I grew up in Orby! Thanks for posting this..I remember the story and was a kid and very scared of the bicycle Pete attacks. My dad taught school in Orby and my grandpap lived in Huntington! I wish I could go back to those days. I live in Carlisle now..moved here in 7th grade. Gosh I miss Orby!!❤
I was born in McConnellsburg. My dad used to take us every year to the Shade Gap Picnic. He still loves fishing in the Juniata in Mount Union. Good hearing from someone with ties to that part of the country! Thanks for stopping by!
I enjoyed listening to the song, thank you for posting. I met Mrs. Jackson [formerly Ms. Bradnick ] on Friday 26 May 17 at the Three Springs carnival. She has just Co-authored a book with Chris Armagost titled " the Voice in the Mountains". They were both gracious enough to sign my copy. I remember hearing about this story all my life growing up around Orbisonia "Orby" and Shade Gap. I was mad when I saw that Interforrest built a new plant along 522 and removed the shack we were always told was bicycle petes'. After reading the book my anger was unfounded as his shack was torn down in the early 70's.
Last night I finished Peggys' book, listened to the song, and this morning watched the movie again. She is a wonderful woman and I'm glad I got to meet her.
My family just sent me here to see this. I am from Shade Gap - was a Little Miss Shade Gap in the 70's and my father was one of the local boys who helped lead the FBI search parties during the event. I think Peggy Ann went to school with my Dad - he mentions it often when I am home visiting. Thanks so much for posting this. I live in NC now but it was nice hearing about home.
I grew up in Southern Huntingdon County , and heard a lot about this story during my childhood . I seen the movie Cry in the wild , but never knew of this song . Thanks for posting it .
I was in the 6th grade at that time, Fannett-Metal elementary school, Willow Hill, Pa. A little history close to home.I do remember and Thank you very much for having This piece of History to share with the one that will appreciated.
I was just a kid when this happened, but I clearly remember this because we had to drive through this area to visit my grandparents. Thanks so much for the share.
Thanks for focusing on the record with your post. I grew up in Chambersburg and remember my family following the story in the Public Opinion and the song on the air on local AM stations WGBG and WCHA.
Thank you very much! I think it's cool that she stayed in Huntingdon County. I know she has a large family and many grandchildren and nieces and nephews that are very close to her. Thanks for stopping by!
I teach in Mt. Union and for the past 5 or 6 years we do a small section on Peggy Ann and the movie. I am a health teacher and have tried to relate it to several different themes we do during the school year. It is amazing how many kids have heard about the story, but never have seen the movie. Personally, I remember seeing him ride his bike past our house and even around Mt. Union. Thanks for the song! I have been trying to find a copy for my class.
Wow! This really brings back memories. My family moved to southern Huntingdon County in 1964. One of the first things we learned was to watch out for "the Mountain Man" and also "Bicycle Pete.". At that time no one knew they were the same person, but the Mountain Man was known to block back roads and take shots at people. At the time of the kidnapping, it was the only time I ever knew my Dad to sleep with a gun in his room. Hollenbaugh was the only man up to that time to actually kill 2 FBI men. On the day he was shot, my mother and I rode out to the farm where it happened, and I saw very clear evidence of who fired the fatal shot, but it's just an old story now.
Thanks for stopping by! I remember when I read in the newspaper back home that they were going to be making a movie about Peggy Ann, and everyone was so excited about the possibility of a film crew coming here to make the movie, but they wound up making the movie in California. You can tell, in the movie the trees were so green and full of leaves, not like they would be in southern Huntingdon County in May of the year.
MAMsMom97 I grew up in the area too, always hearing the stories. My Pap helped in the search. I saw the movie years ago, now I'll have to watch it again. I just bought the book she wrote named " The voice in the mountains ". I bought the book at the Mapleton feed mill and that same evening got to meet Peggy at the Three Springs carnival. Of course I ran out the Valley and brought the book back and She and her co-author Chris Armagost were gracious enough to sign it. Peggy even signed it God bless you, she is a wonderful woman even now, 51 years after her ordeal.
You are a lot more candid than my father was. Apparently my grandparents were married 5/17. My father was born 12/17. He told me, when I was a small child, that he was born in 1918. Then I found his birth certificate. After that, he began saying that he was a 7-month preemie. He died 27 Aug 1995.
