The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-01-16
STORIES THAT GROW
BIG YARNS THAT ARE EVOLVED FROM
SIMPLE INCIDENTS.

SIMPLE INCIDENTS.
Some OF tho Newspaper Sensations
Which Rural Engaana Gets Up to
puzale, AstenisA or Amnss ahe Good
People o9 LSndon.
These are some OF the newspaper
sensations which rural England gets
up to arnuse the Eondoners:
It was recently announced that
county council In the midlands had
passed law forbidding cow racing
and that several other councils all over
the country were following suit. More
over. 1t was said that sermons were
preached in scores OF puipits every
Sunday against the great rural vice Of
cow racing and ite effects On he IA
ton. The matter got into the London
papers, and all over the country the
news WIS spread.
Everybody asked what was COW rae
Ing. 1t was explained that vide
upreau custom in country districts, ep-
pecially on Saturdays. was to collect
COWS and race them as if they were
horses, each one being ridden by a
special jockey, and that grand stands
were erected. betting rings formed aud
hundreds or people attended the races.
Then followed narrowing accounts Of
the way the poor cows were ridden to
death and died on the course, and SO
forth. Great astonishment reigned ey-
erywhere till it was found the whole
thing originated In n sermon q certain
rector had preached because two farm
hands had chased some cows round n
field and bet on the fastest. Result: A
little iiolnily on cruelty md g6mhllng
by the parson, reported badly in q
country paper. The statement grew CT
the SNOWFALL principle till 1t shook ali
Britain. and then It died.
1t was reported lately that as n doc
tor was driving friend to Surrey
village the horse. n fine. big animal,
showed signs Of thirst. The doctor
pulled him up ut n waysidc fountain a
mile or two from the town, and the
horse drank q good deal Of water very
quickly. Suddenly the horse blew up
with terrific explosion. wrecking the
whole turnout and scattering bits Of
horse. dogcart nnd passengers all about
the place.
This yarn, which originated locally,
got into the country paper. Thence 1t
spread over the kingdom, and the
great horse explosion case'' became
famous for two or three days. some
scofiing, others gravely publishing the
ories as to the cause.
The way 1t began was that otter stop
ping at the trough the horse had fallen
lame and was put up ut remote way
side. Inn. A keeper near the well,
hearing u poechers gun fired some
where near, hurried to the spot and
found round the we'll lot Of rubbish,
In reality some broken axletrees and
pieces of horsehide left by gypsies
who had camped there. Horror strick-
en-, he rushed to the conclusion given
here, having seen the dogcart stop there
just before, and spread the news, which
reached vast proportions before it was
Shown up.'
fearful announcement came from
q quiet district in Denbighshire that
the Internal regions had found IN out
let on a lonely moor there and that
from a dark and smoking pit. miles
deep, the evil one and his cohort Of
fends had habit Of Issuing in patches,
arising from the depths to emerge and
devastate tie world. The report, too,
swiftly got into nearly every paper in
Britain In few days and caused trc-
mendous commotion among impress
sionable people. The satanic messen-
gers were said to be jet black, with
white teeth and flashing eyeballs.
The alarm subsidized when 1t was
found that local landowner, having
struck coal on his ground, had kept the
news close. but had quietly sunk O
shaft and started work. importing min.
ers from the south. The supposed
black demons were the miners eme,1.
Ing after work. The countrywide folk,
however. knowing nothing Of coal
shafts. were terribly alarmed.
or two gorrillas which. according &c
nearly all the big newspapers and re.
ports In the country. were devastating
Scotland news is 5tiii being neard.
This story said that two huge mon.
keys, standing seven feet high. were
prowllng the hills and dales OF AYR.
shire. They killed cattle and fed ON
them. leaving the carcasses about.
They had slain q shepherd, stolen his
Clothes. and one OF them is even now
roaming the mountains clad In q Mac.
gregor kilt and tartan.