(For decades, local historian and paranormal investigator
George “Buster” Singleton published a weekly newspaper column called “Somewhere
in Time.” The column below, which was titled “Sirius, the Dog Star, will ride
tomorrow’s skies” was originally published in the July 27, 1995 edition of The
Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)
On Friday, the 28th of July, Sirius the Dog Star
will make its debut once again in the heavens above us. With its appearance between
our earth and the sun, many strange happenings will begin to take form.
There are those who do not believe that the little-known star
has any effect within our solar system and our earth and on the lives of those
of us who live here. But history records many unusual happenings that have
altered world events during the months of July, August and early September.
The 40 days of Sirius’ reign played an important part in the
lives of the early Indian. This was a time of change in their living habits, as
the hot, summer months began to give way for the coming seasons of fall and
winter. The time was at hand when their carefree living had to be put aside and
plans would begin for movement into winter quarters. Their nomadic wanderings
would cease along the rivers and streams, and work would begin on the brush and
mud huts that would protect them from the cold, icy winds from the north. And
once again the ancient tales of the mystery devil star would be heard around
the evening camp fires.
According to legends told and retold for many hundreds of
years, the fish in the rivers and streams are slow about biting during this time
of year. The ears of the yellow corn become too hard to boil in the pots for
eating. The deadly rattlesnakes are said to become blind during this period of
the reign of the Dog Star. A thin skin is said to form over their eyes for about
40 or so days. The blindness makes them to strike out at any movement or sound.
These legends go on to tell that dogs, wolves and foxes tend
to go mad during this period when the star Sirius appears in the heavens.
Truly, this is a time of uncertainty and a time of change. Great care has to be
taken to keep them from getting hurt. Wounds are slow to heal and infection is
more likely to appear in a wound during the 40 days of the reign of Sirius.
The lightning that dances across the heavens seems more severe
and does more damage during this time. While the thunder, as it rolls across
the heavens, seems louder and heavier while the devil star appears. The belief
of the early Indian was that the gods had become angry, and during this time,
they would deal out punishment to those who had disobeyed them.
This was a time, too, when sickness among the tribes was at
its worst. Fever and disease took its toll among the elderly and the very
young. Death stalked the lodges of the tribes during this time of mystery.
Much care had to be taken in the selection of water that was
used by the tribes. All drinking water had to be taken from only the purest of
the springs. Water from the mineral springs was much sought after. Carriers
were known to travel many miles to gather drinking water for the sick and
feverish members of the tribes.
Many times, those who were able would travel great distances
and camp around the few mineral springs found in the area. These people would
continue to camp and drink the healing waters until the mysterious devil star
appeared from the heavens. Then they would return to their villages to be part
of the celebration, when the gathering of crops and hunting and fishing would
begin once again. The foods would be stored and dried for the coming chills of
winter approaching on the distant horizons.
Sirius, the Dog Star, has done much to influence the lives
of early man. From the time of the Egyptians and the Romans, and even before
that, much heed was paid to those days when this star of mystery made its way
across the heavens.
Many thought that this was the ideal time for war, if a war
was inevitable. Many of the warlords of long ago believed that man became more
like a savage animal and would fight harder and endure more pain during the
passage of Sirius, the devil star.
There were those who believed that the spirits of those who
had been slain during these times of battle would follow the trail of the Dog
Star into the land of darkness. Their spirits would forever return from this
land beyond the stars to stalk their camp fires and haunt their nights of sleep
and rest.
Today, in our world of make believe and fantasy, we give
little or no thought to the legends of yesterday and those from beyond the
past. Many of us will go through these dog days, when Sirius roams at will
across the heavens, and never realize the importance this 40 days has had on
history. We may never know how much many has been influenced by the passing of
this star across our universe. And, there are many among us who will never give
the passing of Sirius a second thought, even though their lives are affected by
it.
I will be the first to admit that we live in a space-age
society. We profess to be smart. But there are certain things that we should
tell our children and pass on to their children’s children. We must become more
enlightened about our surroundings and the happenings of our universe. If we
are not careful, we, too, will go the ways of the Egyptians and the Romans.
And, sometimes in the future years, when Sirius, the Dog Star, returns, our
beloved land as we know it will have faded into oblivion.
So, tomorrow (Friday), with the break of dawn, the
mockingbirds will cease to sing until that time around Sept. 5 when the devil star
gives up its place in the heavens above us. The tempers of we humans will tend
to be a mite short during the 40-day journey of Sirius across the heavens. Our
patience will grow thin with our neighbors and our friends as this strange and
unknown force affects our lives. Our hospitals will become more crowded with
the sick and injured. It is said that death from suicide will become more
frequent during the passage of Sirius.
Let’s not forget, man occupies only a very small part in this
place we call the universe. However smart we think we are, our knowledge ceases
to exist just a short, short distance above this planet we call earth. A
thousand years is no more than a flick of any eye when compared to the nine
light years that it takes for the light of Sirius just to reach our planet
earth.
We should always remember that a good knowledge of the past
will much better enable us to solve the problems that ride the winds of the
future. So, as dawn breaks on the tomorrow, Sirius will have returned again to
its place in the heavens for the reign of mystery of 40 days.
(Singleton, the author
of the 1991 book “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” passed away at the age of
79 on July 19, 2007. A longtime
resident of Monroeville, he was born to Vincent William Singleton and Frances
Cornelia Faile Singleton, during a late-night thunderstorm, on Dec. 14, 1927 in
Marengo County, graduated from Sweet Water High School in 1946, served as a
U.S. Marine paratrooper in the Korean War, worked as a riverboat deckhand,
lived for a time among Apache Indians, moved to Monroe County on June 28, 1964
and served as the administrator of the Monroeville National Guard unit from
June 28, 1964 to Dec. 14, 1987. He was promoted from the enlisted ranks
to warrant officer in May 1972. For years, Singleton’s columns, titled “Monroe
County history – Did you know?” and “Somewhere in Time” appeared in The Monroe
Journal, and he wrote a lengthy series of articles about Monroe County that
appeared in Alabama Life magazine. It’s believed that his first column appeared
in the March 25, 1971 edition of The Monroe Journal. He is buried in Pineville
Cemetery in Monroeville. The column above and all of Singleton’s other columns
are available to the public through the microfilm records at the Monroe County
Public Library in Monroeville. Singleton’s columns are presented here each week
for research and scholarship purposes and as part of an effort to keep his work
and memory alive.)
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