Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-12-15
i xrsrucxr aEsla,setncs.


Iau,s,,,ts, Dee. l4.--Hugh Hays is =
remarks able old gentlsiisen- He has Just
csisbrste,l his 50 birthday, aai is fairly en-
titled to BE- locked upon - an cid settler.
III GANG here from Pittsburgh as a hos
hen Louisville was nothing more than a
village. lie is fall Of Anecdotes of the
.,rty DAYS oae of his most interesting
"reminiscences Il about the celebrated star
Shove r of iS'3.
II distinctly remember that remarkable
scene ON the night of Nov. IS. two genera
,,ons .ro.- he sud About 8 o'clock in
the ,uoruieg | v as walked by the screams of
frantic women and children who were rush
ing through the streets. My frs, impress
SION was that the city was on fire. but when
| sot outside the house such sight as no
pen eau describe was presented. Il was u
bright. clear, AID beautiful right with sky
that booked as if prepared for the occasion.
| Not cloud was visible, bat ii seemed as il
| millions and millions of bright stars were
darling with lightning rapiiits In all direc-
Itions about us The city WAS as brilliantly
| lighted as if noondsy sun shone above.
What added to the terror was the fact
that the Milleriies had been predicting
through the country that tile end of the
| world was at hand Lorenzo Dow had
preached for Il month in this city his sub
ieet always being .Tbe End of Time lie
| told his hearers that the day of jadgmen.
was close at hand. ami that they should b
ready to say farewell when the arcbapgel's
trumpet sounded. for there was no telling
when this might be. No wonder that the
people were frightened at the wonderful
display going On above their heads They
were sure the stars were falling, and they
went wild.
The starr exhibition lasted one hour
and 20 mir sizes then ceased as suddenly as
| if A great black cartain had been thrown
across the heavens. ~ quickly as YOU
could shut off a gaslight the meteors disap
peared. An Was sudden darkness aud tn.
scene was over. In the meantime the doors
of every house hal been thrown open, and
the citizens felt that they had been granted
a new lease of life. Nobody went back /,
bed quite the contrary. All the saloons
kept open and made no charge for drinks
There were more men drunk that night
probably, than were ever seen in that con
\ iition in the streets of Louisville at any
time before or since. Strange to say mel
were intoxicated who had never befor,
been known to touch drop of liquor
The poor fellows thought it would BIZ
their last night on earth AMI they would
Ike long pull and strong pull before be
lrr ushered into eternity. | shall never
forget the death-hke appearance of the
faces of the people that night. Men
women and children were horror-stricken
expressions, and the bright light made b,
the shooting stars caused their faces to lool
as blue as indigo. 1t was u night of feai
aud sublime grandeur to the inhabitants o
the city, but Il night of frolicsome deligh
to these wandering, flaming creatures of tn
air, who glided through the ballroom o.
space as if guided by the hand of God.
Capt Blair Simmons, with his new
boat, the Ben Franklin, of the Louisville
and Cincinnati mail line, was caught in tho
meteoric storm six miles below Madison
lie told me he had hard time in making
safe landing with his boat. The stars wer'
so plentifd al and bright above him and thei
reflections in the water around and in from
of the boat were so dazzling that the pilots
were blinded. lie had hard time to keel
some of his passengers from jumping over
board and drowning. Every one wa
frightened nearly to lunacy or death, fol
they thought the end of time had come
Indeed, several deaths were caused b,
fright in different parts of the country, and
one of these deaths occurred here. Tha
was long time ago, and such sight ma,
never be witnessed again.
Mr.. Hays, in addition to his other claims
to distinction, is the father of Will S. Hays
the steamboat poet, who wrote EVAN
geline" and "Mollie Darling" which he
claims had the largest circulation of an,
songs ever written.