UNTITLED TALES
Untitled 24
I lived in Paducah, Kentucky from 1958 to 1972. The
legend of Della Barnes was always told, and I believe there was a front page
news article on the whole story probably early 70's.
We used to get driven to the cemetery late at night by my friends sister's
boyfriend, and of course he would stop at the Della Barnes statue and turn the
car off, and we would all freak out. This is an old spooky cemetery, with a weird aura. Old trees everywhere.
I remember the effacement of the statue. People would put makeup on her, wig's
and bra's on her. The fingers were always falling off the hand of the statue.
Sometimes they were glued on or concreted on, but it seemed like they always
fell off again. This of course just contributed to the legend.
One night my older friends dared me to camp out with them in the cemetery at the
foot of Della Barnes statue. I was terrified, but I succumbed to the pressure.
We went to the cemetery on our bicycles hopped the stone fence and proceeded to
prove our manhood by laying on our sleeping bags, drinking pop, and eating
potato chips at the foot of the infamous statue.
Right about the time we were winding down and getting sleepy, all of a sudden "
clink " the fingers fell off We all tore out of there as fast as we could, I
think I left my sleeping bag there. I don't think I've ever been that scared.
That spooked me for a long time, being only 10 or 11 at the time. I couldn't
take a shower without looking out into the bathroom expecting to see that
statue.
I went to Paducah about 3 years ago
(2001), and took my wife to see the site of this
incident. The statue is still there but the top of the torso is gone. We did a
pencil etching of the tombstone/marker.
-Unsigned.