According to the legend, the witch lived on the Yazoo River and was caught killing fishermen who she lured in.

It’s the story of the witch of Yazoo, a woman who lived on the outskirts of town and came to an untimely death.Then twenty years later she rose from the grave and burned the entire town of Yazoo to the ground. YAZOO CITY, Miss. The sheriff of the time is said to have chased her through the swamps where she was half drowned in quicksand by the time he caught up with her. She is simply known as “The Witch of Yazoo.” “The witch is very much alive,” says K. K. Hill, director of the Triangle Cultural Center in Yazoo City. The Legend of the Witch of Yazoo The Witch of Yazoo Located in the middle of the historic section of Glenwood Cemetery, Yazoo City’s public cemetery, is a grave surrounded by chain links known as, “The Witch’s Grave”. There’s no name associated with who’s buried there. "On May 25, 1904, the Witch of Yazoo City broke out of these curious chain links surrounding her grave and burned down Yazoo City," it reads. According to the legend, there was an evil witch who lived near the banks of the Yazoo River. According to legend, an old witch lived on the banks of the Yazoo River where she lured fishermen into her hut, tortured and killed them. Yazoo City is a U.S. city in Yazoo County, Mississippi.It was named after the Yazoo River, which, in turn was named by the French explorer Robert La Salle in 1682 as "Rivière des Yazous" in reference to the Yazoo tribe living near the river's mouth. The legend of the Witch of Yazoo became famous in Willie Morris’ book, Good Old Boy published in 1971. – In Glenwood Cemetery, large, oval chain links surround a grave (the tall tombstone in the photo above). As the legend goes, on May 25, 1884 the Yazoo City police were investigating the disappearance of several fishermen. By the time the witch was tracked down, she was found stuck in … As legend has it, … As … When word finally got around to law enforcement, the sheriff came looking for the men and the witch fled. Yazoo is located north of Jackson, in the western part of Mississippi.