An Angel Statue Was Erected In This Mississippi City After 5 Young Women Perished In A Gas Leak-Caused Explosion, But The Monument Is Now Believed To Turn And Look At Visitors Who Pass By
In 1908, the Natchez Drug Company, located in Natchez, Mississippi, stood on the corner of Main and South Union Street.
On March 14 of that year, though, the five-story building and several of its employees suffered a tragic fate.
That Saturday morning, a few employees complained after smelling gas in the building. And recently, the Natchez Drug Company– owned by John H. Chambliss– had installed a new gas-fired stove in a laboratory on the fourth floor.
So, one of the workers who installed the stove, 21-year-old Sam Burns, was called to search for the gas leak. And during that era in history, the accepted way to search for a leak was to walk with a lit candle.
Sam ultimately lit a candle on the fourth floor, assuming that the leak would be where the stove had been installed.
After failing to locate it, though, he headed down to the basement. And once below the building, catastrophe struck.
The gas met his lit candle and caused a devastating explosion to tear through the entire building. Walls were blown out, bricks crumbled, and shards of glass and wood flew in every direction.
The loss of the building’s structure was far from the most tragic detail, though. Instead, numerous company of employees became trapped inside the burning building.
Among the employees were five young women ranging in age from just 12 to 22 years old, including Mary “Lizzie” Worthy, Luella Booth, Inez Netterville, Carrie O. Murray, and Ada White. All of the women ultimately perished in the explosion.
Georg Hummer – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual statue
The explosion and loss of these young women gravely devastated the city of Natchez. It also took a large emotional toll on the company’s owner, Chambliss, who felt it was his duty to step up and offer condolences to the families of the victims.
So, he decided to purchase a lot at the Natchez Cemetery before paying for each of the young women’s funerals.
Their tombstones simply read their last names, though, which Chambliss did not think was appropriate enough given the circumstances.
In turn, he went on to commission an additional statue meant to stand in honor of the women– a stone angel.
Then, the angel was placed and positioned on the cemetery lot to appear as though it was watching over the five women’s tombstones.
Since its creation, the stone angel has become an increasingly popular attraction at the Natchez Cemetery.
The statue also spurred folklore and was dubbed “The Turning Angel” because visitors claim that while driving by the cemetery, the statue will actually turn to look at travelers.
This phenomenon is said to be the most visible during the evening when vehicle headlights pass around a bend in the road.
On June 23, 2020, though, the 112-year-old monument was actually found torn down and vandalized in the cemetery.
The Natchez City Police did find the perpetrator four days later and arrested 20-year-old Austin Petty– who was charged with felony malicious mischief.
Petty reportedly rocked the monument until it fell to the ground, which was supported by video evidence.
Despite the case of the vandal being closed, though, the “Turning Angel” is still in need of costly repair. In fact, the estimated price of fixing the damages is $40,000.
If true crime defines your free time, this is for you: join Chip Chick’s True Crime Tribe
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
More About:Freaky
Read This Next
