The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-03
WHEN THE STARS FELL.
Murat Halstcd Recalls His BOyhOOd
Memory of the Sight.


Murat Halstead in the Cincinnati Com
mercial Tribune.
I am of the few who can speak as eye
witnesses of The Night of the Failing
Stars" Nov. 12-13, 1888 Those who be-
held the wonders of that time were dazed
by the awful splendors, and long spoke of
them as Of some majestic, supernatural
vision. The sleepers through the night
were aggTieved, and could never be sure
that their friends, who were favored with
views of the astounding spectacle, did not
conspire to magnify the marvels of the
sky when afiame with meteors. 1t was the
night Edwin Booth, the famous actor, was
born. My age was years and months,
and point of observation a valley in South
western Ohio. one of the treasures of our
house was an astronomical atlas with
mysterious maps of the consultations,
over which my parents pondered; and the
strange animals drawn among the stars
were figures the more incomprehensible
the more they were explained My par
ents were much given TO studying the
clouds by day and the stars by night and
one of my earliest recoections is that
they would call each others attention to
celestial phenomena, so that l was some
thing of a star gazer' myself, and knew
when 4-year-old about Jobs Coffin
ana "OrlonS Belt" THE Seven Stars"
The Dipper,' THE North Star" and the
star of the morning and evening.
My father, the day before the memora-
BILE night, had killed mess of young
squirrels" and out of Difference to me had
not shot them as a marksman should,
through the head, for my favorite diet
was squirrels brains. My passion for this
dainty dish was INDUCED at supper, and
during the night / disturbed the house
shouting for alienation Of sharp pains
resulting from too much brains-in
my experienced stomach. My moth
er, aroused, saw a strange light glaring
at the windows, and 10! 1t was evident
enough the universe was afre. My faith
er seldom allowed anything to astonish
him, but that did. If he had not seen 1t
he would have believed it, and yet he
did not think the last hours of the globe
we inhabit had come and 1.-The Judgment
at hand. The hour was after midnight
and how long the stars had been falling
could not be ascertained. 1t was very
good of my parents to think it worth while
to have me take part as a Waterman
or the tremendous illumination, tust to see
whether l could remember it as long as |
lived. l have so far, clearly, as If it
had happened a few days ago; and 1t is
siXty-four years! My face was washed
to clear my eyes from tears, perhaps, and
! wrapped in blanket l was carried into
the yard on the north side of the house
! The view to the north was somewhat OBJ
| structed by a wild cherry tree Eastward
was low hill covered with hickory, ma
! pie, walnut ana sassafras trees and that
| was where the morning star peepe9
! through the lofty fringe of naked boughs
| and trunks of the trees in the winter
| Special attention was given to pointing
| things out for me to fix in my memory,
and the amazing scene is before me now,
! though that was long before photography
! do not recollect that | looked westward
! at all. Observation of the east fascinated
me, and l do not think l turned my face
| IN any other direction There were innu-
merabe lines of light. drawn as if by in
visible pencils with points of fire; strangely
straight lines sweeping from near the
zenith to the horizon. My clear Impress
| ion is there were no cross lines: that there
seemed to be a monstrous stream of fiery
hair vivid blending of sun and moon
| light, pouring from stupendous, exhaust
less urn; some of the bright lines fading
as they swept far down, fainting into the
serene depths of the sky. There was
| certain majestic serenity about the exalted
| confagration. My parents were not
alarmed or greatly agitated, but enjoying
| every moment. l recall their low tones
| and some of their EXPLANATIONS of surprise
| and admiration. All the boys and girls
| of the house were called, and they wanted
| to know whether it was really the stars
| bidl were 1dl4luSs anu my Idlner redSSur-
ed them by the rather unsatisfactory
statement, mo; its nothing but meteors."
How it happened there was such a food
| of them was a matter not deeply gone
| into. The idea that a comet had explod-
ed, and our world was whirling through
the dust left floating in the abyss of
| space, was not at once evolved and it was
some time before our weekly papers men,
toned that there had been other startling
| showers of meteors; that this thing hap
pened several times, and might and prob
ably would again.
The silence that attended the dazzling
display-the apparent flight of all the
stars from their courses-the mighty
| movement, inexpensive save in the swift
darting of celestial arrows that flashed
| into space and made no sound most inn
| pressed the behoders, and was always
mentioned as something mystical-an APP
| partition of glory inconceivable. 1t was
| lnsubstantial as the northern lights and
Yet what more could happen after one had
seen the vault of heaven incandescent.
| with a thousand streams of pale lightning
all still as the frost that glistened on the
grass. The dome of the edfce in which
| the world is as a toy was the fountain
| from which sped sheaves of long-draWn
shafts of light, as If some sudden vol
cano in the blue had sent forth a radiant
| array of spectral spears, putting out the
stars The connection among the people
| In some country neighborhoods was as if
| warning had been given that the dav OF
! burning worlds was at hand. There were
! horns bown-always in the west in rural
! regions a signal of alarm at night or on
| Sunday-and messengers ran from house
| to house. It was q long time before the
! full restoration of the confidence of the
! people in the steady proceedings, as of
old, of the sun and moon and the con-