YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1978 w w w. j a m e s t o w n n e w s . c o m
WEEKLY EDITION AUG 30 - SEP 5, 2017
Vol 39 No 37 | 1 Section | 10 Pages
The Jamestown Ghost
New Book Debunks the Myth of Lydia BY CAROL BROOKS NEWS FREELANCER cab1hp@gmail.com You might say that Michael Renegar is obsessed with the story of Jamestown’s most famous ghost, Lydia. So much so that he has written three books not only on Lydia’s tale, but other mysterious happenings across the area. Renegar is currently finishing up a new book, “Looking for ‘Lydia’ – The Thirty Year Search for the Jamestown Hitchhiker,” that focuses on his search for the real Lydia – but with a twist. The woman’s name might not be Lydia at all. The well-known story goes that “Lydia” and a male friend were returning to the Courtesy Michael Renegar Although his publisher has the final say, author Michael Renegar hopes this will area following a dance in the be the cover of “Looking for ‘Lydia’ – The Thirty Year Search for the Jamestown 1920s when their car was involved in an accident near Hitchhiker.”
the old railroad tunnel beside present-day East Main Street in Jamestown. Lydia was killed. Since 1924, usually on foggy nights, people have reported seeing her apparition as they approach the bridge. Several people – usually men – stopped to offer a ride. Lydia accepted and directed the men to a home in High Point. By the time they arrived, Lydia had vanished from the back seat. When the men knocked on the door of the house they had been directed to, an older woman said that her daughter, Lydia, had been killed at the bridge location many years before and that they were not the only ones who tried to bring her home. “Something always told me there was something to this,” Renegar said last year. He began researching old newspaper articles and
uncovered a report of a 10 p.m. accident. The Greensboro Patriot of June 21, 1920, chronicled the accident headlined “Miss Annie Jackson killed last night when machine overturned.” The article continues by stating that the automobile in which she was riding “turned turtle” on the High Point road at a point about three miles from High Point, consistent with the underpass’ location. Renegar said this was the only fatality at the underpass within 20 years of the timeframe of the myth. Renegar continued his research and now believes that “Lydia” was really Annie Jackson, who lived in Greensboro. His belief became more substantiated recently when a member of SEE GHOST, PAGE 2
Paws and Claws Publishing helps authors tell their stories BY NORMA B. DENNIS FREELANCE WRITER Norma@normabdennis.com When Jennifer Tipton Cappoen offered to help Donna Lawrence publish a book about her dog Susie and the dog’s incredible journey from abuse to beloved pet, Cappoen was confident she could do the job. “I had worked in publishing 20 years,” Cappoen said. “I knew the business.” The first thing Cappoen did was contact Lynn Bemer Coble, the number one copy editor when the two had worked together years before. Little did the women know their publishing endeavor of Susie’s Hope would grew into a business. Cappoen selected the name Paws and Claws Publishing, which fit the theme of that first book. Since 2011, Paws and Claws Publishing LLC has published 23 books in various genres. “That is a good amount of books for a two-person company,” Cappoen said. “This is a passion for us. We are driven to do it. “Our mantra is ‘Passion is our
principle, making a difference is our passion.’” “We follow that principle with every book we do,” said Bemer Coble. Cappoen is owner and illustrator for the local publishing company and Bemer Coble serves as copy editor. Each brings her own level of skills to a task and respects the work of the other. “I call Lynn a walking, talking dictionary,” Cappoen said. “She is very good at copy editing. When I first contacted her, I knew our books would be error free.” “I can make suggestions about the artwork and know Jennifer will carry them through,” Bemer Coble said. Paws and Claws publishes under three main imprints – PC Books, PC Kids and PC Jr. Author Heddie Wittlin-Leger uses the imprint Hero’s Books. “Hero was her Rottweiler and the book is a biography of her dog,” Bemer Coble said. Paws and Claws offers all authors the opportunity to establish their own imprint at no extra charge. Bemer
Coble helps them with titles and imprint names. Although she allows authors to express their stories in their own way, she may help by suggesting a better word when needed. “I hold their hands,” Bemer Coble said with a smile. “I meet with them and help in whatever way they need. We don’t expect everyone to be a Pulitzer award-winning writer. “Jennifer also can give authors their own look.” Before she starts, Cappoen gets the authors’ ideas and vision for how they expect the book to look. She then does sketches and discusses them with the authors until they are satisfied. “The artwork has to match the story,” Cappoen said. “I have to stretch my imagination. It takes a lot of effort to select the text, formatting, fonts, color and size that is age and grade-level appropriate. “We want authors to have the books they want. They have input all along the way. They are the last word.” Books created by Paws and Claws Publishing are professionally crafted. Most
Photo by Norma B. Dennis
Lynn Bemer Coble, copy editor, left, and Jennifer Tipton Cappoen, owner/illustrator of Paws and Claws Publishing LLC, discuss details of a book. are soft copies to make them more affordable. They can be found worldwide on Amazon as well as Barnes and Noble.com. The authors and publishers also have books to sell. Books are printed on demand. The publishing company also helps authors market themselves and their books. “We provide professional press releases for each author,” Bemer Coble said. “These are emailed or faxed to newspapers and libraries within a 50-mile radios of
where the author currently lives or to where they are from.” The Paws and Claws website provides a synopsis of each book, along with a short biography of the author. There are sample pages of the book, and some children’s books offer a free, downloadable coloring page. The publishing company’s Facebook has pages dedicated to authors and their books, with press releases and pictures of book covers that can be downloaded.
Both Cappoen and Bemer Coble have other jobs, but take their work with Paws and Claws quite seriously. “Our mission is to get books out there that need to be out there,” Cappoen said. “We want our books to give back – to teach a moral, lessen or warm your heart. “If your book is not successful, we are not successful,” she added. To learn more about Paws and Claws Publishing, go to www.PawsandClawsPublishing.com.
The Joy of the Journey NOTES FROM
Norma
“Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall,” one rowdy senior began to chant, laughing as the van made its way toward the open road. Childhood ditties did not keep the group occupied during the trip, however. Conversation flowed easily between seatmates as the tires ate up the miles going south. “I know they said our area would see about 95 percent, but I just wanted to experience as much of
the entire eclipse as possible, said Don Callahan, a graduate of Jamestown High School, who coordinated the trip. An eclipse occurs when the moon moves between the sun and the earth, casting a shadow on the earth that steeps areas in darkness for several minutes during daylight hours. The group from Conrad was not the only one seeking a better peek at the eclipse. The closer they got SEE JOY, PAGE 2
Don Callahan uses a pair of welder’s shields to watch the moon as it appears to slide across the sun’s surface.
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It was not an assembly of scientists or would-be astronomers that left Conrad Baptist Church the morning of Aug. 21, headNORMA B. DENNIS ing to South Carolina to see Norma@normabdennis.com the eclipse. It was a group of seniors hoping to get the best view possible of what was being classified as “the chance of a lifetime.” Armed with special viewing glasses or shields, a cooler filled with water and cola and a sense of adventure, the go and return in a day. For group planned to travel as this group, that was Camfar as it comfortable could den, S.C.