Hi. I believe that the legend arises from the story of the Witch of Licking Branch which evolved from several sources. Her name is reputed to be Polly Evans or Edie Bartley, depending on which side of Licking Branch you live on. The entire story is featured in my small book "BERTIE FOLKLORE" (almost out of print) at 12.00 plus 1.00 postage. There are similar stories all around our neighboring countys as researched by my college history classes, and they all seem to go back to a common legend of the "White Deer of the Dismal Swamp" of Colonial times. Harry L. Thompson 611 Greens Crossroad Windsor NC 27983