There are various versions of who Huggin' Molly really was. According to one version of the legend, Molly was the ghost of a grieving mother who had lost an infant and tried to cope with the loss by cuddling up to neighborhood kids. Another version claimed that Molly used to be a teacher at school and tried keeping children off the streets at night to keep them safe. But one familiar tale paints her as a gigantic woman, perhaps 7 feet tall and as big as a bale of cotton. Some claim that her ghost still prowls the late-night streets of Abbeville. If she sees you, she runs after you, gives you a bear hug, and yells in your ear. However, she hurt no children other than perhaps causing some ringing in their ears.
For Jimmy Rane, a native of and lifelong inhabitant of Abbeville, and his friends, Huggin' Molly was real. Jimmy and his close friend Tommy Murphy were told the legend by Tommy's father one evening. He claimed that Huggin' Molly had hugged him one night, which was how he learned she was real. Even now, the residents' hearts begin to race when the moon rises above Abbeville because Huggin' Molly may appear anytime. Jimmy Rane actually opened a family restaurant named after the legend.
Jerry
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