The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1866-03-30
Extraordinary Excitement in Bracken
County, Kentucky.

Extraordinary Excitement in Bracken
County, Kentucky.
A correspondent of the Mt Sterling
(ky) Sentinel gives the following &C,
count of fiery fend visible in Bracken
county:
BRAoKEN Co., Ky, Feb. II, 1866.
The people in this neighborhood are in
the greatest state of excitement in conse-
quence of a remarkable visitation or appa-
ntion, of some demoniacal parsonage in
our midst. | am not believer in the
doctrine that disembodiod spirits can Sire
visit the glimpses Of the moon," nor do
L believe that epoch designated in
prophecy, when the chains of Satan are
to be unloosed, has arrived. But the
things whereof [ now write arc of such
strange import, so iuexpljcsble, so that
have determined to put you in possession
of full and explicit narrative of them,
merely promising that every word is true,
and the facts sworn to, as witness the ac-
companying affidavit. What it is, I am
unable to say. 1 merely give the facts,
such as l am personally cognizant of, and
leave 1t to wiser heads than my own to
unravel the mystery.
On Monday night last, after myself and
family had retired to rest, we were sudden
" aroused by a great outcry from the negro
quartcrs-which are Immediately to the
rear OF the house-in which prayers We'd
for supremacy with blasphemes, men,
women and children screaming "fre !"
aud "murdcr !" at the top of their voices,
all conspiriug to create scene worthy of
pandemonium. Terribly startled, my
wife and | sp1ang from our bed. The
room was Illuminated as brightly as by a
Hood OF sunlight, though the light was of
blush cast. Oar first and most reasonable
conclusion was that the negro cabins were
being consumed by fire. We rushed
to the windows and beheld a sight that
fairly curdled the blood in our veins
with horror, and filled our hearts with the
utmost terror. My daughter, shricking
loudly, came running into my room, bys-
terical with fear. This is what we be-
held
Standing to the right of the upper cab
in, near the fence that separates the ne
groes' garden from the house yard, was q
creature of gigantic stature, and the most
horrltylng appearance. 1t was nearly as
high as the comb of cabin, and had mon
strous head not dissimilar in shape to that
OF an ape; two short white horns appeared
above each eye; its arms were long, cov-
cred with shaggy hair of an ashy hue,
and terminated with huge paws, not un
like those of cat, and armed with long
and hooked claws. Its breast was as
broad as that of large sized OK. Its
legs resembled the front legs Of horse,
only the hoofs were cloven. 1t had long
tail, armed with dart shaped horn, which
1t was continually switching about. Its
eyes glowed like two living Goals of fire,
while from its nostrils were emitted
sheets Of blush coored flame, with hiss.
ing sound, like the hiss of serpent, only
a thousand-fold louder. Its general col.
or, save its arms, was a dull, dingy brown.
The air was powerfully impregnated with
a smell of burning sulphur Tue poor
negroes were evidently laboring under the
EXTREMIST terror, and two of them, an old
woman and lad were actually driven TO in.
sanity by their fears, and have pot recov
cred their reason up to this writing. |
do not know how long this monster, de-
mon or devil, was visible after we reached
the window-possibly some three seconds
When 1t vanished it was enveloped in :
spiral column of flame that reached near.
ly to the tops of the locust trees adjacent
and which hid his horrid form complctel}
from view. The extinction of the flmt
was instantaneous, and with its disappear
ance we were relieved of the presence Of
this remarkable visitor.
1t would be impossible for me to at.
tempt to describe the effect of this vista
ton upon the members of my family
Suffice it to say, that my wife and two
daughters are firmly persuaded that it wa:
the veritable Satan. For myself, | would
willingly believe that we all, by some Gu.
rious coincidence, had been the victims Of
horrid nightmare, did | not know that
we were fully awake, and actually wit
messed that which is above recorded.-
Again, if ours has been the only family
visited by this uuearthly creature, |
should have kept silent, aud, perhaps, tu-
tored my mind into the belief that it was
an hallucination.
But precisely the same apparition made
its appearance at my neighbours, Mrs.
VIM. Dole, appearing there in precisely
the same shape in which it presente-
itself to us, save the head, which appeard
ed to those who witnessed it at Mrs. DIS
to resemble that of horse. AT Mr.
Adam Fuqua's, another neighbor, its head
was that of a vulture. On Tuesday nigh
it appeared at Mr.. Jesse Bonds, there
wearing the head of an elephant. At all
these places it made the same appearance
as at my housekeeping only the chang
ing of the hcad--and disappeared in the