What brought about the legend happened before the village of Matherton was even established. It seemed there were three old crones living in a cabin in the meadow and on the night of a full moon the women were murdered and beheaded then thrown into the well.
Some claimed that Indians attacked them and burned the cabin to the ground.
Others said it never happened at all but that John's Great-Granddaddy had made up the story to keep kids away from the pile of rocks. But there were still those that swore it was true. Some claimed they had seen the ghosts rise up out of the well and were more than happy to scare the bejeebers out of anybody that believed them.
It was even thought by some that the women were witches with potions and charms and that they were disposed of by a band of vigilantes in a type of witch trial. But whatever the case some chose to believe that the women were real. That they had their heads severed from their bodies and unceremoniously dumped into the old well rendering it accursed.