Article Discussion

A kind of vague story of Booger Hole has been told in my family for three generations. It was always told that our family would go there to hide in the event the Russians invaded the U.S. My grandmother and mother were both born in Clay County. Thank you for posting this. It sheds light and some facts on the legend. Now that I know about where it is, the next time I’m back home, I’ll take a look.

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The Pittsburgh Gazette Times, Monday, January 29, 1917 5 Jury to Probe Mysteries of Booger Hole West Virginia Citizens Aroused Over Numerous Killings, Threaten Violence. ‘CLAY COUNTY MOB’ FORMED

A special grand jury will be empanelled at Clay Court House tomorrow for the purpose of investigating not only the murder of Preston Tanner and the burning of his home at Booger Hole, Clay county, a little over a week ago, but also to ascertain, if possible, the cause of the mysterious deaths of several other persons in that neighborhood during the last few years. Drew Sampson, aged 57, and his son, Howard, aged about 21, are being held without bond. The Booger Hole community has been the scene of about a dozen murders, but because of the fear one class of citizens there had for the other class, but little comment was made following any of the killings. One of the most mysterious cases was that of John Newman, a peddler, who disappeared while going from one farm house to another one evening. Joseph Clark was another victim. He was sleeping in a school house. He was traced by a streak of blood to a creek nearby, but nothing further was ever learned about him. Mrs. Lacy Ann Boggs was another victim, her murder having occurred soon after she had made a remark that she knew where Henry Hargis was buried. Hargis was another of the victims whose death has long been shrouded in mystery. A threatening notice has been posted at various places in the Booger Hole community, which reads:

We the citizens of Clay county, seeing that we cannot get justice by law, have organized the Clay County Mob. We have pledged our lives to drive these people from our country or kill them. If we cannot catch and hang you, we shall sneak upon you and kill you as you have killed Henry Hargis, Lucy Ann Boggs, the old peddler, and Preston Tanner. If before you leave there is any stealing, killing or burning, we will get bloodhounds and detectives and run you to the ends of the earth.