Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1878-10-31


ful was about the dark day in New Eng
land Friday, May 10, 1850. This was
during our Revolution, you will remem.
bcr, aud the same year in which the trait
or, Benedict Arnold, attempted to betray
/. his country to its enemies
: For several days before the nineteenth,
tliq air NSs full of vapO!s, as we often see
1t when fires are raging in the woods near
u.s. and the sun and moon appeared red,
and their usual clear light did not reach
rs, especially when rising and setting.
The winds blew chiefly from the south
west and northeast, and the weather was
cool and clear The morning Of the nine
tccnth was cloudy and in many places
slight showers fell, sometimes accompani-
ed by thunder and lightning, but as the
sun arose it did not increase the light, and
the darkness dccpcned and dcepcned, I'M
! I'll the children standing before the tall
clock could not see TO tell the time, and
older people pecring over the almanac
were not able to distinguish the letters.
| The birds sang their evening songs and
flew to their nests in the woods, the poul-
try hurried to their roosts, while the cattle
in the fields uttered strange cries and
lcapod the stone fences to gain their stalls,
and the sheep all huddlcl together llcat =
inc pitcously.
Color which you know depends upon
| The light Of the sun, filed many with as
t0ni,hmont by its unusual appearance, for
he clouds were in some places Of light
red, yellow and brown; the leaves on the
trees and the grass in the meadows were
Of the deepest green, rerging ON indigo,
tine brightest silver seemed tmnishcd, and
everything that is white in the sunlight
bore a deep yellow hue.
| the shadows. which before noon fell 10
the westward and afternoon to the cast
ward, We're observed during the darkness
! to fall in every direction.
I The rain, also, was unlike any other
/ rain, and it set all the people to wonder
ing us they dipped it from the tubs and
barrels: fora scum formed ON it rcscm
bling burnt leaves emitting a sooty smell
| and this same substance was seen on
streams and rivers, especially the Meui-
mac, where it lay four or five inches thick
for many miles along its shore.
Another pcculiaity was the yupor; in
many localities ii descended TO the earth
from high in the atmosphere; but at ono
point a gentleman saw the yapOrs, at nine
o'clock, rising from The springs and low
lands; one column he particularly noticed
rapidly ascending far above the highest
hills. then 1t spread into q lrg" white
cloud and sailed off to the westward, g
second cloud formed in the same way from
he same springs, Int did not rise as high
Us the first, and third formed fifteen
minutes aitcrward. At quarter Of ten
the upprrmost cloud was of a reddish hue
he second Gas green indigo and blue and
the third was'almoSt white.
So Wnwholc>omc was this yapor that
small bird, were suitocatrd N il, and
many Of them were so frightened and
Stupit.ol that they flew into the houses.
adding TO the fears Of ignorant people,
who considered it u bai ,igu for bird to
enter dwelling.
The commencement ofthe darkness wa>
between ten and eleven in the forenoon
when the men were busy in the field,
and offices and workshops, the women
spinning, weaving and preparing dinner
md the children ut school. or helping
their fathers and mothers "a, homcD, and
Il continued until the middle Of the fol-
lowing nights but the degree of darkness
varied; in some places the disk OF the sun
wa. seen when the darkness wlSthc most
dense.
Lights were som burning in all the
houscs. and the people passing oul.of
doors carried torches and lanterns. which
were curiou,ly r"Hoc,odon the oyerhang-
ing clouds.
Thousands of people were sure that the
end Of the world had comn many dropped
their work and lcll on their knees to
pray, others confessed to their fellows thu
wrongs they had done and W.lrGyCrcl 10
make restitution
The mcetmg-h0u,ns were crowded, aud
ucighhorlood prayef-mCctings We're form
ed, and the ministers and old church
members prayed long prayers. mention
ing the nations and individuals Of Bible
times who had been destroyed on account
Of their sins, and begging that as God
spared the great city of Nmovch when ii
rcpcntcd, 50 he would forgive them. cheer
them again by the light Of the sun and
give victory to their armies.
II is said that the Connecticut legisln.
tune being in session, the members he
came terrified when they could not see
each others faces. and motion was made
to adjourn, when Mr.. Davenport arose and
said:
"NIr Speaker, it is either the day OF
Judgment or it is not. lfit is not, there is
no need of adiouning. lfit is, | desire
to be found doing my duty move that
candles be brought, and that We proceed
to huSincss.'
All the shiyering, frightened people be.
gan now to look forward to evening,
hoping that rs the moon rose full at nine
o'clock, her light would penetrate the
gloom; bnt all the children who coaXed TO
sit up to see her, grew very sleepy, their
strained eyes were not rewarded by her
beautiful beams, for at eight in the even
ing the darkness was total; one could not
distinguish between the earth and the
heavens, and it was impossible 10 see
hand before one S face.
Then all the weary children were sent
to bed after the most honest prayers that
they had ever prayed, and the older peo-
pie sat up to watch for the light that nev-
er before had appeared so glorious.
And never dawned Z fNircr morning
than the twentieth Of May, for the sun
that opened the flowers and mIrrored
itself in the dew-drops, brought the color
again to the children's faces and filed
every heart with confidence.
The birds sang joyously, the cattle re.
turned to their pastures, the places of
business were opened, and every one went
about his work more gentle toward man
and grateful toward God.
After the darkness was passed, several
persons travelled about to gather all pos
sible information concerning this memora-
die day, and DR.. Tenny wrote an account
of what he learned while on journey
from the east to Pennsylvania. He says
the deepest darkness was in Essex County,
Massachusetts, the lower part of New
Hampshire, and the eastern portion Of
Maine (where my great grandmother
lived). In Rhode Island and Connecticut
it was not so great; in New Jersey pecu
liar clouds were observed, but the dark
ness was not uncommon, and in the lower
parts of Pennsylvania nothing unusual
was observed.
1t extended as far north as the Amer
lean settlements and westward to Albany,
but its exact limits could not be ascer-
tained
In Boston the darkness continued four
teen or fifteen hours, varying in duration
at tother places;
As it was impossible TO attribute the
darkness to an eclipse, the wise people