Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1903-05-21

The Dove From Up There was
the finishing touch
Some thoughtless person placed a
pigeon on the minute hand on the east
dial of the courthouse clock last even
ing and secured it there with a rub
ber band about 7:30 last evening, and
within few minutes a crowd of fren-
Zied blacks were present. The news
spread like wildfire and negroes from
all over the city were seen hurrying
to the business portion of the city to
take peep at the bird on the clock
dial The trick was perpetrated to
rid1cule the flood prophesy with the
negroes, ,(but it did not work as was
intended. The sight of the pigeon on
the east side of the clock was too
much fof the negroes, and the way
the captured bird reposed on it's
perch gave several thousand negroes
time to see it, and the result was
to intensity their excitement. Some
one threw a goose from the top OF
the courthouse, and an old negro
shouted and said, "Lawd. Use seed
enough of your ham, and he flew for
his home packed up his belongings
and left the city in the night Some
of the negroes have sold their prop
erty for fifty cents to two dollars, or
any trifiing sum they can get to raise
money to get out of the city.
The insurance men are reaping
harvest The people, black and white,
are insuring their property against
the imaginary calamity, and some or
the negroes who have, after many
years of toll, secured little homes,
have sold them or are offering them
for sale at song.
After the hour of about $3.50 the
picecn was released and flew south
over the city. The negroes are, there
fore, discussing a southern direction
as a proper course to take. The
Brr1ett woman. who has caused the
trouble, has been arrested and Will be
taken to Little Rock to the insane
asylum for treatment.
The prophecies had declared that
a dove would fly to the courthouse
and alight on the east dial and that
the clock would stop. The men IN
charge of the job stopped the clock
from the inside of the tower. put out
the electric lights inside and rellght-
ed them many times. and yet the BIRD
would not fly away. Along sometime
in the game Tom Meeks let pigeon
loose which he had concealed in his
pocket in a crowd. This was terri
flying, for every negro ji2nped away
from the bewildered bird. which
f1oundered around few minutes be-
fore it could escape. Sheriff Gould
issued call for mass meeting OF
the public at o'clock in front OF
the courthouse, and has invited the
negro preachers and many OF the
white pastors and negro and white
citizens to be present. Mr. Gould's
handbill, which was we'll distributed
over the city, calling the mass meet
ing, is as follows:
NOTICE.
Pine Bluff, Ark, May 21, 1S03.-
There being some alarm and excite.
ment among the colored people OF
this city, arising from certain alleged
prophesies said to have been made
BY one Ellen Turner, claiming that
great destruction would take place in
this city on or about the 29th day
of May, and advising the inhabitants
to flee for their safety, I hereby call
upon the citizens of Pine Bluff to
meet in front Of the court house at
p. M this day, at which time ad-
dresses will be made by ministers
and other reputable citizens of this
city regarding this matter.
JAS. GOULD, Sheriff.
IT is reDOrted that the three rail-