The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-09-06
NATURES FAVORS TO YANKEE
MILLER.

One week ago today. Yankee" Mile
was seventy-eight years old.
It was a quiet birthday but bright
one Before the failing eyes Of this vet
eran passed in review troops of events
which 1t has been the fortune Of but few
men living today to witness.
When Mr. David Miller was seventy
seven years old. one year ago, family
reunion was held at his home, 1000 n.
Lawrence avenue, where he has lived
for 80 years. The Eagle gave an
account of this reunion and printed a
! portion of the biography OF Mr.. Miller,
written by himself. On his seventy
eighth birthday, he again took up his
pen and as the events Of note passed
| in review, he jotted them down.
Davy Miller was about eight years
old when the falling stars of 1893 occur
red. OF this he says:
lit was one of the most distressing
sights ever witnessed by mortal man
since the beginning of time. The people
| huddled together and cried unto God for
mercy, for they were fearful Of the end
Of their existence here below. To them
| horrible catastrophe seemed to be
threatening man. 1t was the same with
the good husband, the highwayman wrap
ped up in sleeps clothing and the idler.
1t is strange to say that the greatest
fright was among the negroes, slaves at
that time Notwithstanding that TO-
slight offenses they were tied to whip
critr to thirty
nine lashes on their bare backs and then
suffered excruciating pain by the wash
ing of the wounds with salt water. they
were the ones that aroused their mas
tiers from their sleep to tell them OF the
horrible catastrophe that was about to
befaI them. They were the ones that
first noticed the phenomenon because the
young bucks were always prowling
around at night. They ran from house
to house, crying, De massa's cotton field
is on fire. Massa, massa; did you not
hear old Gabriel done blown his rams
horn?
1T was one Of the most celestial sights
that is given man to see and Ii caused
many a faint knee to bond and many
big head with a stiff neck to lower
1t was ike d SHOW SIOEiH OL llrc -
great fakes of snow fall to the earth and
disappear on touching the ground, so
did this storm of fire, only 1t did mo-
reach the ground. 1 would judge that It
fell within ten or fifteen feet OF the
earth and disappeared in tho air. n
lasted for a couple of hours. which was
more than time enough to scare most all
the darkies to death.
DEMONSTRATIONS were many. Prof.
Murray of Cincinnati gave as satisfactory
an explanation as any and he simply
described it as a display of heavenly
fireworks -
Mr. Miller does not give much credit
to representations, for he says that
while the prognosticators predicted the
end of the earth on November 1S, 1899.
by a comet striking the earth and caus-
ing combustion of the elements, not one
predicted Grand danes and Grandess
sitting astride wheels"
This photographer recalls the fact
that John Wilkes Booth that man STAY
ed of Abraham Lincoln" was born on
the same night of November that the
falling stars occurred.
Another historical event in nature
which Mr.. Miller witnessed was the
darkness of the SUM- in the year 1885
This was considered a phenomenon at the
time as the people did not know that
there was such a thing as an eclipse OF
the sun. This was predicted, says Mr..
Miller, in Matthews, Chapter %. He says
of this period: And the multitudes of
people offered up their faint prayers The
darkness lasted all day. II was SO dark
that candles were lighted. The cows
came up from their pastures and low
cred themselves about four o'clock in
the afternoon, as though il were night. 1t
was, indeed, queer to see them rise up
and go off to their pastures again later
when they should have been coming in.
The fowls of the air climbed to their
perches and the cocks crowed as though
at day break"
ION this day business was suspended at
Washington. D. c. The community at
large were fearful of the great Judgment
day which they were afraid had arrived"
a third phenomenon, which Mr.. Miller
was an eyewitness to and which he
says has never been explained was the
lightning of 1859 1t was said TO be
forewarning of the civil war. 1t occurred
three nights in succession between the
hours of one and three o'clock. The
lightning at this time shot first from
the north and then from the south. And
so it continued alternately for two hours
Mr. Miller here says:
The sky was nlumined with unbroken
sheets of quiverins lightning. / saw 1t
and my wife also saw it, What II meant
we didn't know, but it was later inter-
preted to mean the coming of the civil
war that unjust rebellion OF secession"
This Wichita autobiographer concludes
his birthday contribution to history with
a sketch Of the girl of his day. She did
not ride a wheel. but Mr. Miller says
she was not whit better or more lady
like than the young woman Of today.
of pasteboard, which served a wonderful
purpose when you went to kiss your
girl" narrates the writer. With a reti-
cule on her arm she made her way to a
friends home and there spent an after
noon in knitting and drinking sappron
tea.
In sharp contrast with the young man
Of that time is the dude with his two
bushel hat on his numslull with his
cutaway coat and with his shirt tail
around his neck
Harvest in those days was done with
the sickle and the scythe. Then the music
/ OF our sweet home walls was gladdened
nv hum he hug ~ vse