Mysterious Ringing of Old Bell at Irwinton, GA

MYSTERIOUS RINGING OF OLD BELL AT IRWINTON RECALLED
Startled Populace Traced Jerky Clanging to Goat Tied to End of Cord -

Historic Piece of Brass Discarded, Back of Blacksmith Shop. By Victor Davidson
    "Irwinton, Ga., December 17. - The first church bell ever brought to Wilkinson county many now be seen lying on the ground just behind the blacksmith shop of Kimsey and Chambers, where it was carried over twenty years ago for the purpose of welding together the crack caused by the sledge hammer wielded by the muscular arm of Rack Bell, who was employed to ring this old bell for many years and who looked upon it with the same degree of affection that a father would look upon his child, it having been purchased in 1835 (1855?) , when Rack was a slave. After ringing it until he was freed, he was employed to continue this duty, and when the clapper fell out Rack used a sledge hammer with disastrous effect. This old bell is of solid brass and the metal of which it is composed is very valuable. An offer of forty dollars has been made for it to be used as junk. It is strange that this historic old bell should have been allowed to be neglected all these many years when only a few dollars would restore it to its pristine value.
   For many years after the completion of the Union church here which was built jointly by the Methodists, the Baptists and the Presbyterians, this bell was one of the things which the whole town took pride. It was the delight of Rack Bell each Sabbath morning to sound the summons to whatever denomination as was scheduled to hold services, and with Rack pulling the cord the clear piercing notes of the bell could be heard for four and five miles distant echoing and re-echoing throughout the hills and valleys around Irwinton.
   On one Sunday Rack would make it ring out with a sound resembling the joyous shout of a disciple of John Wesley in the act of getting the second blessing; on the next it would be a rhythmic clang not unlike the "lark from the tomb a doleful sound" of the "What will be is gwinter be creed;" and then on the next Rack would put the soft pedal o and the brethren of close communion would gather.
There are only a few now living who remember when this old bell ws placed, in the belfry. Among these is Hon. John W. Lindsey, pension commissioner of Georgia, who was present when the church was completed and the bell installed, and who witnessed tears and exclamations of joy of the builders of this church when they realized that their temple of worship was completed, for this this was a time when there was real, unadulterated religion. Even old Rack, whose life proved him to be a true friend to the white man. Rings in Jerky Manner.    One night a few months after the bell was brought here and the people had become accustomed to hearing it ring for services, the whole town of Irwinton was astounded when the bell unexpectedly began to ring in a pitiful jerky manner. It would ring for two or three times in a succession of clangs and would then pause for several moments. Mr. Lindsey, who was then a boy attending school at Talmadge Institute, although living out of town several miles, happened to be spending the night with his schoolmate, Walter Burney..
   Soon the news spread all over town that those, who had been sent to investigate the cause of the mysterious ringing of the bell, could find no cause for it, but that without the aid of any external agency, it was ringing of its own accord. This was at a time when ghosts were a good deal more frequently observed by the timid than at the present and when a few would dare to tary near graveyards or in the vicinity of churches after nightfall. It was nothing uncommon for reports of rampant witches to be heard. It was not winder, therefore, that when those who were first sent to see about the phenomenon, upon arriving at the church and not being able to see any person pull the bell cord, should decide that it would be more conducive to their peace of mind to be at a distance.
However, there were several of the older men who went in a body, believing the disturbance to be of terrestrial rather that of occult origin. One of them in going around the church to see if there was ay person, accidentally got his foot entangled in a cord. A hurried search showed that someone had climbed into the belfry and attached this cord to the clapper and thinking to find the culprit at the other end of the cord, the men began following the cord. It led down under the hill into a pasture and terminated on the horns of "Billy." a goat belonging to Walter Burney, who happily oblivious to the disturbance his bobbing head was creating, was peacefully grazing on bushes and pine straw.
The goat's master and the pension commissioner having reputation in town for playing such pranks, would not haven been able, even it they had tried, to convince the scandalized church members that they were not the guilty parties."

Newspaper clipping submitted by Laura Northrop. Was published in unknown newspaper, possibly Irwinton Bulletin before 1923 since John W. Lindsey died in 1922. Church photo by Eileen B. McAdams