This one is quite creepy.

Legend has it, there was a witch who lived in the woods on Hinds Road. Her little shack was out in the woods. Her name as Torbid, she was beautiful, and it is said she sold her soul to the devil to stay forever young.

in the early part of the 19th century, she started terrorizing the citizens of the town of Gadsen. Children were her favorite. Any child who dared to travel up Hinds Rd to look for the witch would surely meet their demise.

This went on for roughly 20 years. Children would go missing and the town’s people were too frightened to hunt down the witch and hold her accountable. They had heard the old witch would bathe and drink the blood of her victims to help keep her young and the bones of their little bodies were used to decorate the outside of her shack.

In 1939, the mayor had finally decided enough was enough and gathered a mob of people brave enough to confront her. What they didn’t expect, is what they found.

They found a pond, stained red, from her little victims, as well as parts of bodies and some whole ones scattered along the bank. Further up the road from the pond was a cave that held a pungent odor. The stench made them sick to their stomachs. One soul was brave enough to enter this foul-smelling cave. The mob heard a loud scream, and the man came running out. He didn’t say a word about what he saw, in fact, he never spoke again. No one else was brave enough to enter the cave to see what caused his terror.

They made their way a little farther and found the witch’s cabin. She stood naked in the doorway. The men were in awe of her beauty. Her long black hair made her emerald eyes that much brighter. As they looked down her naked body, they noticed she was covered in blood.

They asked if she was Torbit. She verified she was and they threw their torches into her cabin, and at her, setting her on fire. It is said the cackling of her laugh could be heard all the way down to the village. The town’s people also witnessed the flames and smoke of the fire.

Today, Hinds Rd is hard to find, but not completely impossible. The pond does exist but is no longer stained with the blood of Torbit’s children. It is said Satanic worshipers and cults go there to do rituals and the odor from the cave is still present.

Growing up, when the street lights came on, you better be getting home or you’d be in trouble. Well, in Abbeville, you better be home BEFORE dark or Huggin’ Molly may stop you.

Molly has been described as wearing a wide-brimmed hat, dark clothing, and standing some seven feet tall. That description is enough to scare anyone!

Harm is not her intention. At night, only, she appears before children, hug them tightly, and then would scream in their ears. I’m sure this caused some ringing of the ears, but this appears to be the extent of her haunting. They believe she is trying to scare the children so they won’t be out at night when they should be home.

There are a couple of legends regarding Molly. One is she was a professor who taught at Southeast Alabama Agriculture School and wanted to keep her students off the streets at night, ensuring their safety.

Another is she is the ghost of a woman who lost her baby and her way of dealing with the tragedy was to go around hugging the children in town.

Huggin’ Molly is so well-known around town, you can stop by Huggin’ Molly’s restaurant for some good ol’ “Molly Fingers” or “sandwitches” and wash it down with a nice fountain drink. Huggin’ Molly’s is located at 129 Kirkland Street, Abbeville, AL.