The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1881-01-26
VOL. XIV---NO. A.
HUNGARIAN SUPERSTITION.
The Devil Roaming Around and
Creating Dire Disasters.

NitHLlHE Dlit DlhhNleTN.
C The superstition Of the lower cla-
= Of the Hungarian people Is provor
, bial. and they had ample opportuni
~ TO demonstrate IL again during
and atlcr the great earthquake IN
r and around the Cityof AUam The
, correspondent Of the Wtsncr Nsus
Erie PresSe lNicnnal writes from
Agram in reference 70 this subject
as follows:
During an excursion 20 the splcn-
did country surrounding Agram,
which presents now rather n sorry
! appearance after the great earth.
quake, 4 had occasion % converse
extensively with the peasants. Their
outward appearance seemed 10 indi.
cate that the effects OF the earth
quake are yet sticking in their bones;
but, taking all things together they
/ showed more vim and resolution
than the great majority of the In.
habitants Of Agram. / soon found
out the reason for this seeming self
| cOmpOsure
" Are you afraid, asked an in
telligcnt looking young fellow about
twenty-five years old, whose upright
and steady carriage denoted the sol
dier, " that a repetition of those tor
rible earthquakes, which 30 ruthless.
| iy destroyed your churches, houses.
etc, may Oecur2
" No, Gospodine, he responded.
and the sclfcontcnt expressed by his
smile assured me that hc was con-
vinccd of tho truth Of what ho was
about to relate.
You know, Gospodine, that ST.
Michael carries the world on his
shoulders lie must be- "a powerful
man, this Saint Michael, for 10 car
~ the earth and not to tire il surely
no small matter Now ] think that
the earth alone would be an easy
matter to manage, if il only did not
contain 50 many houses, churches
and soldiers barracks, the enormous
weight of which sometimes causes
the powerful saint great deal Of
trouble. For, you see, GospOdino,
earthquakes are only caused BY the
fact that, owing 10 the terrible bur
den, Saint Michael is sometimes out
of humOr, and that he then shifts
the globe from one shoulder 20 the
other The good old saint made a
shift from his sore shoulder 20 the
fresh one the other day, and ! sup
pose that he Is now all right again
for the next few hundred years 10
come"
Others told this story A fcw
days before the earthquake there
suddenly appeared in the ucighbor-
ing village OF Rcindo, n stranger in
black clothes COZ course this tcl-
low could be none other than Old
Nick himsclrJ This fellow in black
informed all who would listen that
within q very short time great dis.
astcr would happen, and that the
people should prepare to escape it,
/ inquired of several peasants whc-
ther on not they had seen the man
in black with their own eyes and
listened with their own cars 10 his
dark and distressing prophecies.
No, was the inyariablc answer
A" but my neighbours son Janko heard
it with his own ears, when old Sep.
pei, from over yondcr, told il 20 the
crowd
Another explanation Of tho earth
quake is this On the night proceed,
ing the earthquake there appeared
in one Of the villages near Agram a
stranger lie was poorly clad, bad
no money and no one was willing 10
give him shelter for the night He
slept on the steps of the church. I'm
the morning when the sacristsn
opened the doors Of the church for
early mass the stranger approached
and entered into conversation with
him in regard 10 the heartlessness Of
the people Of the village. When
they approached tho altar the an
known man said in loud voice,
am the Son Of God you refused TO
shelter Ne over night and YOU shall
not worship any longer ia Ny Fa-
theirs house" The stranger moved
his hand, and at once = dull subtcr-
ranean rolling and rumbling was
heard the earth heaved and sunk
the church trcmbled 20 It's founda
tions, and suddenly crushed togcih-
er in a heap Of ruins. The sacristan
saved his life with great difficulty.
The stranger had disappeared This
goes to show that Hungarian peas.
ants can explain the cause Of earth
qualkes without the assistance Of Ar.
Falbs theory.