The Washington bee., 1907-07-27
GIVES DEATH WARNING
OLD CLOCK TELLS APPROACH OF
GRIM REAPER.
Family at Loss for Explanation
Owned by Prominent Physician
Whose Relatives Are Ones
to Lose Lives.

Huntington, Tenn.-Stored away in
a dusty attic at the home of Doctor
w T. Porch. the oldest and most
prominent physician of Bakerville, in
Humphreys county, is an old-fash-
ioned Seth Thomas clock Dust COW
tired and timewOrn, this old clock
many years ago refused to further re-
cord the fleeting hours, and was
stored away in the attic with CASTOR
plunder Doctor Porch is quite aged,
and had been married three times,
and the old clock occupied a promi-
nent position on the mantel in the
family room from the first day he be-
gan keeping house until it was cast
away as being worthless,
Shortly after the death of Doctor
Porch's first wife he was called to see
a gentleman residing in the neighbor-
hood who was quite ill., The patients
wife that night dreamed that her hus-
band died and that she afterwards
married the physician. She also
dreamed that she became the mother
Of twin children and at their birth she
died Strange as it may seem, in after
years Doctor Porch and the lady were
married. They lived happily together
for some time, and finally twins were
born to the union, but the mother
never lived to see the children, death
resulting at their birth. Doctor Porch
states that he believes the dream had
more than anything else to do with
the death of his wife But now to the
story of the old clock
After a lapse of some time Doctor
Porch was again married, and the old
clock occupied its accustomed place
on the mantel, as heretofore. To this
, last union were born several children,
among them being Carrie, John Boy
and Porter Porch. One Sunday
morning, long after the clock had
/. been discarded. and as Doctor Porch
and his daughter Carrie were prepara-
ing TO attend Sunday school, ten plain
and distinct strokes rang out from the
old clock in the attic But little at
| tentiOn was paid to the incident at the
/ time and it was believed that a mouse
/ Or rat had become entangled in the
| clock wire and caused it to strike
| However, it was noticeable that the
ten strokes were as plain and distinct
| as if the clock had been running.
/ Shortly afterwards Miss Carrie com
planned Of not feeling well and stated
) that she wOnld not attend Sunday
school She rapidly grew worse, and
at exactly 10 o'clock lapsed into un-
( consciousness and died. Then it was
/ that the striking of the old clock was
! recalled but Doctor Porch is not a
superstitious man. and would not be-
| lieve that the clock had anything to
do with the death of his daughter.
/ Time wore on, and the next Oldest
| child John Boy, was taken sick. For
long while he fingered between life
/ and DEATH, and one night, as friends
and members Of the family sat around
the bedside, there rang out, clear and
distinct, from the old clock in the
attic eight strokes. The puzzled look
on the faces of the members of the
| family evidenced TO the friends pres
ent that they feared the worst and
| recalled the first warning of the old
/ timepiece. Next morning at s o'clock
John Boy passed into the great IN
! known, being unconscious at the time
! or his death.