The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1922-03-31
THE MIRACLE OF
MARY'S BUCKET
Thousands Profess To Find Sign
From God in Bottom of a
=. Rusty Pail
BY w. o. SAUNDERS.

Chloride of solium, alum or some
other chemical commonly found in thu
water of shallow pumps and wells il
this city, acting upon the bottom of {
rusted zinc pail upon which a sediment
of sand or clay was encrusted, wrought
an exquisite fern like pattern in the
bottom of the pail one night last week
and half of Elizabeth City has gone
wild over that old zinc bucket.
Thousands of people who never saw
God in blade of grass, dog fennel
thistle, an oak or a Thunderstorm
have professed to find God in the bot,
tom of that old zinc bucket, owned by
religious old colored washer woman
over on Juniper st.
Mary Perry, so years old, an ignor-
ant but Industrious and pious negress,
left an old zinc bucket by her pump
one night last week. She is sure she
left enough water in the bucket to
'catch" the pump next morning; but
next morning the water was missing
from the bucket and on the dry bot
tom of the pail, on which a thin film
of clay had deposited and become fixed,
there were the most beautiful tracings
of what appeared to be exquisite fern
leaves. The patterns are there and
they are beautiful UnacQuainted with
the mysteries of chemistry, the colored
people. most of whom are sure they are
as close to God to-day as Moses was
when he talked to Jehovah in a burn
ing bush, believe that God has put n
sign in the bottom of that bucket; and
now they are waiting for somebody to
interpret the sign. But no interpreta-
ton that does not satisfy the supersti-
tious mind will be accepted. Mrs. Liz
zie NTcAdams, the woman evangelist,
has taken a look at the bucket and en-
courages the belief of the colored peO-
pie that God hath wrought in Mary
Perry's bucket.
Hundreds of people have flocked daily
to the little shanty on Juniper st. and
Mary has had to lay aside her washing
while she exhibits the bucket, charging
curiosity seekers five cents a head for
taking up her time. She says she has
no right to charge any one for looking
at something God put in her bucket.
because that belongs to God; but she
does charge for her time lost in show
ing the bucket.
Since Mary discovered the unique
crystallzatiOn in the bottom of her
bucket, the story of the mystery has
grown until hundreds of people both
white and colored have magnified the
thing and stretched their own imagina
tions until they will tell you with all
seriousness that there are perfect pic
lures of man, and n woman in the,
bucket. Many have seen the man and
woman in a tree. Still others say they
can see soldiers marching and are sure
it is a pOrtent of another war. have
looked into the bucket and examined
it closely. I have seen similar pat
terms made by frost on window pane
and by the crystallizatiOn of different
minerals in minute particles. That is
all the mystery there is to the now
famous bucket; tho my explanation will
not convince Mary Perry on Juniper
st. who has been so thrilled and in
toxicated by the notOriety she has got
ten. that she now believes that she is
an inspired and divinely appointed GUS
todian of modern miracle wrought by
the Most High for the mystificatiOn of
latter day scOrners and skeptics.