Omaha daily bee., 1884-05-10
"JUDE'S LIGHT"
A Curious Apparition Which Comes
from an Old Slaves Grave.

from an Old Slaves Grave.
ATLANTA, Geo, April 26.-The Con.
stitution tomorrow will publish a curious
story told by Alonzo Lyon, and vouched
for by hundreds of the best citizens OF
Do kalb county, concerning what is
called 'Judo's Light" Mr.. Lyon was
raised in De Kalb county, Ga, four
miles from Lithonia and about thirteen
miles from Atlanta, ono-half mile from
Macedonia baptist church, on tho Stone
Mountain and Flat Shoals road. 1t is
in a quiet rural hamlet, on a farm form
erly owned by his grandfather, Edmund
Bunt, deceased, then after his death
bought by Mr.. Lyons brother-in.law
Mr.. Hartman, and now owned by Mr..
David McWilliams, that "Jude's Light"
makes it's regular appearance.
About forty years ago a man named
Reid owned the farm, and he also owned
a negro woman by the name of Jude.
Reid had Jude punished for some offence
by p%lacingher in close. confinement and on
very short %rations. Mr.. Lyons neither,
who now resides with him, was a young
girl, and says she remembers slipping
some food to poor Jnde, and will never
forget the eagerness with which the fam
ished woman devoured it. Jude finally
died, it is believed, from the effects of
cruel treatment and deprivation of food.
She was buried in the woods on a hill
side, across a branch, about 800 yards
from the house occupied by Reid's fam
lily. No one else was buried there, and
the grave to this day is a solitary one.
Soon after the burial 'Jude's light" APP
peared emanating from the grave and
wandered about the house and premises
at all times of the night. The Eight
manifested so much intelligence and
struck such terror into the hearts of the
Reid family that they sold all their pos.
sessions and hastily left thestate of Geor-
gia. The light has continued to ap-
pear freq 1ently from that time to this,
but never seemed to inspire terror and
uneasiness in the breasts of others nor
visit the dwellings often. After Edmund
Blunt, grandfather of Mr.. Lyon, purchas-
ed the Reid farm Mr.. Lyon lived several
years with him. He saw the slight
probably a thousand times, at all times,
at all seasons of the year and in all kline
weather. SO also did his mother, broth
ers and sisters. Many of the neighbor
have been present occasionally ant
watched it. The Reid dwelling is situat
ated in the fork Of two small stream
which flow together and form Poll Bridg
creek, a short distance below the house
The bottom land along tine creek is her
very broad and extensive, and cover wit
a dense growth of cane and bushes. 4
, field has been cleared between JUDGE
/, grave and the dwelling, 30 that the grave
could be seen from the house.
!, GUIDES light" always seemed to CONF
straight up out of the grave, eight or tel
feet high, and keeping about the sam'
distance from the ground, it would tloa'
slowly off up or down the swamp, or to
ward the house, or up the hill through
the woods. 1t would often glide abou
for an hour or 80 in sight, then suddenl.
t go straight down out of view. At sucl
times, said Mr.. Lyon, he and others hat
started for the grave with the intention
of beating this eight" there in order t.
, ever succeeded in doing so. By the tim
they had taken ten steps in the direction
of the grave they would see the Slight.
returning toward that point with railway
l speed, reach it before the would be in
} vestigators were fairly started. 1t inva
| riably paused an instant over the grave
/, then drop straight down and disappeared
. A visit there Immediately afterward re-
vealed no phosphorescent, or Other
lights. MI. Lyon described the light
, as about tho size of a mans double fist
1 of a somewhat reddish tinge, sparkling
8 somewhat, but not very brilliant, and
3 only slightly illuminating the bushes ant
trees in passing along.
The nearest Mr.. Lyon was eyer tt
GUIDES light" was about the distance
s from the dwelling to the small stream il
the direction of the grave-say 100 yards
His brother-in-law, Mr.. Hartman, WIFI
owned the place after Edmuhds Blunt
4 death, and lived on it until 1876, wa
Q once within six or eight PAGES of it. Tha
3 night his wife and her sister, Mrs. Thorn
as Maze, and himself were all awakened
} from sound sleep just after midnight b.
$ some mysterious sensation, and on look
ing out into the yard they saw a yer,
unusual illumination. Mr.. Hartman
opened the door, and there in tn,
, yard was the familiar ball of reddish
sparkling light. 1t remained stationer,
> a few seconds, then slowly glided off il
. the direction of the grave. Mr.. Hart
, man said he was not particularly scared
nor were the ladies', but each felt they
had been awakened by this unusual ap
proach of the slight
GUIDES light" differs from the phos
phorescent lights of the swamp in many
respects. 1t is always about the sam'
size, always keeps about the same dis
lance from tho ground, and travel
. against or in opposite direction to thu
. strongest winds. 1t also appears in thu
c dryest and hottest, as well as the coldes
I and stormiest of the weather. 1t rarel.
appears, however, in stormy weather
: which might be taken to be another in
dication Of intelligence. Phosphorescen
: lights, it is well known, can only trave
with the wind, and also vary greatly il
Q size and appearance.
Mr.. Thomas Mize, Of Atlanta, a broth
er.in-law of Mr.. Lyon, was present whei
/ the foregoing was related, and coniirme
: it in every particular. He lived on tn,
0 Reid farm for two or three, and believe
I he had seen GUIDES light" at least &c
Q nights during the time. The eight"
not seen in the earlier part of the night
/ but both Mr.. Lyon and Mr.. Mize thong
it could be seen al some hour ever