TOURISTS TERRIFIED BY WILEY PARK PHANTOM

submitted by Chaz Chazstremski

Harrison:Jennifer Halcomb remembers the feeling as if it were yesterday. "It was a strange noise, like a hissing sound, coming from outside the tent." Dobie Wilson remembers, "That certain smell like just after a rain, lingering around our campsite, except the night was clear as a bell." Ranger Gib Johnson simply recalls these incidents as "...damn strange....but, more than likely true."

     The events these people describe did not happen in some far away land, but originated right here in the Corn State, in none other than Wiley Park. Located four miles from Olmstead, the park was named after the notorious Jim Wiley, a nineteenth century cattle thief who used the area as a hideout. Like a lot of heavily wooded areas, legends of ghosts and UFOs lay claim to this popular summer tourist spot. The thick green foliage of Maple, Elm, and Oak provide a very broad cover for teenage lovers and excellent background for eerie tales. Amidst all the stories and the ever constant change of the seasons, one reported incident seems to grow in poularity every year. There are many who claim that it is more than just a story, and Ranger Johnson is among them.

     "It was seven years ago, July 19th. I was doing a night check around the campgrounds. Purely routine. Just making sure no kids from town had snuck in with a six-pack. I had just finished going around the perimeter, when I heard something coming from the woods. It was strange. Like a humming sound. High pitched. Had no idea what it could be, but I knew I had to check it out."

     When Ranger Johnson went into the Wedsleydale Woods, there was nothing to be seen...at first. A couple of rabbits. A raccoon. Crickets. And then the sound increased, and with it came what appeared to be a human figure approximately twenty yards away.

     "But it was weird!" Recalls Johnson, "The sound seemed to be emanating from the guy. I assume it was a guy. I could just make out the clothes in the moonlight, but the eyes...I know it's crazy, but they glowed. Red. Like he was watching a fire somewhere. The guy stared at me a minute, then took off running for the deep woods."

     Ranger Johnson chased the stranger, but the dark, the trees, and the stranger's amazing speed left Johnson winded and without a culprit. "To be that quick in woods that thick, at night, must've meant the guy had some sort of special night vision. If so, I hope he sells it someday. Police everywhere could use something like that." Johnson also noticed something else that night. A tell-tale gift he believes might have come from the stranger. "I carry just about everything in my front pockets. Keys, a lighter, pocket change. I dipped into my pocket to find something and everything came out in a big wad. All the metal stuff was magnetized. I couldn't believe it!"

     The ranger's story is repeated by many who have camped at the park over the years. Jennifer Halcom recalls going there in1958 with her family. "We had a very difficult year. A vacation was just what we needed. My husband, Ever, and I thought Wiley Park would be ideal." After a day of making camp and roasting hot dogs, the family prepared for a good night's sleep as the stars came out. "I put my two boys, Corky and Jake to bed in their own tent. Ever was already asleep in our tent. As I checked to make sure there were no remaining embers in the fire, I heard a noise, deep in the woods, but couldn't quite make out what it was. I decided my mind was playing tricks on me, and turned in for the night."

     Mrs. Halcomb was barely asleep when she awoke "...with a start! I didn't know why, but I woke up frightened, like out of a dream, but what I heard wasn't a dream. The strange noise from earlier was now just outside our tent. A hissing sound. I was too terrified to move. I turned to Ever to see if he heard it, but he was out. My husband is a very heavy sleeper. He slept through a tornado once." Undaunted, Mrs. Halcomb got up to investigate.

     "I was more frightened for the children. I slipped Ever's knife out of his coat. I didn't want to be unarmed." Outside, Mrs. Halcomb saw a figure standing in the middle of the camp which would match Ranger Johnson's description years later. "He was a man, dressed in casual clothes that were a bit ragged. I was unable to see him clearly, but the sound seemed to be coming from his person. Very high pitched, and loud. He turned to look at me and those eyes! Bright, like tiny flashlights. I raised the knife up to show him I was armed, but he just stood there, staring at me. Then he just walked out of the camp and into the woods, like he lived there."

     Mrs. Halcomb feared what her family might say in the morning about her tale, but even Mr. Halcomb had to admit something was off when he found the silverware, knife, everything magnetized to their Chevrolet. "My husband said, 'I don't know what to make ofyour story, but if that stranger did this, I'm glad he decided to leave!'"

     In 1993, Dobie Wilson and her boyfriend took their college finals and headed straight for Wiley Park. "Joe and I were right at that point, you know? Like we'd vomit if we saw another textbook." Dobie and Joe found a pleasant area near Sybert Lake and settled down for a romantic evening. "We were haveing a great time, except for this certain smell. Ozone. Like just after a rain. But it was a clear night." As the night wore on and the bottles emptied, the young couple prepared for bed. Suddenly, "...Joe and I saw this guy. Standing just a few yards from us, not saying anything. There was this high pitched buzz, too. We never saw him arrive. He startled us."

     Even more startling was the man's appearance. "It was like his body glowed, or something." Remembers Wilson, "His clothes were all ragged, and his eyes....like twin beacons. He looked like a demon."

     Joe took action and threw a rock at the stranger. "It hit him and he just stood there like he didn't feel a thing. We didn't wait around to see what would happen next. We just climbed in the car with our backpacks and left everything else there. We were really freaked out!"

     Ranger Johnson says there are at least three hundred and fifty reports similar to these that have been collected over the years.

     Most investigations, however, have resulted in dead ends. Police Chief Moss says, "Poppycock. We've looked into this thing I-dunno-how-many-times. These kind of stories are everywhere and we've heard'em for years. We take it with a grain of salt. Just stories to scare kids. That's all."

     Ranger Johnson, though, sticks to his guns. "You can't go through something like this, time after time, and think that it's just stories. Maybe we just need a better investigator."

     Until that investigator shows, Wiley Park remains a mystery to both locals and out of town campers.





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