Appalachian Outlaw Otto Wood 

Lot of things I'm not cut out for, and I guess outlaw isn't one of them either. So far, JD, I would've failed at that AND farming! We're gonna have to find me something to do.

This fella was "born to run"

Ahh you noticed! A rare double feature weekend

Agreed we all are spoiled.

True enough! Lol

Thank you Karen

in his case a disability was his greatest asset

I tried to get permission to use that song for this video - but alas- it didn’t happen

How do I contact you with other stories for video ideas? I have several that you may be interested in.

@@brenttucker4073 love to hear them, email me at theappalachianstoryteller@gmail.com

Exactly my thoughts as I researched and wrote this story. Spot on observation

“Sure could swing a mean paddle” I love it!

YES! This is most certainly the way I try to write the story. To let you witness it from the characters own eyes and make you feel you are riding shotgun with him along for the ride, seeing things in real time

Thank you Suzy! Greetings from the mountains of East Tennessee

@@TheAppalachianStoryteller if it ain’t too personal a question what part?

Me too Suzy. Walker Co.

@@pam190 Hey neighbor ! Fayette Co. here.

What a life he led

exactly! he was a lovable outlaw

Thanks James! Always look forward to your comments brother, have a good'n

What an amazing life he led as a small buy

That’s awesome, I bought a reprint of his manuscript when I was researching and writing this story, I ran across an original printing of his book, for about 500 dollars on eBay, but I couldn’t afford that. Really neat you have one, it’s worth a lot of money

Thanks so much Scott, btw, I notice you always call me Donnie and I chuckle because Donnie and I are friends and subscribed to each others channels. Im assuming you are as well. My name is JD, but ill call me anything except "late for supper"

Thanks so much my friend, have a great day

He was born to run

@@TheAppalachianStoryteller I reckon many were in those days. Makes me think of my grandmother’s life. She did some amazing things from driving at 13 (she was really 11. She lied about her age to get a job.) to go to work, to driving race cars in her early 20’s, to being security and having brawls with men twice her size, to chasing off a gang of men outside her house with an empty double barrel shotgun. I wish I had been more responsible listening to her stories and those of my other grandparents and their brothers and sisters. What I have listed is nothing. Seemed that generation just had an adventure streak. None of them didn’t have a story about skipping school and hopping trains to go wherever to waste a day or running off in their teens to try to make a life, and of course many of them had run-ins with the law or just became brawlers in bars across states. I would often dream of living their adventures. Alas, I was born a few decades too late it seems for I can’t surely say any of my adventures could come close to anything they’d told me about their lives.

@@StMiBll wow thanks for sharing her story

Thank you ❤️

Otto was quite the character and lived a heck of a life

Right?! he lived more in 32 years than most ever do in a 100

Otto lived a life better than 99% of humans. He was a legend

He was born to run!

Thanks so much my friend, many of us Appalachians can trace our ancestry to Scotland so there is a strong connection between the two. Im so happy you are here! Greetings from the mountains of East Tennessee

Thank you so much!

This kid was born to run

aww, thank you so much for your kindness Libby, have a blessed day my friend

Thanks so much Richard! Have a blessed day my friend!

@@TheAppalachianStoryteller I will, thank you. You do the same,🇺🇸

Can you imagine the thrill he had of seeing the world for the first time aboard a train ?

Morning from the mountains of East Tennessee

Thanks so much for sharing this

Thanks so much! It was fascinating to write this story from Ottos perspective and imagine that I was in his shoes 200 years ago

he was born to run

Glad you like them! greetings from the mountains of East Tennessee

Thanks so much Steve, appreciate the kind words my friend. Have a good 'n

Thank you Betty! Have a blessed day my friend

Same to you my friend!

I do my best !

Thank you so much my friend. Really appreciate your kind words and glad to have you here.

Thanks for listening, preciate you!

Thanks so much, lots and lots of work went into this story

Thanks so much, Preciate you watching and supporting the channel

I love your story's I like this video. Love Hatfield an my coys

Thank you Willow! Well said my friend

Thanks so much my friend, hope you had a great weekend

@@TheAppalachianStoryteller hope your's was good also! Take care, God bless.

