The Columbus weekly dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 1902-1905, 1904-01-28
When the Stars Fell.
(Contrfbuted.)

phenomena that occurred on the
night of November 13, 1888, is
seldom referred to except by the
aged, those past the promised
three score and ten years. Tt
formed an epoch in the lives of
many, especially of the old time
negroes. Ask one his age and
he will begin to reckon from the
time the stars fell. !"
Thinking to interest some of
your local readers on the sub
ject. we quote from a letter of
J. 2. Lincecum, of Lincecum,
La. now several years past the
half score extension. In expla-
nation it may be we'll to state
that Mr.. Lincecum is a grand
son Of Hezekiah Lincecum, who
settled on the Tom bigbee river
few miles above Columbus at
point now known. as Cham payne
Springs, in 1918. He was the
father of i've sons, viz: Gideon,
Garland, Grant, Gabriel and
James Bowie The total weight
of the father and sons was 1880
pounds. About 1920 the family
came to the site opposite Column
bus and operated ferry boat,
besides conducting a store, hotel
and feed stable. Tt was there
that the following Incidents oc-
Cured. Mr.. Lincecum thus
writes: Some time during the
land sales at Columbus appar-
emily all the stars fell. I slept
IN the store some hundred yards
from the house. There was lot
full of horses and [ suppose the
stars falling frightened them;
anyway they got frightened and
kicked the bed room door open.
When [ got up [ saw the stars
falling aud at once thought of
mamma and started to the house.
Aunt Betsy came out of the
kitchen and seeing the stars
falling thought her time had
come. She ran into the house to
arouse the guests and in doing so
started the whole concern, some
sixty. There were many stay
ing there during the land sales.
[ assure you that the biggest
camp meeting, with all it's ex.
element, was baby play to that
There were some eight or ten
negro men, women and children
in the yard and among them
Patrick, a negro preacher. He
knew all about the whole thing
and was telling it as fast as he
could. He was a fair talker any
way and on that occasion he lost
nothing. Among the guests was
a very conspicuous gentleman,
to-wit, Anthony Winston, known
to all the family. A few days
before someone brought a pet
bear to town and Mr.. Winston
bought him and had a negro to
lead him around town. The day
before the stars fell, early in the
morning, poor bruin was stretch
ed on some sticks over a hole
dug in the ground, with good
fire under him. Then he was
turned and doped until about
noon when he was taken to the
house and cut into all sorts of
pieces, Uncle Anthony seeing to
everything. with his mouth GO
ing all the time, mixed with
sqirts of tobacco juice. cuss
words and big iollif1cation laughs.
When everything was ready he
made a speech. telling what he
had seen in the wild west, how
he had reveled in bear meat, and
closing with a general invitation
to all to come and eat good bear
meat.
You will infer from what have
said of Uncle Anthony, that he
was quite popular. and so he was.
Moreover. as I have heard, he
did not believe in God or devil.
Well, when I got from the store |
to the house and found them all |
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