She married Darrell Logan on Holy Thursday, March 23, 1967. They lived in Lewistown. She was in Lewistown at least into the '70's. She had her one child, Alicia, around 1970. Darrell Logan died before Peggy Ann was 40. She moved to Indiana, but returned to the Shade Gap area around 1990. She was remarried to Albert Jackson around 1993. Both her parents are deceased; her father in 1987, her mother in 2004. Her daughter, now Alicia Stiltner, has at least one child, a daughter.
Nice upload, the song and the record were great!! There is info about this case on wikipedia, that's how I found this song because wiki said it's available on RU-vid. I was looking at vids about Holly Bobo and someone mentioned this case. I didn't realize US 522 went into PA. I used to ride on it to work in WV and VA. I thought it stopped between Berkley Springs WV and Hancock MD. Anyway, thanx for posting a great vid and info!!
I know this record well. It played on local radio stations (WCBG & WCHA) for quite some time. I think I was 14 or 15 when this record was released. Yep, the story brings back memories of Peggy Ann and the mountain man who took her. The news said the mountain man was shot in the neck, if I'm correct. I grew up in Chambersburg, PA (Franklin County). We went deer hunting in Huntingdon County and I think it scared my folks to death that I was going there to hunt. Sorry I don't have anything significant to add to all the various posted comments but I sure remember this. My wife grew up in Gettysburg, PA (Adams County) and she said she never heard the record at all. Anyways, thanks for the post.
These days, we're too busy caring about our wealth instead of just caring about do we have enough to get by to actually go home.....We can't care about showing our kids where we grew up and rode our bikes....What about those winter nights when the power went out and we played gamese all nite by the stove light?? We learned more those nites than any kid in a fancy college could have.....
Can't report the facts unless I have them. And you just saved me the trouble. Also, may I add that it would stand to reason that if your grandfather did not seek fame or glory for his act of service, that this fact would not be common knowledge. I feel sure that the Mixell and the Bradnick families have given their honor where honor was due.
There's a novel called "Bicycle Pete" being written about William Diller Hollenbaugh. It's a fictionalized story written mainly from Hollenbaugh's perspective about the events leading up to and occurring at Shade Gap. An excerpt from the first chapter is posted at a website named bicyclepete (I can't put the full link in a comment but you can probably guess what's missing).
It was 9,122 days from when the Bismarck was sunk to when Peggy Ann was rescued and 9,122 days from when Peggy Ann was rescued until "Cry in the Wild: The Taking of Peggy Ann" was shown on TV.
I was in the Army stationed at Ft. Ritchie,Md. as an MP when this happened. We were told to be on stand'-by if more assistance was needed in apprehending this 'Mountain Man' I also have the 45 rpm of this recording.I play it not too often but, when I do, I recall everyone in So. Central Pa.was concerned about Peggy Ann's safety.
Historical marker erected near Shady Gap in recent years. Was intrigued with this on-going saga back in the mid-'60s. Recall it being on the cover of Life magazine. The book and movie are both interesting exposes of this tragic saga. Still, like many stories that get passed along, I'm told by folks close to it all that neither tells the entire truth of it all.
Thank you for sharing this record and the history. I grew up in Lewistown, Mifflin county in the 70s and spent time in Huntington County. I never heard of the kidnapping until the movie came out decades later and never heard the song. Now, would this be considered country music or folk music?
@legoboy328 Robert V. Cox, the writer of said book entitled "Deadly Pursuit," was a reporter for the Public Opinion newspaper in Chambersburg, PA. Peggy Ann's parents were Eugene & Mildred Bradnick.
I knew about this from my parents who grew up in the McClure area. About a year ago, my brother and I (along with my our parents- the 4 of us) went on a family outing to McConnellsburg, Pa where I was born. We past that area and talked about it once again. It was kind of spooky when you are right where it happened. I do wonder if Peggy Ann is still alive today.
The source of the statement by Peggy Ann that she had a granddaughter was an article by Linda Franz in the 4/29/07 Carlisle Sentinel. It is probably the article that MAM'smom97 refers to in her intro to the Russ Edwards song. BTW I passed thru Carlisle enroute to Martinsburg, WV, on the day Peggy Ann was rescued (5/18/66).
