QUOTE
... New Brunswick's most famous ghostly "incident" took place in a lumber camp near the Dungarvon River (a branch of the Renous River) in Northumberland County. Known locally as the "Dungarvon Whooper," this ghost's "escalating scream, which freezes strong men in their tracks" is reputedly the dying shriek of a 19th century lumber camp cook who was murdered for his money belt.
A folk song written by Michael Whalen detailing the grisly details of the murder was collected by the famous folklorist of the Miramichi, Louise Manny. According to the song, Rev. Edward Murdoch, parish priest at Renous, read the church service of exorcism at Whooper Spring, site of the tragedy. And "since that day the sounds have ceased."
Despite this assurance, so strong is the folk tradition, more contemporary variations of Whooper "soundings" are still to be heard. For certain, readers should not tempt fate and enter the Dungarvon woods on Halloween 2002.
As a footnote to this story, for many years, a train engine on the Canada and Eastern Railway, which once ran between Newcastle and Fredericton, was named the Dungarvon Whooper. Since it went out of service in 1936, it cannot be held responsible for more recent soundings of the Whooper.
For those who remain skeptical, it is worth noting that New Brunswick has more than 20 place names incorporating the word "Devil." The story of their significance will have to await another column.
A folk song written by Michael Whalen detailing the grisly details of the murder was collected by the famous folklorist of the Miramichi, Louise Manny. According to the song, Rev. Edward Murdoch, parish priest at Renous, read the church service of exorcism at Whooper Spring, site of the tragedy. And "since that day the sounds have ceased."
Despite this assurance, so strong is the folk tradition, more contemporary variations of Whooper "soundings" are still to be heard. For certain, readers should not tempt fate and enter the Dungarvon woods on Halloween 2002.
As a footnote to this story, for many years, a train engine on the Canada and Eastern Railway, which once ran between Newcastle and Fredericton, was named the Dungarvon Whooper. Since it went out of service in 1936, it cannot be held responsible for more recent soundings of the Whooper.
For those who remain skeptical, it is worth noting that New Brunswick has more than 20 place names incorporating the word "Devil." The story of their significance will have to await another column.
Here's another version of the story.
The way the sounds were described as whoops and screams somewhat like a person caught my attention, and as someone interested in BF that is what came to mind. BF was never mentioned on the show or suggested at any of the web sites I checked. There don't seem to be any recordings to listen to to hear just what it sounds like. One possible source for the sounds, that are still heard on occasion, is believed to be the eastern cougar. The eastern cougar itself seems to be somewhat of a mystery:In many ways, the eastern cougar story is like the Bigfoot mystery: hundreds of sightings and even a few footprints and photos, but without a body to examine, everything is hypothetical.
It is interesting how a given set of circumstances and a person's background can influence there interpretation of a situation and lead to differing ideas. Ghost, cougar, BF, or something else.