In the autumn of 1894, fear spread through the rural areas of southern Spartanburg County, South Carolina, as a mysterious creature known as the "Whangdoodle" haunted the woods near Woodruff. For several weeks, the unsettling cry of the beast—a shrill, terrifying sound resembling a woman's scream—could be heard echoing through the night. Residents grew increasingly alarmed, and it wasn’t long before local men took up arms to track down the unknown creature.
According to news reports, a determined group of men organized at the fork of the Tyger River and began their search, tracking the beast by way of Walnut Grove for eight miles. However, the trail went cold near Moore's bridge, leaving the hunters frustrated and without answers.
Hope was renewed when Mrs. Walker, a resident of the area, spotted the beast crossing the road near her home. Acting quickly, she blew her horn to summon the hunting party. The men rushed to her aid, and she directed them toward the direction in which the beast had fled. As the creature continued down the road, more people saw it and hurried indoors, fearing for their safety. The hunters, armed and ready, followed the beast as it made its way through the middle of the road before disappearing into the bushes.
When the men finally confronted the creature and opened fire, they were able to bring it down. What they saw, however, was unlike anything they had expected. The beast resembled an enormous Newfoundland dog, but it appeared to have been crossed with some other kind of animal, creating a monstrous hybrid. Yet even with the beast's death, doubts lingered.
Reports began to emerge from northern Spartanburg, near Fingerville, where other residents claimed to have heard similar animal screams and spotted strange creatures in the night. This led many to believe that there may not have been just one Whangdoodle, but two. Could the creature slain near Woodruff have been just one part of a larger mystery?
To this day, the Whangdoodle remains one of Spartanburg County's most puzzling and frightening tales, with locals still wondering if the true terror was ever really put to rest.
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