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or five-thirty so they went back into the barn and couldn't be gotten out again. They came and stood around in the barn yard. The cattle who were in pasture came in, even if they'd been turned out to pasture. They made their way towards the barn, lowing to be let in.

It was dark. Everybody looked at everybody else and wondered. I'm not sure whether this was before or after the Campbellite movement, but I think it was before. But, of course, they were good Bible readers and there were plenty of scriptural references to the “last day.” It was dark all over New England. I don't know what it was in New York State, because I don't know from having heard from people who were there about New York State. I never heard of anyone telling me about the “Dark Day” in New York, but I'm sure it must have been there if it was in Massachusetts.

To this day they don't know what caused it. There are various theories and speculations, of which I think there's always one which was urged at the time that says there were forest fires somewhere producing terrible smoke. Everybody who was present said, “Yes, but you would have smelled the smoke if it had been as heavy as that.” There is no testimony that anybody did smell the smoke, but there is universal testimony as to its being dark, and it is referred to as the “Dark Day.”