My Niece Willard and I would like to tell you the story of a young man who lived in the 1800’s in a small community not far from where we live. Young Jimmy McElhaney worked in a lead mine. He was a sober serious boy of eighteen.
His family had tried to keep him home on the farm since he was the youngest child and his mother’s darling.
This being the week Easter came on he was trying to get all his work done so he could go home and be with the family for Easter dinner.
It was a cold and rainy day that had started out warm and dry. Here he was walking back to the boarding house in his shirtsleeves without a coat. By morning he was running a high fever but still he kept working at the mine.
By Wednesday his mother had been called to his bedside. His breathing short and ragged. The doctor came and sat on one side while Mrs. McElhaney sat at the other holding her baby’s hand.
The morning of Good Friday came and in the wee hours poor Jimmy’s breathing grew quieter and quieter until the only thing left to hear was his mother’s weeping. Weeping as if her heart was breaking.
The doctor slowly pulled the sheet up over the boy’s face and led the grieving mother from the room.
Men came and laid out his body while other men made his coffin from pine boards.
That evening the funeral was held with everyone in town in attendance.
Mrs. McElhaney stayed until Sunday because nobody could take her home until after that day.
Easter morning came with a beauty that was unfathomable to the poor mother.
Everyone was at the small church that stood near the general store.
The preacher was just getting into full sermon mode about how Jesus came back from the grave when there was a noise from outside the building. An even louder one followed from outside the door.
Everyone turned as the door opened and light streamed in.
Mrs McElhaney stood up, gasped, and promptly slid to the floor unconscious.
There in the door, glowing from the halo of sunlight, was young Jimmy in his store bought suit of clothes with dirt in his hair and fresh blood on his hand.
The McElhaney’s don’t talk much about this little misunderstanding but many people in Southeast Tennessee talk about the man who rose from the dead on Easter.

Didn’t think old Auntie had any stories to tell did ya?? This is a story that I heard in my youth. I can’t vouch for it’s legitimacy but one never knows do they?