@clintonearlwalker I remember all of my travel. The date, the motel or campground, the weather. I remember the dates of major storms going all the way back to the big snowstorm of Thursday, March 17, 1955.
I have a picture of Donna taken in the Post Office on Thursday, May 18, 1972 (6 years to the day that Peggy Ann was rescued). At that time the Post Office was in the old building in the center of town and Don Locke was postmaster. I have a picture of him taken that same day. Unfortunately, they are color slides, so I cannot upload them. I have not been to Shade Gap since Thursday, April 1, 1999.
@clintonearlwalker I graduated college (U of Texas) in 1973. I was in Winchester on Thursday, May 19, 1966, visited Stonewall Jackson's HQ, then went on to Front Royal to Skyline Caverns, before returning to Martinsburg. I stayed over in Winchester on Wednesday, March 29, 1967, at the Elms Motel.
Actually, the real hero in this case would be Francis Sharpe. Although wounded and held at gunpoint, he alerted the troopers at the cattle gate near Rubeck's farm that the Mountain Man was in the car with him.
Incidentally, my 10th Grade English term paper, written in April 1967, was on 4 magazine and newspaper articles, one of which was "Kidnapped" by Peggy Ann Bradnick in the July 16, 1966 Saturday Evening Post.
@tweeetme 6 miles/10 kilometers north of Shade Gap on US 522. It is spelled Orbisonia. Its major tourist attraction is the East Broad Top steam railroad.
It was first reported in the New York Times on Friday, May 13, 1966. The Times covered the story until Peggy Ann was released from the Fulton County Medical Center on Wednesday, June 1, 1966. Peggy Ann was again mentioned in the Saturday, March 25, 1967 Times which covered her marriage to Darrell Logan two days earlier.
@1966MRspock That's what I gathered from hearing the evidence presented at the Fulton Co. Historical Society's meeting Peggy Ann spoke at this past Thursday night. It was said that, in spite of what was written on Hollenbaugh's death certificate, that he was brought down with a single shot by a rifle, his entrance and exit wound was not consistent with that of a rifle but that of a shotgun. My dad served on Hustontown Area VFC's fire police then. He was one of the 2,500 men in the search party.
@legoboy328 You need to trust the other posters on this one. I remember the case well and her name was Peggy Ann Bradnick. I'm pretty sure Cox had her name right in his stories.
That was several decades before my time but people back home still tell stories about it. I've heard people talk about that song before but I've never heard it until you posted it. I can't find it on Itunes. Did that Russ Edwards dude make a cd of it?
@legoboy328 You have your news stories mixed up. The girl that was kidnapped by the Mountain Man; in Shade Gap, PA; on Wednesday, May 11, 1966 was Peggy Ann Bradnick. I still have the clipping from the Thursday, May 19, 1966 Hagerstown Morning Herald regarding her rescue on the morning of Wednesday, May 18, 1966.
@MAMsMom97 I was there and showed Ken Keebaugh a picture of Hollenbaugh taken after he was shot that clearly showed his jaw was intact. And Peggy Ann is adamant that it was a police bullet that killed the Mountain Man. I am posting the picture on my profile page.
@clintonearlwalker I stayed at the Mountain State Motel in Berkeley Springs, WV, on Thursday, November 8, 1973. On the day that Peggy Ann was rescued, I was also in the E Panhandle, staying at the Wheatland Motel in Martinsburg.
A new book about the abduction and related attacks, filled with great vintage photos, will appear in late September. It is "Trail of Terror," by Mr. Kenneth L. Peiffer, a photojournalist whom the Chambersburg "Public Opinion" assigned to the story. Peggy Bradnick Jackson cooperated with Ken on the book, as did some retired PSP troopers who participated in the manhunt. The publisher, Antietam Historical Association, has a Facebook page where more info is available. Pre-publication discounts end September 15 !
I was Little Miss Shade Gap 1979 and I was born in 1972. I should take a picture of the trophy and post it somewhere. I competed in 1978 & 1979. My cousin was named Donna but she was 11 when I was born so I doubt it's the same girl you're thinking of.
Just to clarify, the line in the movie was not regarding Bicycle Pete's smell. Peggy Ann's brother had gotten in a fight at school because they were the only family in Shade Gap who still had an outhouse and the smell from the outhouse could be smelled in Orbisonia.
