Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-09-04
FRIGHT OF THE NEGROES.
Thousands Relieved the Day o.
Judgment Had Come.

Thousands Relieved the Day of
Judgment Had Come.
The almost universal belief among the
negroes at the time of the earthquake was
that the day of judgment had come. Some
few realized what was happening, but
the majority was fully persuaded that the
end of the world was at hand.
A NEWS reporter spent an hour or so
yesterday afternoon getting the expert
ences OF some of them. 81 tells you
what, boss" said one old gray
haired darky, 81 tho't sho' my time
'ud cum. Soon es dis yer yearth
gin to shuk N tumble jes' gin rite up.
| fell rite on my knees in do street an
gin ter pray, and ter ak de good Lawd to
gin me jes' few minIts mo- ter get rid
er few o. my sins. l neber seed wat
chance we c'ud hab when de old yearth
was er trimbling an er shukin' SO. am in
er few minits We wouldn't hab nuthin' ter
STAN on. When / heerd er wife
man say YearthQuakeP 1 was jes'
about es scared as l was when l tho't
de judgmen' day wor q QUINN, case Pd
heerd tell on dem earthquakes in dem
furrin' countries whar de houses war all
shuk down on de peoples beds, an dem
wat sot out in ter de street war jes swal-
yer whole city of Savanna war gwine to
be shuk ter pieces am all de peoples in 1t
wud be killed an buried widout no I'M
dertaker. tells you wat, boss, ies as sho
es y0u's bawn dat ar yeRrthquake wor q
waunin' for de peoples, case de people 10
err gittin' ter be nifty sinful an wicked
DOW. er-days, an de gud Laud he's er
gittin' powerful vexed wild de way da is
er carrin' on.
lot do oYaSc
de white folks don bergln ter do better, an
dat purity soon, too, dat Wen hab anuder
yearth-Quake an or wusser wuu dan we's
ebber had. lse gwine ter b. err better
Niger dan Pse eber bin, case dom know
mint mout be tux er way by er yeartn-
quake or sumhn OBJ dc kin. bleebs in de
bottom OBJ nv heart dat de Laud sent dis
won as er wawnIn an dat II we doan be
better'n we has been, wen dc mex wuu
Gums de yearth will jes open an tux us
all in"
The old darky, after delivering himself
OF these remarks with an earnestness
which, while 1t was amusing, could not
but impress one who heard him, trudged
along down the street with q serious and
solemn shaking of his head.
Nearly all of the negroes believed for a
time that the great day had arrived. and
they all look upon it as a visitation from
on HIGns Ou6 VI tuGIl WAS pNbEUbAsu pA
planning the cause OF the upheayal, and
at the same time was he specializing on
toe probability OF another.
EFF" he said to his deeply interes ted
listeners, ''de wife folks don quit diggin'
so meny on desc yer arteshum wells an er
maxim so deep holes in de grOun', dar's
no tellin' what's gwiue ter happen. Dd
| 90 an max DIES yer holes, and sum OBJ dat
gas and stuff watts down dar In the eartn
it glts ter movin and exploding
! about an wuks about in sum
| little cracks watts way
down in dar sumwbar, am den sum oh it
gifts inter desc yer artesian wells an den
| de balance OF it tries ter all cum out al
once, an no wonder de whole earth gifts
tore up am shuye about so. Folks is al
| togedder too careless wat da does desc
| DAYS ennyway."
The pastor and members OF the First
! African Baptist church thought sure thai
the scenes OF Tuesday night were TO be re-
! peated on Thursday nignt. The usual
| weekly prayer meeting was being held.
| The Attendance was large, owing, no
! doubt, to the fright of Tuesday. All were
| deeply interested in the remarks of the
! preacher, who was earnestly holding
| forth upon the terrible times through
which the people have passed, and at the
same time was impressing upon them
| how thankful they should be for having
| escaped alive, when all at once every
] light in tns building went down and the