The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1886-10-08
THE FALSE PROPHET.

The TerrfbIs state of Alarm Caused I'm
the south by Wfggfn's Earthquake which
Failed to hIateriaIiZe-The False Prophet
at Hon1e-He WithdraWs from the Pub
lie Gaze and Ridicu1eGHis latest Asser-
tiOns.
ATLANTA, Ca, Sept. 3O.-Half million
people in Georgia, South Carolina, Flor
ida and Alabama sat up all night watch-
ing for the appearance Of Wiggins' earth
quake. Another half million ross ct day
light to scan the skies and see if 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 i've O'Clock the
streets of this city, usually 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 IL 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 beer
received, the darkf5s 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 nOsed
abroad. To add to their terror about
dark the heavens clouded over, and by
tine O'Clock rain was falling, accom-
panied by stiff wind. This sent the
superstitious into an ecstasy of terror,
and even among the white people Id the
country a number of serious cases of i'll
ness from fear are reported. 1t was
thought that the les in Augusta and
elsewhere, where people committed sui
eide after the recent earthquake through
sheer fright, would be repeated, bttt
fortunately by midnight the storm
passed away and the stars began peep
ing out. This restored confidence. 1t Is
a remarkable coincidence that three
weeks prior 20 W.ggins' prediction a
number of colored prophets or hoodoo
men and women vert 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 ST.
perstitious element, and IL only
needed Wiggins' prophecies to
start a scene of disorder
and excitemeHt amongst the lower
classes, such as has not been since eman-
Cipati0n day. The day having passed of
quietly the prayer-meetings have bseu
discontinued, and the people who have
been fasting and preparing for transla-
tiOn into the future state are taking
much needed rest preparatory to gather
ing the cotton crop, which is now ripen-
ing. The Wlggins' scare stands without
precedent i'll the South.
OTTAWA, Ont, Sept. 3O.-Poor Wig
gins has crawled into some secluded spot
to 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 otice
In the Finance Department early i'm 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 Domlu-
ion police with difficulty only could keep
the crowd back. Shortly before he left
he received the following telegram
BIoNCToN, N. b, Sept. 30
DR. e. STONE WIGGIEs Pred ictions full.
filed. Some severe shocks we're felt here
last night.
This rather cheercd the professor up,
and during few moments conversation
he SAID:
'My storm is well nigh over the broad
Atlantic. 1t will strike the meridian at
Halifax at p. m, and look out for high
tides there as well as at Quebec. / see |
that storm signals were raised in En- |
gland on the Goth, the Meteorological Blu
reau issuing the following circular:
Hoist the sauth cone, d deep depression !
Is apparent off or Northwest coast.
OF course we have not hrd any tidings |
of any storm, for the Meteorological |
Bureau refuses to give any 0dvices 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 gulf |
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 1 have fears for |
mariners this very night. My 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. l have no doubt that the storm /
will be severely felt in the Gulf of Mexico |
and the Rocky Mountains. Up TO the /
present I have heard nothing more nor
should yet, as the time has not yet ar
rived. l 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 a crank on the subject o
is secOnd-class clerk en-
ployed in the Finance Department here
adding up figures. If the Government
regarded him as a practical meteor
ologist it would never keep him EN-.
ployed doing a boys work in the Finance
but would transfer him to
the Government Meteorological Office,
Toronto. His name is a by-word here,
and it is amusing to those who
know the Individual 10 see how he has
played upon the credulity of an unsus-
pecting public.
-@- S-
A Serious and Fatal Wreck.
MILWAUKEE, Wis, Sept. ga west