The Bound Woman

We asked for some local ghost stories and our readers have been sending them in. Thank you to Debra from Jellico for sending us this story of The Bound Woman who haunts Highway 25W between Jellico and Williamsburg.

The Bound Woman

Have you ever been driving down Highway 25W at night and felt like something was eerily creepy? If so, you're not alone, some people say that the spirit of Julia Coffey "The Bound Woman" haunts a portion of the roadway and can be seen at night when it's raining.

Although the exact date is unknown, in the early 1950's the body of Julia Coffey was found in a field along the highway. It's said that Julia was a woman who enjoyed the company of well-endowed men. Apparently she was known for her many affairs and the list of broken hearts left in her wake.

Julia wasn't originally from Jellico however she spent a lot of time in town visiting friends and suitors. What many people didn't know was that Julia was married to a young banker from Kentucky. The marriage was on the rocks because her husband was beginning to realize that Julia wasn't the faithful wife that she seemed to be. He was a very jealous man and some believed that he was even abusive to his young wife. He had forbidden Julia to leave the house while he was away at work. When he found out that she was sneaking away and meeting other men he locked her inside of the house. Whenever he left for work he would lock both doors from the outside preventing Julia from leaving.

Eventually he figured out that the locked doors wasn't keeping his young wife at home. He began hiding and watching Julia. While she believed he was working he was in fact hiding and watching to see where she was going. He followed her to Jellico where she met a young man in a local diner. He watched as they laughed, talked and held hands while drinking milkshakes together. As they exited the diner her husband rushed up and grabbed Julia by the arm. The other man ran when he introduced himself as Julia's husband. He dragged her to the car and rushed off toward Kentucky.

Julia's husband was furious and many bystanders was concerned for her safety as he stormed away with her. Nobody knew for sure what happened in the car that night or how Julia's body ended up dead in a field along Highway 25.

Several days later 3 mean discovered the body of a young woman. Her feet were bound in chains and her arms tied behind her back. Upon inspection it was determined that the cause of death was strangulation and the body was identified as Julia Coffey.

When questioned, her husband initially said that he and Julia had a heated argument about her affair. He had stopped the car along the side of the road to talk to her and she stormed out and took off running. He said that it began raining heavily and that he tried to find her to no prevail. After several hours he went back home and hoped that she would return. When she never came home he assumed that she had decided to go back to her boyfriend. When the he was informed of her death, the husband appeared extremely distraught however the investigators was not finished with him. Everyone was positive that he had killed his wife in a fit of rage on that dark, rainy night.

Weeks had passed and Julia was returned to her parents to be laid to rest. It had been arranged for Julia's lover to make himself seen alone near the railroad tracks on the Kentucky side of Jellico. Sooner or later they believed that her husband would come looking for him.

Night after night the investigators was hidden out of sight while the man lingered around the tracks. Then one night it happened. Julia's husband showed up. He stopped the car and retrieved an axe from the backseat and approached the man in the dark. "So you like married women?" he whispered. "No I didn't know that she was married, I swear!" replied Julia's boyfriend. Her husband laughed in a tone so calm that it sent a wave a chills down the mans spine. "Nor did all of the other men that she had been seeing." Julia's boyfriend tried to remain as calm as he possibly could when he said "Then I guess she done both of us wrong didn't she. I'd of killed her myself had I of known that it was all a game to her." The husband looked shocked "Who do you think killed her?" "Well" replied the man "I think you did and I don't blame you for it."

The husband's head began to spin. He didn't know what to do, but he was sure that Julia's boyfriend was on his side. After all, he didn't know that she was a married woman. He must have a rage built up inside of him as well. That's when it all came out, he began spilling every last detail of how he killed his wife.

"I knew she'd never stop seeing other men, as soon as she got tired of you, she'd of found another. She was just like that, she was never settled, she kept looking for something better. I just couldn't take it anymore, I snapped that night. At first I just wanted to scare her, I wrapped her feet in chains and told her that she'd never get away again. She started fighting so I tied her hands behind her back. She told me that she had never loved me, she only wanted my money and the lifestyle I gave her. She wanted a divorce. I wrapped my hands around her neck trying to make her stop talking. I felt her neck snap, I killed her. I panicked so I dragged her into the field and ran home. The police emerged from the darkness and took the husband into custody.

It is said that Julia's ghost still walks the road along Highway 25 between Jellico and Williamsburg. She can be seen at night when it's raining. Most people claim to have seen her just beyond the Black Oak turn off.

You'll find her sitting in the ditch along the side of the road. If you stop or slow down she stands up and walks toward your vehicle. Her neck dangling and her arms twisted.