Mike Conley's Tales of the Weird: Tale of ghostly tunnel has multiple versions

In Kingsport, Tenn., there is an old tunnel that is seldom used and judging by pictures on the Internet appears to be something that the Tennessee DOT has forgotten.
The automobile tunnel was built in the 1920s and has received little attention in recent years. It has cracks in the cement and the walls are covered with spray-painted graffiti. Locals in Kingsport who know about it call it the Sensabaugh Tunnel. And if any place in Kingsport could be considered haunted, this dark and spooky tunnel surely would fit that description. It is best known for the gruesome taking of an innocent life.
There are different versions of the legend of Sensabaugh Tunnel. According to one version, a homeless drifter showed up at the home of the Sensabaughs, who were a wealthy and prominent family in Kingsport. The caring and compassionate family took the hobo into their home and gave him a meal. However, the man repaid their kindness by trying to steal some of the family's valuable jewelry. When Mr. Sensabaugh grabbed his gun and tried to stop the theft, the hobo kidnapped the couple's newborn baby, which he used as a human shield, and ran out of the house. The hobo ran faster than the father and disappeared into the nearby tunnel. The hobo didn't know what to do with the crying infant so he drowned the innocent one in a stream that runs along one side of the tunnel, according to a Web site.
In another version of the legend, Mr. Sensabaugh lived with his family in a house near the entrance to the tunnel. One day, he went insane and murdered his entire family, including his newborn child. He threw their bodies in the stream running inside the tunnel. In still another account, a young pregnant woman was kidnapped and murdered in the tunnel.
Whatever the tale, it is the ghost of the murdered baby that is said to haunt Sensabaugh Tunnel. Folks in Kingsport say that you can hear the baby cry if you drive into the tunnel and cut off your car's ignition. But you have to be careful because it is also believed that your car won't start if you turn it off in the tunnel. Other people claim to have heard Mr. Sensabaugh's footsteps echoing in the dark and scary tunnel. They have also seen his ghost in the rearview mirror.
The tunnel has naturally become a popular place for young couples looking for a quiet, secluded place to park. And I am sure many a young man has frightened his date with tales about the ghostly baby.
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In an earlier column, I wrote about the mysterious thunderbirds that have been spoken about for centuries by the American Indians. And in recent years, others have stepped forward with their reports about these massive birds strong enough to carry away a person.
A woman in northwest Missouri recently sent me her account of seeing one. It happened at around 11:30 p.m. on the night of Aug. 11. She and her children were out in their yard that night watching for meteors when they spotted what at first looked like a low flying airplane. As the object flew about 500 feet above their heads, the woman and her children could distinctly see wings flapping, according to her emailed account.
"It was simply humungous!" she wrote. "I am 5'11" and it was easily as large as me or any other human adult! I know I sound crazy, but my children saw it too! I swear we aren't crazy. I have watched the sky many times over the years and have even spent weeks camping in tents and have NEVER seen a bird this huge either at night OR during the day."
The woman writes that she is familiar with "buzzards and eagles, even chicken hawks" but this animal was much larger than any of them.
"I have sent an inquiry to my local news asking if anyone else had reported it since many people may have been watching the meteor shower but have not heard back as of yet, and probably won't if they think I am joking or nuts," she wrote.
This woman and others like her can rest assured that their stories are treated with respect at Tales of the Weird.