By Bruce Cline, director of the Little Egypt Ghost Society
The tragic Tri-State Tornado of 1925 was responsible for 695 deaths. Many children lost both of their parents. Myrtle was one of the unfortunate orphans. She ran off into the woods near her home and lived there as a feral child until she became an adult and was discovered by some Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.) workers.
Although Myrtle had live a rough and tumble life in the woods, she had grown into a very beautiful young lady. Her striking beauty was noticed with much interest by one of the camp officers. Soon, Myrtle and the officer were married. She took on the job as camp cook. Life was very happy for the loving couple.
Sadly, once again, tragedy struck hard in Myrtle’s life. Her husband was helping some of the C.C.C. workers in moving a large pile of dead timbers. It was a hot humid day and the strain was too much for the officer. He had a massive heart attack and dropped dead on the spot. Myrtle blamed the C.C.C. workers for her husband’s death and went into a homicidal frenzy. That night she armed herself with a knife from the kitchen and an axe from the tool shed and murdered several of the C.C.C. workers she was tracked to a waterfall near camp but jumped into the waters below before anyone could stop her. Myrtle’s body was never found.
To this day, knives and axes go missing from a Boy Scout camp nearby. On some dark and stormy nights Mad Myrtle can be seen, sometimes as an old hag and other times as the beautiful young lady she once was.
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Bruce Cline is the Director of the Little Egypt Ghost Society based in Carbondale, IL. He is a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army as a Corps of Engineers Officer. He is a former municipal, county and state law enforcement officer. Bruce lives in Carbondale, IL with his wife, Lisa and several cats and dogs.
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