Amidst the southern charm of Madison, Georgia, lies the story of a mysterious woman with unspeakable powers…her name was Lulu Hurst.
There was nothing unusual about Lulu Hurst when she was born in 1869 in rural Polk County, Georgia. But, by the age of 14, she was mystifying people around the country with unbelievable acts of power.
According to her autobiography, it all began on a stormy night on September 18th, 1883.
Lulu and her cousin were frightened by the severity of an evening storm and lay awake waiting for it to pass. Suddenly, they were startled by a “quick, muffled, popping sound that, on the instant, seemed to come from anywhere or nowhere.”
The room was searched and it was determined that this noise came from the electricity in the air from the storm. But the sound never went away, and soon, the house became an attraction for many curious minds.
But the “Force” as it was called, was inside Lulu and according to her book, “When I placed my hands upon a chair which was held firmly by another person, or any number of persons, it became uncontrollable…Several strong men attempted to hold it with my hands upon it. They tore that chair rung from rung and post from pillar trying to hold it. They swung all their weight on it, they braced against it, - they pulled off their coats and wrestled with the ‘unknown power’…”
Once word got out about Lulu’s strange powers, people started flocking to the family home in search of wonder. Four months later, Lulu was performing in Atlanta as “The Electric Girl.”
From there, Lulu toured Georgia and then the country and to thousands of people.
The public was astounded and amazed. And then, as quickly as it began, it was over. Lulu announced that after two years of fame, she was finished and would be retiring.
Her followers were shocked.
On February 8, 1897 she married her manager, Paul Atkinson, and the couple settled into normalcy in the peaceful town of Madison, Georgia.
So, whatever happened to the Lulu, The Electric Girl?
It turns out she wrote a tell-all autobiography in 1897, which basically told of manipulation of natural laws on her behalf. There were no magnetic or electrical or spiritual powers aiding her…just the ability to use physics and delusion. As Lulu writes, “When I was on the stage it was always astonishing to me how easily people were deluded, and led away from the path of reason, and how prone they were to allow themselves to become victims of their imagination and superstition.”
Lulu passed away in 1950 at the age of 81. Over her short career, she had earned up to $100,000. In today’s equivalent, that’s about $1 million.
We’ll see you next time on Stories, Secrets and Sagas.