Welcome Lorraine! So glad to have you hear and appreciate your kind words. Greetings from the mountains of East Tennessee! I do my best to become the characters in these stories as I write them, to tell the story as they lived it, thru their own eyes and transport the listener squarely in the middle of the action.

Thank you my friend

Thank ye kindly for the positive words my friend.

Thanks so much my friend!

Thank you so much, have a blessed day my friend

Thanks so much Brother

Thank you friend, greetings from the mountains of East Tennessee

He was born to run

that he was even with his condition he kept one step ahead@@TheAppalachianStoryteller

Thank you ❤️

Amen, thank you so much

isn't this an amazing story?

Thank you Pinky , have a great day

Thank you so much, glad to have you here!

As I was writing this, I did my best to become Otto when he was a child and see the lure and adventure of the railroad and the outside world, and give a voice to the story as he experienced it, thru his eyes.

@@TheAppalachianStoryteller You did an excellent job 👍

@@KathysTube thank you

I love this story!

Are they still doing the play?

@TheAppalachianStoryteller OH yeah, he passed the torch a few years ago to a great actor, he just held it for a good 30 years beforehand. Every year in North Wilkesboro along with our Tom Dooley production, we are keeping our county plays going strong

You know, I don't know, I didn't research them, but Im sure some ancestors are still out there, even today

​@@TheAppalachianStoryteller Hi there, one of those relatives you're speaking of is me! Mom looks so much like him it's actually a bit creepy. 😮😂 I was born in Wilkes County as well, but for most of my adult life I've lived near the VA/ WV border. I can happily say I'm never living a life like my ancestor Auto (at birth) later Otto Wood the Bandit. 😇 I'm actually going to school to be a Dr. I believe his law-abiding kin has lived a much better life... Maybe not as eventful but exciting nonetheless.

Thank you Janet! glad to have you here my friend

Thank you my friend! Glad to have you here

Please do! and comment and like, it helps support the channel more than you can imagine! Thanks so much my friend

Thanks so much my friend, preciate your support!

a short life packed with excitement for sure

Thank you big iron, have a blessed day my friend

thank you Billy, have a good'n

Thank you brother

yes sir, a rare double feature this weekend! Thanks for your support Scott!

Thanks so much!

Thank you Debra!

Thanks for that! I wrote this story after researching newspapers from Ottos life

❤️

Thanks so much my friend, have a great day!

Do people ride horses in that area?

I felt like he was born to run, that's why I did the wild horses scene at the beginning

​@@TheAppalachianStoryteller That was so beautiful...And you can really see the thought dedication you put into each story you tell.

Make sure you click the bell for notifications, I release news stories every week- 2 in the last 24 hours

Otto was born to run, that's why I put the wild horses at the beginning of the video. Some were born to run

Thank you Pam

Thank you so much ❤

Welcome my friend

Thank you so much tiny, your support is what keeps this channel going. Much appreciated my friend.

Thanks so much

I would have liked to have bought Otto a drink

@@TheAppalachianStoryteller Wild Turkey 101 🦃

It’s all 💯 true

@@TheAppalachianStoryteller please know. I was not questioning the integrity of what it is you do. It was just assuming on my part with zero knowledge one way or the other.

Thanks melody!

well, wow! what a compliment

😯

That’s awesome

Thank you for that- I really try hard to make the listener feel like they know the character personally and that they are right there with them in the thick of the action.

Thank you! Cheers!

Otto couldn’t help himself

❤️

I think so too!

Thank you so much my friend! I appreciate your kindness, generosity like this is was keeps this channel going! Thank you so much!

Thanks Jeff, appreciate the kind words my friend!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

that is interesting. I assure you, this is an authentic original story I wrote based on historical events.

His name when he was born was in fact "Auto" he went on to adopt "Otto" later... I know because I am a many times great niece. My mom looks just like him and we have a copy of an old autobiography as well. Are you from Wilkes County also? I'm related to a bunch of Byrds and Woods. It seems you have a similar name so it may be possible you're related also... And the science is strongly pointing to the fact that the cells in our body (that was passed on from ancestors) actually holds memory!

He must have wanted his story told. Planted it in your mind

Thank you John, have a good'n brother