According to Mrs. Shrope, Peggy Ann was still in Lewistown into the '70's. Around 1983, the storekeeper in Burnt Cabins told me that both Mr. & Mrs. Shrope were deceased, so it would be impossible to verify with her.
@asbpab1966 That's pretty amazing, I don't doubt it, it just seems unusual to me to be able to remember these dates in such great detail even the weather. I can remember a few trips I've taken and some the weather, but not the precise dates. Anyway, thanx for the info!!
In the ~ April 24 Hagerstown Herald-Mail, there is a story that Peggy Ann Bradnick spoke at the Maryland Correctional Training Center on Friday, April 23.
Are you on facebook? You could post the picture there. I've got pictures of Shade Gap posted going back to 1969. Remember Ford's Esso? Maybe not, you were only 6 when the Fords sold it. You said you live in NC; I have cousins in Raleigh. I live in Monsey, NY.
@1966MRspock You are probably right. I have heard from someone who knew the Fulton County Coroner who confirms what you say. I have posted a picture of the house among the pictures in the Group "Fulton County Hicks." Remember also, that then Governor William Scranton was considered a possible GOP candidate for President in 1968; if he could claim credit for his State Police, it would give him a boost.
There was a reward for the 'Mountain Man'. He actually wasn't killed by a law enforcement officer. The 'young' man who shot him thru the farmhouse window never did receive the $2,000.00 reward. I worked with the man until I retired in 2009. Reports said The entry wound was in the neck/shoulder area and it exited thru the frontal lower chest area.
+Ronald F.Pawuk This news article says that the boy missed, and PSP Trooper Grant Mixell fired the fatal shot. www.heraldmailmedia.com/news/tri_state/pennsylvania/on-th-anniversary-of-mountain-man-kidnapping-victim-reporter-compiling/article_c538a462-1495-11e6-a896-b7d591f77505.html#.VzCUffmQPkc.email
+Hugh Janus (El Infidel) KFFK Have you ever been to the Rubeck Farm where Bicycle Pete met his end? Do you think the Police would put it in their report that a 13 year old boy shot him!I think the autopsy would be public information to check out the entry and exit wounds locations. Also, listen to the end of the commentary of Peggy Ann again on the video!
Ronald F.Pawuk I was just stating what the news article states, I'm not stating it as fact. It's also what Wikipedia says, which I know is not always accurate. Rubeck himself told you he knows he fired the fatal shot? Not arguing, just asking. It's an interesting story, however that turd met his end.
Ronald F.Pawuk Ahh, here's an article where they interviewed Rubeck. Too bad he didn't get the money or the credit. kidnappingmurderandmayhem.blogspot.com/2008/02/seven-days-of-terror.html
+Hugh Janus (El Infidel) KFFK I read the articles in the while this was going on in all the newspapers and news magazines and saw numerous national news broadcasts. I, also, was in many of the searches as a young volunteer Firefighter! I was in one of the pictures on the front page of 1 of the newspapers with my Father talking to one of the State Police Officers. The SP Officer and my Dad were friends.
Mrs. Shrope in Fort Littleton in the 70's and Sally Mumma in Shade Gap in the 90's gave me different information. Peggy was only married 6 months in 9/67. She married 3/23/67 (NY Times, 3/25/67). In 6/93, Sally said Peggy had recently remarried. In 10/71 Mrs. Shrope said Peggy had recently had a baby. In 2006, Peggy thanked the State Police, stating that if not for them, she would not be there with her daughter and granddaughter. Same NY Times article--Darrell 21 in '67; 34 in '80.
She misidentified the line in the movie. Jim Bradnick had a black eye from getting into a fight with a schoolmate who said that the Bradnick outhouse could be smelled clear to Orbisona. I doubt that actually happened, but it was in the movie.
In the Herald-Mail, she apparently is telling a different story than she did in the July 16, 1966 Saturday Evening Post. When there is a contradiction, I will always believe what she said in the Post. Peggy Ann Bradnick 1966 was a 17-year-old girl with no agenda and no reason to lie or hold back information.
Hi Amy. I checked my slides. The little girl was named Donna. If the 69 in your title is your birth year, you'd have been 7 in 1976. Seems a little old for a Little Miss. Did you find your trophy? I can't find a trophy I got for winning a local bridge tournament in New York state in 1975.
