The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1886-10-07
THE FALSE PROPHET.

The Terrible State of Alarm Caused In
the south by Virgins Earthquake which
Failed to Materlalize-The False Prophet
at Home-He withdraws from the Pub
lie Gaze and RidicuI.-BIs Latest Asser-
tIons.
ATLANTA, Ca, Sept. 30.-Half a million
people in Georgia, South Carolina, Flor
ida and Alabama sat up all night watch
ing for the appearance of Virgins earth-
dtfake Another half million rose at Day
light to scaff the skies and see II the
predicted cyclones were coming. Prob
ably at no time since the war ffar excite
ment been so general throughout the
South Atlantic and Gulf States within
the last week. IL is fortunate for the
nervous people that Yesterday morning
dawned clear and beautiful, without
cloud in the sky. At five o'clock the
streets of this city, dsially deserted
until seven, were alive with people, but
the clear atmosphere calmed the fears OF
even the negroes, most OF whom went to
work again on seeing no signs OF judg-
ment day. BY III a. m. the nervous peo-
pie who had arranged TO spend 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 @: baptism. The fact that there
had been severe earthquake shock at
Charleston, aud three or more shocks at
Summerville, added to the negroes ter
ror as soon as the rumor TGs nolsed
abroad. To add to their terror dboHt
dark the heavens clouded over, and by
nine O'Clock ram was falling, accom-
panied bv a st # 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 ana
| 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. IL iS
a remarkable coincidence that three
weeks prior 20 Virgins prediction a
number of colored prophets or hoodoo
men and women went about among the
negroes of tins State, predicting the to-
tai destruction of the earth on the 29til
of September. This had stirred UP the sd
perstitlOus element, and IL only
needed Wiggins' prophecies to
| start a scene OF disorder
and eXcitemc"t amongst the lower
classes, such as has not been since eman
cipation day. The day having passed of
quietly the prayermeetings have beer
discontinued, and the people who have
been fasting and preparing for transa
tion into the future state are taking
much needed rest preparatory to gather
ing the cotton crop, which is now ripen
ing. The WIggins' scare stands without
precedent in the South.
OTTAWA, Ont, Sept. 30.-P0or Wig
| gins has crawled into some secluded spo
10 get away from the jeers from the mob
who had congregated about the telegraph
Office last night to learn that the earth
quake had flzzled out. He left his off CT
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 a 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 %
DIR; F. STONE WIGGISs;-Predictions , full
SignedI SILAs BERRY
This rather cheered the professor up,
and during few moments conversation
he SAID:
"My storm is well nigh over the broad
Atlantic. 1t will strike the meridian al
Halifax at p. NJ, and look out for high
tides there as we'll as at Quebec. l 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 Eot had any tldings
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 Meie'
geological office for the last three days
has dropped the probabilities for our gull
ports and the Lower st. Lawrence.
81 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 a prediction regarding
the destruction, but l have fears TO
mariners this very night. MY storm il
booked for Halifax at four, and can no
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
and the Rocky Mountains. Up to tn
present have heard nothing more no
should yet, as the time has not yet ar
rived understand that there was al
earthquake at Charleston last night
though this mornings Citizen does no
mention it,"
In answer 10 inquiries, the doctor dit
not think the storms reported from Texa
had anything to do with his predicted
storms, unless, indeed, it is working NJ
from the Gulf of Mexico.
Many ask who this man Virgins is
who has attracted the attention of tn
world. lie is crank on the subject O
meteorology; is second-class clerk EN-
ployed in the Finance Department her
adding up figures. II the Government
regarded him as a practical meteor
ologist it would never keep him EN-
ployed doing boys work in the Financ
Department, but would transfer him t.
the Government Meteorological Office
Toronto. His name is by-word here
and 1t is amusing to those VIII
know the individual 10 see how he ha