YEAR: 1955

SEASON: Unknown

DATE: anytime

STATE: Tennessee

COUNTY: Lawrence County

LOCATION DETAILS: This was 53 years ago it was in Ethridge Tennessee i don't remember how to get back to the old farm place but even if i did it is not the same anymore so much land has been cleared

NEAREST TOWN: Lawrenceburg Tennessee

NEAREST ROAD: hwy was 43

OBSERVED: hello all i am a 56 year old woman that has never gave a second thought to the life of what people call a bigfoot.I knew him as whistling Paddy as a child that is what my Grandparents and all the neighbors called him.Our neighbors were far and few between but every one of them knew the whistling paddy that is what they called him.I myself can remember his screaming and whistling sounds as a child.We lived in the deep woods in Ethridge Tennessee no electricty or indoor plumming.He was always around and we were used to his sounds and he came for scraps at night he did not eat any meat only pealings from patatoes and other veg.He or she was white with red eyes like as i know some folks are called alibalino i guess.My grandparents were not learned people they could not read or wright they had to sgin with an x but they knew he was real and they did not fear him and saw him or her lots of times and thought it was okay they called it him so i guess it was a male.My aunt who lived about a mile awat opened her back door one night to throw out her dishwater and threw it on patty because he was standing at the back door It did not scare her because she was used to him although she had 9 children she went and got some potatoes and gave him for she said he was hungry.This Paddy was about 7 to 8 feet tall and did not ever hurt anyone.I would like to know if anyone else has ever heard one called a whistling Paddy because that was what he was called when I was a small child growing up in those woods.And we did not fear him but we had to come inside right before dark cause mamaw would say paddy is out here and we can't trust him we dont know who he is.If anyone else ever knew of a bigfoot that was called by the name of whistling Paddy i would like to know my grandparents were Indian and knew many things but were not smart when it came to the real world they knew how to get by with 10 children and live a good life in the woods and how spider webs packed into a wound would stop bleeding and they knew as i did paddy was real.

ALSO NOTICED: he would tear the bark off of the trees that my young uncles had tree houses built in.My uncles are still alive they could tell more than me

OTHER WITNESSES: everyone who lived in this area knew paddy

OTHER STORIES: always as a child neighbors would come sometimes and tell about the paddy was at their house or in the woods behind their house the other night they gave him food to even if it was potatoe pelings he would take them.We were poor poor people and cooked our pelings for the family to eat.But my mamaw always made sure we had a full belly and saved something for paddy.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: he always came at dusky dark never bright daylight

ENVIRONMENT: hardwood forest woods all around there was whisky stills in the woods my grandpa had one also

Follow-up investigation report:

I visited with the witness at length on November 19th and found her to be a very charming, down to earth and sensible woman whose family experienced some amazing interactions over a number of years with a white-furred bigfoot that they nicknamed "Whisling Paddy".

The witness explained that while growing up her family lived in a very rural area of Lawrence County, near Ethridge, Tennessee. Her grandparents had no running water, no electricity, no indoor plumbing, and the area was remote enough that there were a number of bootleggers living in the hills.

The witness also explained that while she never saw the creature herself, she remembered hearing its whistle. She also heard various relatives and other local people speak about seeing it. Additionally she had two uncles who were in the woods one evening in a tree house they had built when "Paddy" came up under their tree. She related it was a very frightening experience for them though they were not harmed in any way. Her family routinely set out food for the animal - usually potato scraps.

Tracks were often found in their yard after a rain. As she explained, there was not a lot of grass in the yards in that day and time due to chickens, goats, etc. running loose and it was quite common to see numerous immense human like footprints in the bare dirt in their yard area. Her grandfather had a particularly small foot and he always marveled at how easily his entire foot, with a shoe or boot on, fit completely inside the track.

The witness still lives in the same county in Tennessee and about a year ago she was out on her patio grilling after dark when she heard an unusually loud, long and mournful call. The witness raises dogs and she stated that every one of her dogs started howling when they heard the sound. Becoming frightened, she asked her husband to come out on the patio with her while she finished grilling. He stayed for a while but when nothing further was heard he went back in. It was not long after that the witness heard that familiar whistling sound that she had heard so often as a child. She immediately knew what had been calling.

She recounted her experience to her two children and not long afterward her 10 year old son got up during the night to get a drink of water and heard the same moaning howl. He was very frightened and immediately came running into his parents bedroom and climbed into bed with them.

As a final note, the witness told me that she was prompted to file her report after reading about the Tom Biscardi hoax on the Internet. She was very angered that someone would make a mockery out of an animal that she grew up knowing about and accepting the same way that we accept the presence of deer, squirrels and other local wildlife.

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