Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-01-14
was all very clear to him.


night. The , ,xt day he went about
MS farm work. He told the story Of
the picture to two men who were
helping him haul hogs. At dinner
time he took them into the living
room to see it. They stared ceiling
ward with barred heads for a while,
and then nodded knowingly to each
other. Yes, it was Morg's wife, all
right.
From these two farm hands the
story spread. They took the tale
with them when they went to Prince
ton Saturday night, and by Sunday
morning the miracle" had grown
nightly in proportions and spread
over all the county. Some heard that
it was a print as large as life, and
you could see faint radiance coming
from it. Others heard that it was
as big as the side of door. The ru-
mOrs spread and grew. By Sunday
noon the roads leading to Donelson' s
home began to fill with motor loads
of curious, eager pilgrims. TheDon-
elson house was thrown open, and
DonelsOn himself, Bible in hand met
the visitors at the door.
Some Could See Nothing.
Some of them stared at the curl
Gus tracery above the lamp and shook
their heads. They couldn't see any
thing.
you haven't got the spirit in you"
DonelsOn would tell them.
Others seemed to see it the in
slant they crossed the threshold.
Several women exclaimed, "If it amt
Morg' wife just as plain as day; and
the little baby, too" And then they
began to cry.
Sunday after noon the little yard
in front of Donelson's house was
cnoNed with motor cars. New ar
r.v"Is had to stop and unload down
the road. The living room became
so crowded that once or twice Donel-
son had to ask those inside to pass
out and give the newcomers on the
porch chance.
Monday the crowds increased.
DCnelson's son, Theodore, counted
three hundred motor cars in the front
yard that day, and he believes he
missed few at that. A Rock Island
freight train stopped on a siding
three-quarters of a mile away and
the whole crew, engineer, fireman,
brakeman and conductor, tramped
across the fields to the farmhouse
and trooped into the living room
Some of them could see it, others
couldn't. At any rate, the story
spread that afternoon and night to
every switchman's shanty and way
station for fifty miles up and down
the line.
Tuesday afternoon while the
crowds still We're pouring through
the living room, a stranger appear
ed and took Donelson to one side.
He told him about a dream he had
had.
Asked If 1t Was Evil Spirit
81 can't repeat that dream" Don
elson told a reporter, "and | can't tell
just what connection it had with the
picture, but when he had finished
arguing with me we went back to the
living room and l got my Bible I
asked the people who were in the
room to kneel down with me and
pray. Then 1 got down and asked
God that if that picture was the
work of evil spirits, or spiritalism, to
take it away Immediately l was
led to go into the other room to get
towel. 1t seemed as if a voice
within me urged me to put soap and
water on that towel. | returned to
the living room and led to stand up
on a chair
"And then, right there before all
those people l prayed again that if
that picture was the work of the
devil, for God to take it away 1t
disappeared"
did you rub the wet towel across
the ceiling?" Mr.. Donelson was
asked.
"Well, yes, did. But that wasn't
what took the picture away. 1t was
praying that did it, and all the people
who were in the room then will tell
you so, too"
There was a rumor that the pill
grims who witnessed the disappear
ance of the picture took decided
hostile attitude toward the stranger
who took Donelson aside and told him
his dream. Some were ;ncliGeJ &C
regard him as an agent Of the devil
and there was some talk Of lynching