The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-11-04
FALSE STORIES
TOLD BY HACK MEN
Favorite One is That Soldiers b'onu-
mentis Under a Ban,
NOT STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.
NoTurth in Narrative to Eject That
Wrath of God Descended Upon
Shat on dwelling
Day.
NOT STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

Nero haclNnen OF Richmond nave
noanv snectral ana narrowing stories that
,bcv .;ell to strangers they take in their
vehicles 10 the points Of interest III ana
around Richmond, one OF the most aos"to
nj which is to the effect that the wrath
of God descended upon the beau'itul
monument that stands in Marshall PARK
10 the memory of the private soldiers ana
sailors of the Confederacy.
Thousands OF people from the North
and West and from even the South nave
had these important and all-knowlnS per-
sonases to po.nt to that majestic column
of granite and declare that 1t Is uhoer al.
awful ban. Residents OF the vicinity OF
Marshall Park have heard the stores
,tlese Jehus tell, and they are mucn an
moved by them, because they. are utterly
without truth or foundation
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.
The story OF the pouring out of Gods
ire on the Innocent shaft to the Con
: derate soldiers and sailors is the faForlte
y, me ,.cs-u,7vers. This is the way one
sabIe-lflled haclSman told 1t the oiie'
day:
ant in de ght o. de I>awd. De day oeS
unveiled dis monument dere come up
most awful storm. Soljers and orators
and all de people was skeered almost 70
deaf. a great black cloud sot over us
section of dc city. De day Wus mos
turned into night People looked up at oe
skv and say, 'Hunlph! look like dis am
nnf nifious weather for to unveil a nonu-
ment.' De weather, it keep on s-stih
darker aud darker, an dat big cloud come
lower an lower. an it settled right
over de TOP o. dat bronze soljers head.
Den dere was terrible clap o thunoer,
and great red tongue o fire shoot down
through da. cloud and hit de monument
ies' about the middle
BY this time the visitors were all at
tentor. and urged the hackmaI TO pro-
coed.
"Dey was a tremendous crowd OF people
all aroun dis hill. People was all on
tops of de houses. But When dey see as
monument done struck by lightning, dey
say: Surely dat am de wrath OF Ga"a !!
and lots OF 'em run home and go to bed
AFTER dat it rained sub. l tell you. you
never seed SIGH rain since yo was BORN.
Dis hillside were q whole lot o little
rivers. Ladies got DER purity frocks
drenched. and men was soaked case de
g b de women folks all de umbrellas dey
had. De nggers.. dey run home or gu
! anywhere to git ont o dat storm.
COMES FROM CHESTERFIELD.
! II is we'll remembered that 1t dld rain
| rain by the bucketsful!, if such thing IS
! Dosstble-on the day that the Confederate
| Soldiers and Sailors monument was I'M
| We led, but the weather cleared up later
! and a part of the afternoon was quite
| fair The monument was not struck oy
lightning that day. It was touched by
small flash a year or two later, but was
| in no way injured
| The story told by the colored hack and
| carriage drivers is said to have original
! ed with white man who resides in Ches-
| terrified county. IT is said that this gen
! tle.nan declares that while he was stand
| ing III his yard on the day OF the I'M
! yelling his dist nctly saw a huge black
| cloud hover over the graceful shaft
| and that after it had lowered itself I'M
til It almost touched the bronze figure, he
saw a bolt of lightning fash from 1t anG
| strike the monument.
! OF course. there is no truth in the state
| ment. which residents III the vicinity OF
| Marshall Park declare is doing this cit!
ana its people injury all over the land.