Dakota City herald. [volume] (Dakota City, Neb.) 1857-1860, 1860-04-21

AARsLiE, THE JEw-A new Religious hso-
ry.-On Sunday last, about the hour Of ten
o'clock, Mr.. Merslin marched into town, at
tired in a suit Of antiquatcd buckskin, Of a
very dirty hue, aud with a revolving rifle on
bis shoulder. He is an Englishman by birth,
and robust, and about forty or forty five sum
mers and an equal number Of winters, have
passed over his head. He resides in Dakota
Territory, on the neck Of land formed by the
Junction OF the Big Sioux river with the Mis-
souri,, and carries on a dairy at that point.
His rosideno Is ell alone in the woods which
cover that part Of Dakota Territory, and must
be some twenty miles from this place. He
Travelled the entire distance, by field and food,
that morning, in order to meet his appoint
ment.
At two o'clock in the afternoon he COM
menced his discourse, and ran through with
used to be, be said, n noisy Methodist, but
not having implicit confidence in that faith,
and not knowing which Of the other multi
tddinous sects to follow, he bstook himself for
a number Of years to praying to the Father
to enlighten him what course to pursue in
order to secure his salvation. Eleven years
ago the Lord answered his prayers, and fore
warned him in O dream, that the faith Of
the Jewish faith dates from that time and
he has carefully abstained in the interim from
all food interdieted by tie law of Moses
After q lapse Of seven years he became o
clean vessel, and nothing remained but to be-
come circumoised, Here be hesitated for q
time, but being warned again in q dream, be
circumcised himself with his own hands
He also oircuncised his two sons. He be-
lieves that Christ is the Son Of God, and that
He will com again into the world as expect
cd by the Jews. He was not very select in
the choice Of words, as he used a number Of
them not found in Webster's Unabridged and
the use he made Of them showed o shocking
disregard for Murray.
He was particularly severe on the habit Of
eating swine flesh, attributing al the ills that
flesh is heir to, to that "abominitable " praot-
ice. There were a goodly number Of ladies
and a large crowd of gentlemen who listened
to a terrific TRADE against the poroine tribe,
from him, with such nonchalance, that they
have been ashamed to look a hog in the face
ever since. He would not touch q pOTkeI,
disemboweleI or otherwise, for five hundred
dollars; as he said if he did be " would be a
deGlod man" He asserted that /" hog was
not fit flesh for food and as proof of its del
eterious effects said that many persons
had 50 eaten swine flesh and woke up dead the
next morning" The use Of pork made him
"logy," weakened his physical powers, and
"loosened the skin on the top Of his head"
To prove the reliability Of his statements
he called on the Lord TO show his power, by
showoring down rain within the next twenty
four hours. He had scarce ceased speaking
when black, heavy, portentious clouds gath
cred in the west and several felt delighted
and thankful to the Jew, not for evidence Of
the reliability of his statements, but for the
prospect of having their fields well drenohed,
which their spring grain SO much needed
The twOnty-fOur hours passed over, and the
clouds passed away, but no rain fell.
He will discourse again in this place on the
goth of next month.
--~4EA-