The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-12-19
TIE ANAN|AS CLUB HOLDS ITS MEETING Members Gather in Liars Corner
 at Hotel Hillman TERRIFFIC HAIL STORM Truthful Man From Texas Harks Back to May 25, 1885, In Sherman,
 Tex, and Tells What
 Happened There.
TERRIFFlC HAIL STORM

The Ananias club held its weekly meet in gat o'clock last night in the Liars Corner of the Hotel Hillman.
 After the little liars had entertained the company for an hour or more The lrutn- ful Man From Texas crossed his legs set tied back in his chair, and tapping ms temple with his forefinger, began to un- ravel yarn.
 "On the 25th day of May" said the Truthful Man From Texas, Tin the year of our Lord, eighteen hundred and eighty five, and of the declaration of American Independence the one hundredth and ninth, I was chopping cotton about o'clock in the afternoon on my fathers plantation few miles from the good town of Sher- man, Tex.
 q had been chopping all day in the late May sun, and had about made up my mind that Gen. Phil Sheridan was right when he said that if he had to live in hell or Texas. he'd take hell in a jiffy I had just had my noon snack, and was going in on the afternoon chop- ping when the sky began to cover with clouds. They grew rapidly In number, and about 2:30 o'clock in the afternoon 1t be- gan to rain.
 'aThe rain drops didn't bother me bit; they did me good, cooled me off ana maoe me feel better It hadn't been raining long when suddenly 1t ceased, and the raln drops turned into hailstones
 "At first when they began to pelt me I thought it was a joke. They were only about the size of corn field peas to begin with, and chopped along at the cotton and joshed the boys at my side. IL kept on hailing and the hailstones began fox 1taQ clattering around us thesiz of partridge eggs. You may not know it, but If I'm looking for a lot of innocent fun, I'd Just as lief cut out getting hit in the head in sharp succession with hailstones big as partridge eggs,
 "That was only the beginning, but II gave me a tip and I began to clear out for the barn, a quarter of a mile away. Before I got there the hail stones had grown to be as big as hen eggs and as hard as flint I got hit all over the body, arms, legs, face and head and l looked like a naval cadet after fist fight when I stepped inside the barn door and fell breathless and speeches. on the floor.
 q got inside the barn just In time. As soon as I could get up I went to the door and looked out, and upon my honor as Texan and cotton chopper, the hall stones, falling fin sheets for miles around, were as big as -.
 "A cannon ball" suggested Little Liar No. B.
 Now, look here," said The Truthful Man From Texas .Pm telling this story. If you're wise you'll keep your lip"
 Little Liar No. smiled credulously
 No, they were not as big as cannon balls.'' continued The Truthful Man From Texas. 4They were only as big as my two fsts-at that time. For half an hour hail stones this size Indicating their circum- ference with a jesture), were falling all over the plantation. And they grew in size every minute
 "I was standing inside the barn and watching 1t all The barn was two stories high The hail stones were laundering on the roof All of a sudden there was a crash theen another crash, and I fell in a swoon on the floor.
 When l came to 1t was o'clock at night and I was in my room at home, propped up in bed with bapdages around my head and hot water bags on my temples.
 'I learned later that while standing in- side the barn I was struck by a hail stone that had crashed through the roof of the barn and the upper floor It just grazed my head, knocking me senseless, and buried itself seven feet in the earth under the barn floor.
 'sThe next day my father and I walked out to investigate-my wounds had healed sufficiently for me to do so. We found hailstones that measured 17 inches in circumstances and now, young man, that s as big as some of your little cannon balls If you really want to know. The storm had killed every chicken pig, hog and sheep on the place. It killed IT out of 2d cows that day and three of the remaining seven died before the week was out. Thir- ty-two out of sixty blow horses perished in the storm.
 When the thing was over and I was well, wrote the whole thing out-an ac- curate account, just as accurate as this is-and sent the piece to my old home paper in Tennessee. The editor printed it in full, headed the article The Prince of Liars and put my name at the bottom of 1t. And yet it was absolutely true in ev- cry detail-iust as trus as this account I am giving you now is. There are hun dreds of reputable persons in or near Sher- man, Tex, who will voueh for every word havs said"
 The next meeting of the Annanias club will be held in the Liars corner of the Hotel Hillman at 8 o'clock Saturday night.
 
 I...- hA