Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-08-05
Awandcrer from Space.

J. K. Mattox, a well-known citizen
of Simpson county, Miss, who owns an
extensive farm at Campbell's Creek,
about IS miles southeast of that place,
went to town the other morning and
told of remarkable occurrence of a
huge meteoric stone, which fell near
his house on the night of July 81. Mr..
N1attox says about 10 o'clock at night
he went into his barnyard, as he had
been accustomed to dc before retiring,
to see that everything was right about
his premises. The night was somewhat
cloudy, but not especially dark. He
had visited his stable and barnyard and
was on the point of returning to his
house when he heard a peculiar kissing
sound near, and at the same instant
luminous glow fell all around him, as ii
the moon had suddenly emerged from
the clouds. He looked UP and was al
most paralyzed at the sight ola bril-
liant ball of fire descending through the
air with the speed of lightning, and
having comet-like tail extending far
up into the heavens.
The descent was only visible for
second, but in that brief space be
says he suffered unspeakable terror.
The ball struck the earth with dull
report 900 yards from where he was
standing. 1t was some minutes before
he could recover the use of his limbs.
Then, running to the house, he aroused
the family and several laborer5 about
the place, telling them a comet had
struck the earth and they had only a
few minutes to live. In short while
the whole plantation was up, and men
and children were heard crying and
supplicating heaven for mercy. See
ing that nothing further happened, and
being q practical man, as soon as his
alarm subsided Mr.. Mattox prevailed
on two or three men to accompany him
to the spot. They could not get closer
than 80 yards on account of the heat
and noxious fumes of sulphur and gas
which the stone emitted, 1t gave out
a ruddv glow, which Illuminated the
atmosphere for some distance around,
by the light of which they could see
the grass and twigs all about it in cir
Gle of 80 feet or more in diameter, burn
ed and singed to ashes. The stone siz-
zled and steamed, and shot out jets of
steam or vapor from thousand pores.
Mr. Mattox and several nei:hbOrs visited it
the next day, when he was able to get a
closer view BY daylight it showed up a dull
dingy black and was full of pores, which still
shot out jets of vapor of AZ offensive smell,
which almost stihed one. The stone is evil
dently embedded in the ground for some dis
lance, and shows only about foot above the
surface Mr.. Mattox estimates it TO be about
the size of hogshead, and says when he left
that III ,rning it was still throwing out strong
h at, and 1t would require some days to cool
off sufficiently to permit its being dug out.
As N ,ttox is well known in this community
there is no doubt whatever of the truth of his
statement. The stone will be exhibited AT
Jackson Park as soon rs it can be handled.
Mr. Mattox hopes to realize a handsome sum
for it from some of the great societies inter
cstcd in meteoric collections. 1t is certainly
the largest wanderer from the realms of space
which ever found its way to carth.- Brandon
Miss special in the st. Louis Globe Democrat.