Western Carolina Democrat And French Broad Hustler

STRANGE LIGHTS IN BURKE
Preacher Confirms Report That a Strange Light Shoots Across Skies,
Statesville.—That there is phenomena in Burke county in the form of a strange light which shoots from the crest of Brown mountain is vouched for by Rev. John F. Kirk, pastor of Broad Street Methodist church of Statesville, who has returned from a month's stay at Cold Springs and other points in the vicinity. Mr. Kirk says that the stories sent out from Burke about the light are genuine and should not be considered lightly. The minister saw the light himself 12 or 15 different nights while he was at Cold Spring and one night from another point in the mountains.
The light shoots from the crest of Brown mountain every night, usually about 9 o'clock, and sometimes makes its appearance several different times during a night. Brown mountain is about 12 miles in length,—the south end being 10 or 12 miles from Morganton and about the same distance from Cold Spring, and the strange light does not always arise from the same point on the mountain. One night last week Mr. Kirk saw it rise from two different points, apparently about six miles apart, within a period of two or three minutes.
In appearance the light is something like a sky rocket though its action is not always the same. Sometimes it rises from the crest of the mountain apparently only a few feet, while at other times it shoots up a distance of 100 feet. On one night Mr. Kirk says the light zigzagged as it rose, making a large letter S in the heavens. On another night it rose slowly and was visible for several minutes, a ball of fire a little larger than a star and a deeper red in color remaining in the air possibly five minutes before finally fading away.