The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-07-04
Photography by Tightening

1 TIT is always pleasure to me to re- ] ceive communications both from
 known and unknown friends as con
 tributions" to these columns, and a short
 time ago l was the recipient of a little
 note signed Mona Miller" which was
 of unusual interest.
 The writer, Mrs" or Miss" Miller-I don't know which-suggested that she
 was sending rne the account of a story, 1 the scene of which, was laid in the his-
 toric old town of Eufaula, which she l believed would rival any of the interest | ing stories told about this section of the
 state as written by our own Dr. Frank | Willis Barnett
 Few people, in my estimation, write as well as Dr. Barnett; every subject he touches is beautifully handled with an originality and charm that is always re- freshing, and especially does Dr. Barnett
 write in a happy mood about his old home town-Eufaula-where his childhood was spent and where he has so many friends and admirers.
 at once perused the story sent by
 my unknown correspondent" Mona Mil Ter, which she tells me was the prize
 winning story in a pictorial review con-
 test" the subject being, Photography by Lightning: A True Story by Frances
 Craven Parks"
 A number of Birmingham people are mentioned in the story. which makes it of unusual interest, the dramatic per scnnae" revealing the names of promi- nent citizens formerly of Eufaula, but
 now of this city.
 I am going to give you the benefit of the story which Mrs" or Miss Mill Ter sent me, for Pm sure you'll enjoy 1t as much as I did.
 Here is the story as told by Frances Craven Parks:
 Many years ago in the beautiful little town of Eufaula, Ala, konwn the Bluff City, as it is situated on the beau tiful bluff overlooking the Chattahoo- chee river, a strange thing happened On warm summer afternon at the home of Prof Thomas A. Craven, on College Hil one of the young Craven boys was i'll with typhoid fever, a friend of
 Mrs Craven's came in and asked that
 she might take the two little Craven girls
 home with her. Mrs Craven was only too delighted to get the girls away from the sick room, and the girls were much
 more delighted to have pleasant visit with the Edmunson twins.
 On this same afternoon a terrible storm came up, Mrs. Edmunson gathered the children around her in the wide hall of this truly southern home and was telling them stories to amuse them to keep them from being frightened during the storm, of a sudden a terrific flash of lightning struck the house and set fire to it. How ever the fire was soon put out, but something else had happened as was aft erward discovered. That stroke of light ming had played a strange freak. The younger of the two Craven girls was standing in front of the hall mirror when the stroke came, and the lightning made a perfect likeness of her in that mirror. When Mrs Edmunson discovered the picture she was frightened and could not at first fathom how the picture came to be there. The news of the picture be- ing found in the miro spread rapidly over the little city, people flocked there to see it. It was written up in all the papers Professor Craven and Mrs. Ed l n unson were overwhelmed With letters asking if what the papers had said was really true. Among the letters re- ceived by Professor Craven was one from Mrs Augusta Evans Wilson of Mobile | the famous writer of our state. Mrs. Wilson just a few years before this time | had written ''At the Mercy of Tiberius,
 and a freak of lightning plays promi- | nent part in the close of the story. Of course, Professor Craven was pleased 1 to write her the true story of the light
 ming taking his little girls picture | A few years before Mrs. Wilson's death, | this same Sallie May Craven was on visit to Mobile. Mrs. Wilson learned that
 she was in the city and she wrote her asking for an interview. Miss Craven THERE'S ONLY ONE WAX | to secure satin skin. Apply Satin Skin Cream. then Satin Skin Powder.-Adv.