The Placer herald., 1857-10-17
The Anabaptists of Munster

The following account from Mcheet's
Life of Luther" will remind the reader OF
the course and teachings of tie leaders OF
Mormonsn:
Rothmann "a Lutheran or Zwinglian) first
preached the Reformation at Munsterin 1882,
with such success that the bishop, at the
landgrave of IIesse's irtercesson, allowed
the go>pellers the use of six of his churches.
Shortly afterwards a journeyman tailor John
Of Leyden) introduced the doctrine of the
Anabaptsts into several families. He was
aided in his labors by Hermann Stapraela,
an Anabaptist preacher of Mersa; and their
secret meetings soon became SO numerous
that Catholics and Retormers equally took
the alarm, and expelled the Anabaptists from
the city. But they boldly returned, intim-
dated the council, and compelled it to fix a
day for public discussion in the town-hall,
on the baptism of children; and Rothmann
himself became their converite, and one of
their leaders. = II X One day, one Of
their preachers runs through the streets, ex-
claiming, 'Repent, repent! reform and be
baptised or suffer Gods vengeance!"-
Whether through fear Of religious zeal,
many who heard him hurried to be baptized:
and on this the Anabaptists throng the mar
ket place, crying out, "Down with the pagans
who will not be baptized!' They seize the
cannon and ammunition, take possession of
the town-hall, and matreat all Catholics
and Lutherans they fell in with. The latter
in their turn, coalesce, and attack the Ana
baptists After various indecisive struggles,
it was agreed that each party should be free
to profess its own belief; but the Anabaptists
broke the treaty, and secretly summoned
their brethren in the adjoining cities to
Munster: "Leave all you have," they wrote,
"houses, wives, children; leave all, and Join
us; your losses shall be made up to you ten
fold, II II" When the richer citizens
saw the city crowded with strangers, they
quilted it as they could lin Lent, l534.) -
Emboldened by their departure and the re-
Inducements they were receiving, the Ana
baptists soon replaced the town council,
which was Lutheran, with men Of their own
party. They next took to plundering the
churches and converts, and secured the city,
armed with haberts, arquebusses, and clubs,
| exclaimiug, "Repent, repent" a cry which
soon became, "Quit the city, We wicked quit
IL, VI W. SStCtlllCSu aslA luOy pitilcooly NlONO
forth all who were not of their own sect,
sparing neither aged men nor pregnant
women. Many of these poor fugitives fell
into the bishops hands, who was preparing
to lay siege to the city, and who, regardless
Of the fact that they were not Anabaptists
threw some into prison and executed others
The Anabaptists being now masters of the
city, their chief prophet. John Mattheisen
ordered all to bring their goods into one
common stock, without any reservation, un-
der pain Of death. The terrified people
obeyed; and the property of those they ex-
PEELED the city, was also appropriated. The
prophet next proclaimed it to be the will Of
the Father, that all books should be burnt
save the Old and new Testament; and twenty
thousand forms worth Of books were accord
ingly burnt in the square before the cathe-
draI. The same prophet shoots a farrier
dead, who has maligned the prophets; and
soon afterwards, runs through the streets,