@asbpab1966 I went to State Line and saw and spoke to Peggy Ann. Her grandson is now married, so she could become a great-grandmother at any time. Her book will probably be out sometime in 2012.
@oldballcoachMU The movie is not very accurate. For example, the whole thread about her wanting to learn to drive is nonsense. She knew how to drive before she was kidnapped. The song is a bit better, but it uses calendar days--she was actually held 6 days 15 hours. The best teaching aid would be the July 16, 1966 Saturday Evening Post, which contains her story. But how would her case relate to a health class? It seems more like something for a local history course.
I e-mailed you the picture of Donna and of former Shade Gap postmaster Don Locke. They're also posted to my facebook album "Shade Gap through the years."
Travel was difficult. Weather terrible in Winter of 67 and Route 522 closed between Shade Gap and Burnt Cabins for construction. When truth comes out, Peggy's parents insist on church wedding. Hence 3/23/67 wedding.
@legoboy328 Wow, and to think--when she makes local appearances, she tells everyone her wrong name. And to think, most everyone who has commented here have been buffaloed also, including the singer of this song. In other words, you might want to check your information.
My Uncle was there...He was killed by the Trooper near our farm.....My Uncle DID say that.....The Trooper did bring him down....Very sad story either way.....Wonder if she still is alive....The kids did make fun of him....In this day and age, maybe we would see him as the first school shooter as portrayed by CNN?? I heard he often was near Henry's General Store in Doylesburg....Down from Elizabeth's Store....Life was simpler those days...
I spoke to Peggy Ann Bradnick and others at the Fulton Fall Folk Festival on Thursday, October 14, and the evidence has swung back in favor of the Mountain Man being killed by a police bullet.
By the way, I saw your picture in the 10/17/08 Herald-Mail (Hagerstown, MD). You look beautiful and nowhere near 41, more like 27. Speaking of Hagerstown, I still have the clipping about your mother's rescue in the 5/19/66 Hagerstown Morning Herald. Your grandparents Mildred and Eugene and your Uncle Jim are pictured on the front page.
BTW, I do not think any less of Peggy as a result of what happened in 12/66. The poor girl was probably still having nightmares from the kidnapping. Perhaps you were conceived Sunday night, 12/11. There was a snowstorm that day. Perhaps Darrell came over to visit, and ended up staying over due to the storm. Peggy might have had a very bad nightmare; Darrell went into to comfort her; one thing led to another, and a little girl was conceived.
after all that happen .Peggy Ann. went on to get married only 9 months later (3-1967).. 1 wonderful lady she is. God bless you Peggy Ann..1 thing some people may wonder is were was terry Anderson buried at.and were is bicycle pete buried at? or maybe its better we don't know.
@mommyshihtzu Are you still around on RU-vid, Alicia? I spoke to Peggy Ann in McConnellsburg on October 14, and a lot of what she says is different than what you say. For example, she has Darrell passing in 1976, not 1980.
@clintonearlwalker US 522 goes from Selinsgrove, PA, just s of I-80 to Powhatan, VA. I posted 95% of the Wiki article, including the fact that the song was on RU-vid.
I would have believed the Sun was full of ice before I'd believe Peggy Ann Bradnick had conceived a child out of wedlock. NY Times says she was married at 18. What was her birthday? I guess by Valentines Day enough snow had melted from the storms of early February to safely drive to McConnellsburg via Neelyton.
Conversation between myself and Sally Mumma at Shade Gap Post Office; Wednesday, June 23, 1993. Sally: Peggy Ann is married. Me: Yes, since Thursday, March 23, 1967. That's...26 years. Sally:That husband died a long time ago. She remarried. I don't think Sally was referring to a remarriage that took place nearly a decade earler.
@legoboy328 I also still have clippings from the July 16, 1966 Saturday Evening Post; Monday, May 30, 1966 Newsweek; Friday, May 27, 1966 Time and Life; all of which are about the kidnapping of PEGGY ANN BRADNICK.
Really though, as the local lore goes, the 15 year old from Southern (I think) was the one who shot and killed Bicycle Pete…the legality of that was questioned and the trooper took responsibility for the death. So, if there's one thing I'll leave you with it's this: When the FBI, Stateys, and National Guard can't find a killer…let the locals have him…
