Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-10-07
THE FALSE PROPHET.

| The Terrible State of Alarm Caused In
| the South by Virgins Earthquake which
/ Failed to Materialize-The False Prophet
at Home-He Wfthdraws from the Pub
| lie Gaze and Ridicule-His Latest Asser-
tfons.
| ATLANTA-Ga., Sept. 3o.-Half million
| people in Georgia, South Carolina, Flor
| ida and Alabama sat up all night watch
| ing for the appearance of Virgins EARTH
| quake. Another half million rose at day.
! light to scan the skies and see II the
| predicted cyclones were coming. Prob
| ably at no time since the war has excite
| ment been so general throughout the
| South Atlantic and Gulf States within
! the last week. 1t is fortunate for the
nervous people that yesterday morning
| dawned clear and beautiful, without a
| cloud in the sky. At five O'Clock the
streets of this city, usually deserted
until seven, were alive with people, but
the clear atmosphere Gained the fears of
even the negroes, most of whom went to
work again on seeing no signs OF Judg-
ment day. BY IL n. m. the nervous peo-
pie who had arranged to pend the day
IN the fields found the sun rather hot,
and one by one they kept returning home,
and by noon every one had apparently
forgotten Virgins and his prophecy.
In the suburban districts, how
ever, such was not the case.
All through Georgia and South
Carolina, and from those portions of
Florida from which dispatches have been
received, the darkies spent the entire
| night in prayer and administering the
rites of baptism. The fact that there
had been a severe earthquake shock at
Charleston, and three or more shocks at
Summerville, added to the negroes ter
ror as soon as the rumor was noised
abroad. To add to their terror about
dark the heavens clouded over, and by
nine O'Clock ram was falling, accom-
panied bv stiff wind. This sent the
superStitiOus into an ecstasy of terror,
and even among the white people in the
country number of serious cases of ILL
ness from fear are reported. 1t was
thought that the scenes in Augusta and
elsewhere, where people committed sui
eide after the recent earthquake through
sheer fright, would be repeated, but
fortunately by midnight the storm
passed away and the stars began peep
ing out. This restored confidence. 1t IS
remarkable coincidence that three
weeks prior 20 Virgins prediction
number of colored prophets or hoodoo
men and women went about among the
negroes of this State, predicting the to-
tai destruction OF the earth on the 29th
of September. This had stirred up the SUI
perstitlous element, and it only
needed Virgins prophecies to
start scene of disorder
and excitement amongst the lower
classes, such as has not been since eman-
cipstion day. The day having passed OFF
quietly the prayer-meetings have been
discontinued, and the people who have
been fasting and preparing for transla-
ton into the future state are taking
much needed rest preparatory TO gather
ing the cotton crop, which is now ripen-
ing. The Virgins scare stands without
precedent in the South.
OTTAWA, Ont, Sept. 30.-Poor Wig
gins has crawled into some secluded spot
10 ge. away from the jeers from the mob
who had congregated about the telegraph
Office last night to learn that the earth.
quake had fiZZled out. He left his Off &c
in the Finance Department early in the
afternoon and Immediately drove out of
town. All through The morning he was
besieged by newspaper correspondents
and curious public, all anxious to learn
what he had to say; in fact, the Domin-
ion police with difficulty only could keep
the crowd back. Shortly before he left
he received the following telegram.
MoNCToN n b Sept %
DR. f. STONE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. ful-
filled Some severe shocks were felt here
last night.
ISignedI sILAs BERRY.
This rather chcered the professor up,
and during a few moments conversation
he SAID:
"My storm is well nigh over the broad
Atlantic. It will strike the meridian at
Halifax at p. NJ, and look out for high
tides there as we'll as at Quebec. / see
that storm signals were raised in En-
gland on the Goth, the Meteorological Bu-
reau issuing the following circular:
Hoist the south cone, a deep depression
is apparent off our Northwest coast.
OF course we have rot Ind any tidings
of any storm, for the Meteorological
Bureau refuses to give any advices re.
garding my storms, and you may also
have observed that our Dominion Mete.
geological office for the last three days
has dropped the probabilities for our gulf
ports and the Lower St. Lawrence.
''I distinctly assert that the storm will
be mainly confined to the Atlantic. The
vast hurricane, for such it will be, will
sweep down old Ocean, tear past Sandy
Hook and Continue on its mad career. /
can not venture q prediction regarding
the destruction, but 1 have fears for
mariners this very night. NV storm is
booked for Halifax at four, and can not
get there before In London, England,
the storm signals were up on the 26th,
owing to severe depression in the North
west. have no doubt that the storm
will be severely felt in the Gulf of Mexico
aud the Rocky Mountains. Up to the
present have heard nothing more nor
should yet, as the time has not yet ar.
rived. 1 understand that there was an
earthquake at Charleston last night,
though this mornings Citizen does not
mention it,"
In answer to inquiries, the doctor did
not think the storms reported from Texas
had anything to do with his predicted
storms, unless, indeed, it is working up
from the Gulf of Mexico.
Many ask who this man Virgins Is,
who has attracted the attention of the
world. He is q crank on the subject of
meteorology; is second-class clerk en-
ployed in the Finance Department here
adding up figures. If the Government
regarded him as practical meteor.
ologist it would never keep him en-
ployed doing boys work in the Finance
Department, but would transfer him to
the Government Meteorological Office,
Toronto. His name is . by-word here,
and it is amusing TO those who
know the individual to see how he has
played upon the credulity of an unsus-
pecting public.