The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-26
MAKES TRUE PROPHECIES.
THIS FARMER sYBIL rs INSPIRED
BY PET FOWLS.
Strange sympathy In IA Bnrn-Gander
and GObbIer, Drake and Rooster,
Are the Only Living Things She
Caras Enr.

Are the Only Living Things She
Cares For.
From the New York Press.
Dutch Neck, n. j.. Jan. 1f.-Hester Mi
ner, the weather prophecies of Mercer
county, has lived near this place sixty
years. She was born on a farm about
mile from this town, and those who
have known her ever since she was young
say that she was a queer child and SEEM
ed to have a strange influence over the
fowls that her father raised. When she
was old enough to run about the fields
the turkeys and hens would flock after
her, and when near the house the geese
and ducks were her constant attendants.
Hester never showed any disposition TO
mingle with her neighbors. Her only as
sociates were her father and mother.
When they died, twenty years ago, she
inherited the farm, one of the best in
this neighborhood. She has conducted 1t
profitably. She goes into the field and
holds pillow, rides a hay rake or now
ing machine, and 1t is said that 1t would
be hard to find in Mercer county anybody
who can build "a squarer load Of hay
than she can when put to it,"
Hester is attractive Her hair is as
black as coal and she has the step Of
a woman of 40 years. She dresses with
taste. She has remarkable strength and
the story is told or her tnat once, wnen
trying to break a colt to the halter, the
animal angered her with Its stubborness
She took its head between her hands and
twisted II until the colt fell on its side.
Farmers round Dutch Neck swear by
Hester, for they say she keeps them out
Of more scrapes in haying time than you
can shake a stick at. because she can
tell when thunderstorm is coming twelve
hours ahead. Many persons visit the wo-
man out of curiosity, under the impress
sion that she Is teller of fortunes, but
this is a mistake; she maks no pretension
of being anything but a forecaster of
The other day party of strangers Wis
tied Hester; she was in the barn throwing
hay from NOV. She came down, and
when asked how she was able TO foretell
the weather she replied: TON and Jerry,
YOU" She stepped to the barn door, and
placing her fingers in her mouth, blew
three or four shriu whistles. The next
minute there was a medley of sound out
side, and an instant later a gander. a COB
bier, a duck and a rooster that had flown
from different parts of the field, dropped
near the door close 10 the woman. She
walked into the barn, followed by the
fowls, who stood up in row when the
woman came to halt.
This is Tom said the woman. pick
ing up the gander who ran his head out
in the direction of the visitors, kissing
loudly. He's the one that tells me when
there's going to be a rainstorm. He's 10
years old and he comes from ancestry
that / know all about His grandfathers,
and great-grandfathers and great-great-
grandfathers have known, and they have
all done for me just what Tom does.
"A day before It rains Tom stays around
the house and bushes himself with oil
ing his feathers. That is, he gets the
oil from the little protuberance on his
back near his tail and rubs 1t on each
separate feather. And then l notice that
when he goes to sleep nights, If it is go
ing to rain he sits down on the ground
with his headtoward the east 1t Is from
that direction that most Of the storms
come. When pleasant weather is ahead