Halo about a child.
Strange manifestations at a country house in South Alabama.
Noise like that of a train.
Approaching the house – The ticking on the roof – A child enveloped in a halo of brilliancy.
Montgomery, Ala., March 17 – (Special) –
The most inexplicable phenomenon ever known in this section of the union, perhaps, is reported from Choctaw county, in the southern portion of this state, and but for the unquestionable veracity and undisputed intelligence of the parties who testify to the facts as they occurred, the story would have received no credence. Several ministers of the gospel and other citizens whose authority cannot be doubted vouch for the facts as herein stated. The story as related by Rev. —, and published in The Choctaw Alliance, printed at Butler, Ala., is substantially as follows:
James Rigdon, a worthy white citizen and his family live in Choctaw county, near the line which separates the states of Alabama and Mississippi. About midnight one night recently, as Mrs Rigdon was sitting in her dwelling with her thirteen-year-old daughter, they heard something in a southeasterly direction like the blow of a locomotive, and this was followed by a sound as of a train approaching. Inasmuch as there was no railroad track within eighteen miles of them, they were, of course, greatly alarmed. The noise continued to approach. The stock and the fowls were awakened and gave vigorous manifestations of fear. The corn crib door was repeatedly slammed.
The rustling noise finally reached the roof of the dwelling where it died away, only to be followed by a ticking sound, as of an operator on a telegraph instrument. Naturally the woman and her daughter were greatly frightened. Mrs Rigdon, thinking perhaps it was some of her neighbours, intent on scaring her during her husband’s absence, called loudly to them to be gone, whereupon the something began making noises as though tearing the shingles from the roof. At this she called her dog, a large and very vicious mastiff, but to her astonishment he crouched at her feet and refused to go outside. The ticking continued for a while and then left with the same rumbling noise that accompanied its approach, slamming the crib door as it passed and frightening the animals.
Thinking that this was the last of her strange visitor and being ashamed to communicate so remarkable a story to her neighbours, Mrs Rigdon said nothing, and the following night, her husband being still absent, she securely locked her door and determined to banish all thought of the happenings of the night before. Promptly at midnight the noise was again heard in the distance, however, and the phenomenon of the night before was reproduced in every detail. It developed, however, that when the child moved about the house the ticking on the roof moved with her, and kept just above her. Finally, in desperation, Mrs Rigdon threw open the door and went outside, determined to solve the mystery. The moon was shining and she searched everywhere, but nothing foreign to the place could be seen. Meantime the ticking on the roof continued until the doors were closed again, and finally left as it had done on the previous night.
On the following day the neighbours were apprised and fourteen of them, mostly men, decided to spend the night at the Rigdon house. They brought along their guns and axes, determined to rid the family of the pest, if possible. A spiritualist was among the number. At the same hour the sound was heard as of a train approaching, and this was followed by the slamming of the crib door, the ticking on the roof and every other attendant circumstance as on the previous night. At this juncture the men went outside, determined to ascertain the cause of the ticking. The dogs that they had brought with them cowered and fawned and would not leave the house. However some of the men climbed upon the roof and after the most minute examination reported they could find nothing. In the meantime the ticking kept up, as all on the inside testified. Finally one of the men fired at the point in the ceiling from which the rapping appeared to come. This tore a hole, but had no effect whatever on the broken tick-tick-tick. The spiritualist tried his art, but to no effect. Finally, after having remained the usual length of time, the strange visitor departed in his accustomed way.
The next night practically the same thing happened. Friday night came with the gloom and horror of five nights of terror and confusion hanging over the Rigdon family. By this time the news had spread far and wide and about forty people had gathered to witness the strange manifestations. The noise was heard in the distance and soon the ticking was commenced on the roof. After a while it appeared to get down into the walls of the room in which the party was assembled. It did not cease, however, to keep close to the little girl. Finally she became exhausted and laid down on a bed in the room, where she soon fell asleep. Thereupon the ticking was transferred apparently to the floor under the bed on which she lay.
Two young men who were present – George and Sam Fleming, undertook to straighten the sleeping child out in a more comfortable position. In order to do this one took hold of her arms and the other of her feet. Instantly they turned loose and stared at each other. “Did you see anything?” asked Sam, anxiously. “Yes; did you?” replied his brother. “I saw a bright light,” said the one. “I did also,” replied the other. “Look,” said they both, pointing to the bed, and for a few seconds there was silence. Then the young men explained that they had seen a bright light come up through the floor, penetrate the bed on which the child lay and envelope her sleeping form with a halo of brilliancy. None of the bystanders except the Fleming brothers could see the strange light, however. At this juncture the child began to cry bitterly. The balance is best told in the minister’s own words:
“After a short while the girl began shouting and praising God, telling those about her that she had been to heaven and the way was bright and clear; that she had seen the angels, and they looked to be small, though they shone like fire; that the Saviour had appeared to her and looked to be about the size of her three-year-old brother; that he told her she was saved and that if her papa and mamma would do right they also would be saved, and if they did not they, with some of their neighbours, would be lost. That he gave as his reason for following her, that she had been running from him, but now that he had accomplished the purpose for which he had come, he was going to leave to come no more. Then the ticking ceased and was heard no more. ‘God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform’.”
The minister who writes the story regards the whole affair as a divine manifestation, a miracle, and it is clear that many other intelligent people in the neighbourhood share his belief. A Methodist revival has been in progress at State Line, near the Rigdon place, for several weeks and the girl has been a constant attendant on the services. She had been much interested, but for some unaccountable reason had declined to profess her faith. Her father had never been a churchman and the two Fleming boys, who had witnessed the strange manifestations in part, had been infidels, declining absolutely to allow themselves to be approached on the subject of Christianity.
The day following these developments of Friday night, however, the father, daughter and the two young men professed their faith and were united with the Methodist church. Whether it was a genuine miracle or whether some strange material influence possessed the minds of all those people, the result has been much the same as of the miracles of old. The strange phenomenon has unquestionably contributed largely to the upbuilding of Christianity in the section in which it occurred.
The Constitution (Atlanta), March 18, 1895.