield Rifle, the likely murder weapon, and charged her with murder.

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