The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-01-31
The Jaffa Colony,

The pet1tion of Victor Beauboucher for the
return to him by the State money paid to the
Jaffa colonists recalls the almost forgotten his
tory of one of the strangest and m st fatal de-
lusions that ever gained foothold in Maine.
About the year 1860 there appeared in many Of
the smaller towns and villages of the State a
hook-nosed, keen-eyed. well-formed man,
whose bearing was full OF mystery, whose de-
pertinent was dignifed but courteous and
who announced himself as the prophet of the
one true religion, the central idea of which
was the return of the Jews to Palestine and
their glorificaton there together with other
believers in the truth gathered from the four
quarters of the globe. The ''Rey. Mr. Ad
ams'' was listened to with eager curiosity in
many villages where he gained hearing, but
vague rumors touching the discreditable his
tory of his past life, and other circumstances
tending to show that he was an imposter,
prevented his gaining more than here ana
there convert in the course OF several years.
His wife who accompanied him was special
obstacle to his success. To this demon-like
woman many citizen of Maine owes the loss
of his family. his property or his life. The ar
.raSsaa5see, cruelty and ambition OF this fat old
Faustina were so poorly concealed that they
completely neutralized the efforts of her more
polite though perhaps not less wicked hus-
band. He was the yelled prophet of Khoras-
san, but she disdained to conceal her moral
hideousness. At length about the year 1868
this strange couple found people sufficiently
credulous to receive both them and their new
gospel. In the romantic little village of In
dian river, in the town of Addison, Washing
ton County, the Hebrew-faeed evangelist and
his terrible wife set up their throne. Having
secured the confGe &c of the leading man in
the village they found little difficulty in en-
listing the rest of the people in their schemes
Here for many months 'Elder' Adams and
s.Mrs. Adams reigned. The people were
poor, but they lived on the fat of the and.
They built a chu :ch, they published little
paper, they had theatrical exhibitions, in the
ing of the two principal personages had no
doubt given them great facility. At length
the affair assumed the well known form
of regular religious delusion. .if
The same enthusiasm that enabled Peter
the Hermit, Joseph Smith and Mahomet to
lead their blind followers to untold suffering
and death, had been excited in the breasts of
the unsophisticated inhabitants of Indian riv-
er. So they sold out their property for what
they could get and embarked with their lead
er for the promised land-a land he assured
them that already flowed with milk and hon.
ey. Having arrived at Jaffa, the place select
ed for their home, all sorts of uncomfortable
accidents befel the wanderers. Everything
was new and strange. The Turkish govern
ment was jealous ano the natives were hos
tile. To crown all Adams and bis wife now
threw off all restraint. They assumed the
state of absolute monarahs. Their drunken
ness and debauchery were no less conspcu-
Gus than their cruelty and avarice. 1t be-
came clear that so far as these
two persons were concerned, it was only
scheme for plumber The night came
rapidly on. Sickness fell on the unfortunate /
people and carried many of them to graves
in that lonely foreign land. Large numbers
deserted and returned home the first oppor-
tunty. None stayed except from necessity
At length after some years all, with perhaps
one or two exceptions, returned through the
agency of public or private benevolence. But
they came back ruined and broken-hearted.
The last not ce we have seen of either of the
conspirators was few weeks ago in Cali
fornia paper. Mrs. Adams was advertised
to deliver a lecture, but an Addison boy
CHANGED to see her notice, and thereupon ex-
posed her by letter to the papers. The
consequence was that the bold bad woman
had to give up her enterprise for that time.