The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1913-07-03
SCARESII; IL. IN
When Cranks Predicted the De.
struction of the City.
TERROR RULED THE PEOPLE.

IcnnUn nULcD TIE TEUFlE.
Bell, Lunatic, Had the Entire Popu-
Iat;on In a Frenzy of Fear Awaiting
the End by Earthquake In 1761-The
River Thames Panic Of 1924.
Men, it has been we'll said, think in
herds 1t will he seen that they go
mad in herds. for innumerable III
stances can be given of Il whole people
suddenly shaking off the tramme!s of
reason and running wild under the de
fusion Of some impending calamity
A panic terror of the end of the
world spread over London i'll 1876 by
the prophesy of the famous Winston.
who predicted that the world would
be destroyed on Oct L.; in that year
Crowds Of people went out on the ap
pointed day to lslington. Ilighsate.
| Hampstead and the intervening fields
to witness the destruction OF london.
which was to he the "beginnng of the
end
| Again in the year 1861 the citizens of
London were plunged into excitement
by two earthquake shocks. and the
prophecy of Il third. which WAS t" de
stroy them altogether The first OF
these. shocks was on Feb = and threw
down several chimneys: the second
was on March S Public notice was
directed to the fact that there WAS ex-
actly IL months interval between the
two shocks, and Il crack Drained feel
low named Bell was so impressed with
the idea that there would be Il third in
the forthcoming month that he com
pletely lost his senses and ran about
the streets predicting the deStructio"
of London on April 5
As the awful day approached the eX
element became intense. and great
numbers of crcdulouS people resorted
to all the villages within circuit OF
twenty miles, there to await the doom
of London Blackheath. lslington.
IIishsate, Hampstead and Harrow
were crowded with panic stricken
fugitives who paid exorbitant prices
; for accommodations in these secure re
treats. Such as could not afford to pay
!, for lodgings ut these places cncamped
in the surrounding fields.
AS is usual in panics, The fear be
, came contagious, and hundreds whn
!, had laughed ut the prediction Il week
before packed UP their goods aud chat
tells when they saw others doing So
and FASTENED away The river was
r thought to he a place of great security
and accordingly all the available mrr
chunt vessels and barges were packed
with people, who passed the night bt>
tween the 4th and 9Th on board. eX
8 pecting every moment to see st i'aul's
a totter and the towers of Westminster
, abbey rock and fall amid cloud OF
A dust But on the following day the
r greater part Of the fugitives returned
convinced that the prophecy was :
, false one. \ few months afterwart
where he died.
Great CONSERVATION was caused il
s London i'll 1924 by prediction that oil
= the LIST day Of February the waters o
Z: the Thames would overflow the whole
: city of London and wash away 10.CO'
J, houses. The prophecy was implicit,
believed. and many families packed III
their goods and removed irto Kent ant
v Essex AS the time drew near tn
n numbers of these emigrantS increased
: In january drovcs of workmen nigh
I, be seen. followed by their wives ant
children. trudging on foot to the vii
> lagos within fifteen or twenty miles t
: await the catastrophe People of
higher class were also to be seen il
:, vehicles bound on Il similar errand.
) BY the middle of January ut leas
a 10000 persons had quilted the doome
- - city, leaving nothing but the bare wall
" of their homes to be swept away b.
the impending floods. Many of til
" weather. class took up their abode o
ID the heights of Hampstead. High"at
y and Hackheath, and some erected tent
III rs far away as Waltham abbey on til
u north and Croydon OH the south of til
Thames.
y, On the fateful morning the wonder
r. ing crowds were astir at an early hou
to watch the rising Of the waters
u, was predicted that the inundatin
lie would be gradual, not sudden, so TIL;
le they expected to have plenty of tim
~ to escape us soon as they SAW the W;
-, ~ tiers rise beyond the usual mark.
- The day grew older and the Thame
flowed on quietly as of yore The It'd
T., ebbed ut its usual hour. flowed to il
I'd usual height and then ebbed again, ju:
ID as if twenty astrolosers had not pied!
ed their WORD to the contrary.
~ Blank were their faces us eyenin
- approached, and as blank grew til
faces of the citizens to think that the
n had male such fools of tliemselve
l. Night set in, and the obstinate rive
y, would not lift its waters to Swee
away even one home out of the IL
~ 600. Still, however, the people wei
afraid to go to sleep Many hui
dreis remained up till dawn Of ii
oo next day, lest the deluse should con
upon them like Il thief in the night
On the morrow it was seriously Iii
cussel whether it would not be advi
. able to duck the false prophets in IL
,? river. Luckily for them they though
Of an expe,lient which :layed ii
popular fury. They asserted that |
an error they had fixed the date
this awful inundatio il century t.