Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1870-06-16
A New Jersey Religious
Sect-an Improvement
on the Howling
nnrr1iC1,
DerVlShes.
From the Cincinnati Commercial

From the Cincinnati Commercial.
Great religious excitement ex
lists in Macpin, twelve miles frou
Patterson, N. ]. A new religion,
society called "Jehovah's Band
has been started, supplanting g
favorite station Of the Methodist
Church. The Methodists SEN
their best preachers to combat the
beresy, but they are repudiated
Each in turn is forced to leave.
The peculiar form of worship
develops itself in putting, blowing
whistling, shouting, jumping
wrestling, falling to the floor, and
rolling over and kicking. Both
women and men engaged in the
exercises. Baptism is by INNER
sion in the village mill pond, ir
the dead hour of the night. Or
Sunday they hold continuous ser
vice, and take recess for meals
only, refusing to read a newspaper.
or even to receive a letter on that
day.
Every Thursday evening they
held their meeting in the school.
house, until difficulty about the
candles used led them to leave it,
and DOW they meet in any house
in the neighborhood where the
spirit manifests itself.
John Rhinesmith, a wealthy
and well-to-do farmer of the
neighborhood, is the chief man
of the band, and recently had his
house rebuilt especially to ac-
commodate the brethren; one
room resting on strong beams, it
stands the jumping; but about a
month ago, an ardent member, in
paroxysm of fanaticism, declared
that when filled with the Holy
Ghost he felt as light as air, and
even though they jumped upon a
looking glass, they would not SO
much as bruise it with a scratch
whereupon he began to leaping on
the stove hearth, and broke it off,
and then leaping on the top, broke
in the frail covers, and finally
smashed a big rocking-chair be-
fore he subsided.
Quite recently Rhinesmith bap,
tised Mr.. Gilbert B. Speaker, a
man of family and a convert to
the new faith, the baptism taking
place in Rhlnesmith's mill-pond,
before the members of the band
and amid shouts and cries, the
whole gang at one time shouting
fire." to the alarm of othes in
the neighborhood, it being then af-
ter midnight.
One of the band told a reporter
that as he was at work in his barn
he got the spirit and that he ran
one mile over ditcbes and fences
before she spirit left him, and all
tLis time he was so elevated that
he thought he was flying.
When jumping in ecstacy of
the Holy Ghost they say their
spirits rise far above their bodies.
They permit no person, except
Eling those belonging to the band to
join with them In singing or
Jumping, or in any other of their
exercises, although no objection
is made to the attendance of out
slders at the meetings of the band.
A dozen will have the floor at
once, pounding and kicking, and
I the whole crowd seems worked
up to a fearful state of excitement
some jumping until they fall,
the women shrieking in the wild
est manner, and others praying,
whistling, or putting, as for a wa
ger.
They permit no levity on the
part of the young folks during
their proceedings. Mr.. Cobb, one
OF the band, is thought to be
growing insane under the excite
ment of this religious frenzy
There is no doubt that the mem.
bers of the band are sincere en-
thuslasts. The society now num-
bers over five hundred members.
The Buffalo Commercial says that
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