The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-10-29
TOWN INVADED BY I0ADS.
COUNTLESS VI MBERs nor THROUGH
RLENCoE. IOWA.


1
Al u roatAed II the Sioux city 4
TD \ Pacific railway. and IN ~ an
IL ~ broken column, miles IN tensih.
Is marching toad fashion pas:
The good ci,y If BlaGcce. Iowa. There ara
80 many millions III this mighty army
that they cannot ~ counted. and ths
ground is brown with the color thereof.
Some ~ inc Rierc9e people are troubled as
the visitation. because since time was
toads have had attached to them and titis
doings al sorts az country ssae supcTsti.
lions.
II me reports which come out - tho
toad-ridiea land are accurate. says tas
Chicago Tribune. the hatrachiau> ate nu-
merous enough. = they should divert taeis
course rom the railroad into the village,
~ repeat pharaoh's plague NJ the frogs,
Even though the toads are harmless and
helpful they doubtless VIII never get any
one 10 love them. IL must be admitted that
appearances are "asin' them.
other Armies at Hntrachians.
The toad migration that is Just now TAX.
ing place Al Bencoe is not an rx,raor-
dinarily uncommon event. They have TAX
place n many parts 81 The country
during the century. and once succeeded IN
stallns "a railroad train on the Canadian
Pacific line The toads crushed beneath
the wheels 20 CREASED the rails that prog
vess impossible for a long time The
passengers said that they could have stood
the situation mere philcsophicaily II tho
hlockaders had been frogs. for then Tho
question of food supply would have been
settled FOR a lot al hungry travellers.
In scores OF Instances rhe toads have
appeared in immense bodies, and In SONS
cases without any malice pTep"nse have
inausurated veritahe reisns Of terror
Years asone. in the little puritan settle-
ment OF Windham Conn. out of wnieh
sprang perhaps more notable American
families than from any other colonial ham,
let migration OF loads led the people ~
believe that the tocsin II the last day had
been sounded, and that they We're ali sum-
moned. SHINING and sinless. TO answer at
the bar Of Judgment. Tradition says that
the migration which brought this fear Hp-
on the people WAS one Of the frogs. Sell
outlsts Of today lean rather to the toad
theory but It made little difference - tho
frightened popuiace which species Of ha-
trachian brother IL was that brought the
croaking horror into their midst
Now K happened that there lived in
WinGham two colonial colonies. big men
and digniaod by the name Dyer and FL
derkin. II may DO no harm at this late day
Ia say that both OF those military gentle
men were rather f0nder Of good living, 80
the story goes than was perhaps exactly
consistent with the strictcst Puritan the
cries Then they were gallant gentlemen
withal. Some Of the elders Of the place
looked BIT asksnce perhaps. AZ some %
the views OF Coils. Dyer and Eidcrktn.
There were slaves Ia Connecticut at thai
day. and Windham held It's share.
Thought II the Crack OF Doom.
One peaceful night IN May the Puritan
families retired at their usual hour can
die light" and AZ midnight were wrapped
in the profoundest slumber. But no sleep.
however sound could withstand the rear
that broke upon that peaceful hntni Z IN
the watches 81 the nixht. There was biena-
"a the noise of a million threats. 1t wa3
cultural. harsh and horrible. and IL cana
out OF the tetty blackncss of midnight.
The people Of Wlndham Jumped from thsic
beds panic stricken, threw on what clothes
they could. and rushed outdoors. many
Soaring pine torches which ate little light
holes In the lnky biackness. The slaves
were prnstrated with fear and chung TO
the knees ~ their masters. The noise
ceased not for an instant. but, on the con-
trary, increased with every moment. and
then 20 the added horror ~ all the 0oise
found shape in words which one quick
cared imaginative woman Interpreted into
this, ALI but two OF tho people accepting
the interpretation readily: Judgment dty.
Judgment day. Col Dyer and Eldsrkins
too. and catch Niger, too
7; Is perhaps needless 10 say that tho
only two people among the white iuhabi-
tants ~ Win1ham who did not thoroughly
accept the Interpretation were MesSrs Dyer
ana f7lferkn. In a few minutes the light
- the tor he's showed an immense con-
course ~ frogs or toais bearing down tho
main street of The town and croakinE and
"riuck gluckins Ike myriad OF night
=! mons 1t suddenly struck tho pe0pls
visa, u Judgment dag was AZ han1. not
wtthrtanflng he fact that coils Dyer aai
ell 10 h4g ~
by the visitants the day 81 accounting ac-
c,.TiinR 30 the I}ibie Vas an an embracing
AFFAIR. and thereat they all started trem-
biiu& violently.
There Is living ~ chicago Mrs Cuarintte
Perkins Norris. who - direct DESCENDANT
~ f3a C9l FitcFkiu whom ~" hniraehians
c4i..I 20 Judgment that might Mr. Nor
fia has beard tie s;ofy - the invasion &
the village score uf times from the ltps
~ hct grandmother, who aa a child was
taken time after time - see The place
from whico tne ui&ti 0lstUrrerH came 10
tire, rs " their deaths f0is Dyer and -
lrrkin were called Ftrg Dyer am Frog
Fitrthlu. and ~ local Connecticut author-
iti,4 are ~ go heicsrd there has not
been from shat dav - this eIthrr a tnaf
ar frog fu tno mean ard pond from
wh.eh took place the sutIfrignt migration.
Guii~ Avert Plague.
Cat IN Tf4h 'ts zuH Is = sacred h'Id.
Diigc THarue A4iief s.elks ~ them -
great l-eagttfIL snowy creatures. ~hp
look strangely out 81 giase - "a from
the erathot~" These gItls sre sarrediy
protected ~ The law and ~ tho people.
ar$ = ever ary amour efuenf - Brigham
Young l~sr" s-Fn1t,Hnce - trytn II eas
t-s' in @hi~n he declared thaf the Lord
Aat ksr} teeVe tirfe f0 RE chosen ps9-
Il.-'" tIe1as = gtasstog La dvS'r yei
;he crops IN many Western territories.
yhe Insects attacked ttsh IS thf million
millions Then II was that the ga3ls aD-
I~Aysd- tigd- never before seen lr that 10
ca.tty attatn tie memory - mae TO
g3Ia csnie ~ tremendous fo~ks ard de-
Ntafet without stopping fha hosts ~ 30
enemy ard completely saved the rrrEs
from testrae,iou. NON the birds f3ii y tf.s
g.sxs tike rai~keDs ard 'b~fe has bFa y
saGnd ~ Mormon mean enough - rsiss
ais hard aEaiust tasn
~ "a -a@ Su.l IS tn th~ ash Lane regina
- 3 tne '-,a3 - ore section e apfta-
Vet Texas county Tae-e Aas b4t conn
garsstyely small zr~t - us eogutry onfrr
cultivation. buf the sreen Things = that
Y.-alI area "a re ffreat.rst with deaf rIe-
ttou. - 4 hof<ie ~ F,as - mountain tvcusts.
a.- a