Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1866-03-22
The Old-Fashion Satan,
with Horns and Tail,
Broke Loose i'm Ken

brOK0 IOOSoAlu .AOA
lucky. 9e l.i'eiEea
iog A correspondent of the Mount
Sterling Sentinel gives the follow
ing account of a fiery fend visible
in Bracken county. Is it a Freed
mems Bureau incarnate? II - +
BRAcKEN Co., KY, Feb. II, 1866.
Mr.. EDITOR The people of
this neighborhood are in the great
est state of excitement in conse-i
quence of remarkable visitation,
or apparition or some demoniacal
parsonage in our midst. | am not
a believer in the doctrine that dis
embodied spirits can ''revisit the
glimpses of the moon," nor do |
believe that epoch designated in
prophecy, when the chains Of Sa-
tan are to be Embossed, has ar
rived, but the things. whereof |
now write are Of such strange I'M
port, so inexplicable, that | have
determined to put you in possess
ion of a full and explicit nara
tive Of them, merely promising
that every word is true, and the
facts sworn TO. as witness the ac-
companying affidavit. What it is,
/ am unable to say. 1 merely
give the facts, such as I am per-
sonally cognizant, and leave it to
wiser heads than my own to un-
ravel the mystery. .rr
! On Monday night last, myself
and family had retired to rest; we
were suddenly aroused by a great
cutlery from the negro quarters
which are Immediately in the rear
of the house-in which prayers
wed for supremacy with blasphe-
mics, men, women and children
screaming ''fire!' and ''murder!'
at the top of their voices, all con-
spring to create a scene worthy
of a panic demonium. Terribly
startled, my wife and | sprang
from the bed. The room was il
Illuminated as brightly as by food
of sunlight, though the light was
of a blush cast. Our first and
most reasonable conclusion was
that the negro cabins were being
consumed by fire. We rushed to
the windows and beheld sight
that fairly curdled the blood in our
veins with horror, and filled our
hearts with the utmost terror
Ny daughter, shrieking loudly,
came flying into my room, hys-
, terical with fear. This is what
we beheld: ~ .a+, 9a. y;,,.,
To the right of the upper cab
in, near the fence that separates
the negro's garden from the house
, yard, was creature of gigantic
, stature, and the most horrifyine
appearance. 1t was. nearly al
) high as the comb of the cabin, anc
, had a monstrous head, of not dis
similar shape to that of an ape; two
short very white horns appeared
above each eye; its arms wer'
: long, covered with shaggy hair OF
an ashen hue, and terminated
: with huge paws, not unlike thos'
of a cat, and armed with Ions
q hooked claws. Its breast was a
broad as that of a Iarge-sized OK
j It's legs resembled the front legs o.
a horse, only the hoofs were Glow
5 en-. It had a long tail, arme'
with a dart-sharpened horn, whicl
it was continually switching about
y It's eyes glowed like two Twin
T Goals of fire. while from its nos
trils and mouth were emitte
J. sheets of blaish-colored fame, wit
b a kissing sound, like the kissing o
a serpent, only a thousand-fol
r louder. Its general color, save.i il
arms, was a dull, dingy brown
V The air was powerfully imprel
r mated with a smell of burning SD
phur. 1g 50 I'D sfsa
o The poor negroes were eviden
It ly laboring under the extreme
). terror, and two of them driven
insanity by their fears, and hay
te not recovered their reason up
4 this writing. / do not not kno
u. how long this monster, demon I
a. devil, was visible after we reacht
n the windows possibly some thr
d. seconds. When it yanishedit W
" enveloped' in a spiral column
flame that reached nearly to Il