Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-03-04
THE STRANGE GEORGIA GIRL.

THE STRANGE GEORGIA GIRL.
Miss Lula Hu"st, Of Cedartown, Ga, h;:
given one Of her remarkable entertainments
in GAINESVILLE. Ga. 1t was Il performance
that she had previously given in public OF
several occasions, and that has everywhere
been witnessed with the greatest astonish
ment.
She first held the handle Of an umbrella
while four citizens held cords that were tieo
to he umbrella, suspendipg ii in the air
In about two minutes the umbrella began
10 sauirm and twist, and soon the staff was
Wrenched into two parts, and the umbrella
was broken 10 pieces. Then Mr.. Middle
brooks, wcighing.oyer 200 pounds, sat down
in a chair on the stage. She placed her
| open hands upon the back of the chair, ana
, presently the chair began TO move, and soon
| Dir. Mddlebrooks was thrown upon the
| floor Another chair was then placed or
! the Stage and Colonel Murphey attempted
! to hold it still. She placed The palms Of
! her hands On the SCAT Of the chair Hnd soon
! i began moving across the stage, aud finally
escaped from Colonel Murphey's grasp and
/ fell on the floor. The same feat was repeat,
| cd with two men, then with three, and
! finally with five. with the same result each
! time.
| i rod about six feet long was placed in
| the hands OF Il strong man, who was skep-
| tical IS To The powers Of Miss Hurst Soon
the rod began 10 move in spite of all his
| efforts 10 keep ii still. 1t hustled him
across the stage i'll Il ludicrous manner
! After several similar performances with diff
Igrcnt men, VINO tried Ill vain 10 bold the
chairs and rod still. the exercises closed
! About five hundred CitZcnS witnessed the
performance, and they were convinced that
there was no sIeight Of hand in what Miss
Hurst did.
Miss Hurst was born in 1865 III McMinn
county. Tenn When she was ii year old
her parents removed 10 Cedar Valley, Polk
COUNTY, Ga, where they have since resided.
she has @ogc 10 school but Ten months in
| ter life. bat was q remarkably apt scholar
while il school. Sha united with the Mis-
4ioGary Baptist Church VIXEN she was II
wears old, and is q deyout Christian. She
succeeds best in her performances when
everything around her is quiet. She cannot
bear unllind treatment on the stage, and
! her strange powers desert her when The
| spectators appear to he untriendIy. When
cxertipg her peculiar gifts she does not
know what is happening around her, and
| hlindly follows the object moving from her.
she often has TO be caught 10 pTerer! hey
from running of at The rUns of the stage or
against Tie wall She is q brunette with
Iou- black hair and brown eyes, weighs J. %
pounds. aud is a modest girl oI retiring dis
position.
Her unnatural powers were developed
la, August. One day she heard peculiar
ruttlin.. noise abont the head Of her bed and
told her mother about it. Mrs. Hurst
went 10 tie room. heard the noise, and
concluded that there were rats inside the
bed Size ripped open the bed, but found
nothing IN it. Miss Hurst became so fright
| cnyd ono night at the noise in her apart
| .urui that she left her room and slept else
where. \ few nights later Il young friend
| of Miss Hurst was spending the night with
her. aud both OF the girls became considera-
| bv frightened. Mr.. Hurst and his wife con-
| cuGcd that the cause Of the phenomena
must iahere in their daughter.
Lula was asked on one occasion 10 sit
down on u trunk al one end OF the room
and soon the noise was heard about the
| trunk soon after pebbles and specimens
Of iron ore on the mantel began 10 move
| about and some Of them would fall oil on
| the floor wien she entered the room. Afti-
ces Of clothing would disappear ior two or
three days, aud then suddenly be found
hanging op "a nail or picture in the family
room. The dishes AID cutlery were greatly
disturbed when she went into the dining
room. She would lie down on 4 bed, and
soon Il would move about the room as she
willed. Or she could think of some tune,
going over the notes mentally, and the
music would be heard from the head OF
| rod L.
ment.
These and other wonderful performances
were noised abroad, and people began to
assemble in crowds TO witness the strange
nhercmeua The Atlanta Constitution
Sent q reporter 10 her home to learn If the
reports were true. The reporter was con-
vinced, wrote an account Of the affair, and
after much persuasion prevailed on Mr.:
Hurst to take his daughter 10 Atlanta and
give public exhibition Of her powers.
Three successful exhibitions were given IN
Atlanta.
Lula Hurst and her parents are plain
country people, and they are as much as.
tonished as any oue else. They do rot be-
lieve that il is the result Of sprituallstic in
fuences Spritualists have written to Miss
Hurst, insisting that her strange powers are
the results of spiritualism, but she treats
their letters with contempt. The phenom-
cra. it was said at first, were produced by
her muscular powers, but physicians at At
lanta and elsewhere have placed their hands
between hers and the chair TO be moved, SC
that only the tips of her fingers touched The
chair, but the results were not changed
Others have held her arm tightly above the
elbow to ascertain if there was muscular ac
ton, but not any was perceptible.
Some people believe she is strongly mag
netic, and that the objects she touches be
come magretized by her touch, and are ther
repelled from her on the principle that like
electricity repels like" But stick place.