The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-03-26
JUDE'S LIGHT.

H6 IOI1OWlng singular ana 8lIuOsb III
credible narrative is vouched for as being
truthful by several citizens of Atlanta
Mr.. E. Mize among Others and by numer-
Gus residents of DeKalb in which county
and but few miles from Atlanta the To-
Gus in quo of the remarkable manifesto
tion described below is situated.
No attempt is made to account for the
phenomenon on either natural or super
natural grounds.
II live said the farmer as he slowly
cut huge hunk of tobacco from his plug.
"about mile from a place which, in
times before the war. was known as the
Burt place, because family by that name
had first cleared the land and built the
house on it. l was a boy then-a very
small boy-but l remember well the elder
Burt He was a stern, dark man with
most violent and vindictiye temper. re-
member one Sunday at meeting when he
nearly wore out big black snake whip on
one of his mules. His family were all
afraid of him, and his neighbors avoided
him when he got into one Of his fits Of
passion. And yet, outside of this, he was
a good citizen, good father. devoted
husband and noted for his open handed
liberality. 1t was his dendish temper
which ruined his whole life. In olden
times / reckon they would have said that
he was possessed of devil, and he was
q devil Of a temper
well, . resumed the farmer after mo-
ment's Illumination, 1.-THE Burts owned
several niggers and among them was a
likely. lively gal named Jude, who was
kind of house servant and maid to Mrs.
Burt Perhaps it was the consciousness
of her superiority to the regular field
mi 1ic
tress, who usually received the full force
of Burt's wrath when one of his spells
overlook him, but whatever the cause
may have been the effect was that Jude
gave her master some impudence and
earned his dislike From that on whenever
he few into a rage Jude came in for a
large share of the storm and was frequent
ly threatened with a severe whipping.
. IN thrash the life out of you, Burt
Is reported to have said to her one day.
Eff ye do, III liant ye sho's my
names Juder the impolitic reply is said
to have been.
Burt flew into paroxysm of rage, in
sane in it's violence. He had the unhappy
girl strung up and himself beat her until
his strength was exhausted, and he was a
man of powerful frame When she was
taken down, j de was senseless She was
put IN an empty corncrib and given no
lOOQ III q QdJ OE bWO Su6 Q16Q, pTODaOly
from the effects of the beating, maybe
from the want of attention and food, per-
haps from both causes Well, now comes
the singular part of this business. Jude
was buried in a little clump of pines just
across creek W hich ran in front of the
Burt mansion, about 200 or more yards
distant. Jude had said that if Burt exc
cuted his threat she would 'ha'nt him.
She kept her promise. oh, you needn't
Il g. =
but it's a fact, and there are 900 people in
my county who will tell you the same
thing. 1t wasn't a month after Jude had
been buried before rumors began to circu-
late about a wonderful ball of fire that ap-
peared at night at the Burt place Inves-
tigation followed Then the truth came
out, and the commEnity were almost ready
to lynch Burt. believe legal proceedings
were taken. At any rate, he changed SO
that no one would have known him. He
grew thin, pale, with terror stricken look
always on his face One day he suddenly
packed up, sold his place. and with his
family went somewhere in South Carolina
But the wonderful light did not cease
when the Burts left. 1t is seen even now,
and although all trace of Jude's grave has
long since vanished the light serves to
show the exact spot in which she had been
buried
How is thati"
"Well, the light which is ball of pale
red fire about the size of a cocoanut, moves
along about five feet above the ground
and never falters or hesitates.
Maybe it's marsh light?"
Marsh lights don't sail along in the
teeth of high winds and stand still in
particular places. No, it's no marsh light
whatever it is The people who lived
there some years ago-in 1889, think-a
most respectable family were not bit
afraid of the light and used to watch for
it's appearance. They were all asleep one
night after they had just moved there
when they were awakened by a peculiar
sensation. Looking out into the yard,
they saw this ball of light shedding pale
glow around and perfectly stationary. The
head of the house went out to Investigate
when the light moved slowly away to-
ward the grave. 1t led him across the
creek up to the Hill to the clump of pines
and disappeared in the spot where Jude
was buried. 1t has often appeared SINCE
and there are people who come from all
parts to see it. Scientific men have seen
it and gone away puzzled. What do L
think it iss Well, think it's nothing
more nor less than Jude's light. That's all
anybody has ever made of it, But it s a
fact all the same. Well, good day. AT
lanta Constitution.