The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-10-30
JACOBINA. THE PROPHETEsS.
The Tragic determination OF the MucIze
Sect of Fanatics In RrnzfI.

of the vast flood of emigration from
northern Germany has been directed to
Brazil, and in the province of Porto
Allegro white settlements of the race
have been founded, which, until recent
events disturbed them, were fourishing
enough. They had advanced so far as
to have their own local newspaper in
that resonant language which, according
to Arndt, makes any land where it Is
spoken part of Germany and the par
ticulars now before us are transmitted
direct from the Deutsche Zeitung of
Porto Allegro, the paper in question.
The settlers were almost universally of
the Prussian state or Evangelical
church, and were rent by no political
or religious dissension. They were dis
tinguished by their attachment to the
old Fatherland they had left and the
subscriptions sent frem the colony for
the benefit of the sick and wounded In
the war of 1S70-71 astonished those who
knew how young and struggling com
munity it was collected from. All went
well with them, IN fact, until this sum-
mer, when their domestic peace was sud
denly disturbed by the pretensiOns of
certain JacObina Maurer to divine inspi-
ration, and her claims to be wOrshiped
by all mankind. Those preteDsions
would not have mattered of themselves,
but Jacobina was one of a large family
in the village of Ferrabraz, and her re-
lations first, then her neighbOrs, sue
cessively adopted her views, and de-
clared themselves true believers, with
an ease which history tells us was not
displayed in the instance of Mohammed.
On what proofs the claims of this Ger
man edition of Joanna Southcofe were
founded does not appear. But it is
certain that followers gave her the title
of 'Christussin, :" or ''the female Christ"
that regular worship was established
for her and that her first convert or
confederate-it is hard to say which
Hans George Maurer, was in due
form appointed her high priest. This
person appears to have been a man of
some intellect, and remarkable ambi-
tion; for he not only brought over his
neighbors to the new faith, but con-
ceived the idea of imposing it on the
whole settlement first, and then on the
world at large, by force of arms. Un-
der his guidance, the MaUrerites, or
Mucker, as they were nicknamed by
their opponents, carefully armed them
selves and stored up abundance of am
munition. It was not until these pre-
liminaries were thoroughly complete
that they declared IN the course of last
June their solemn purpose, and sum-
moned the nearest OF the settlers to join
the new church forthwith. Attempts ct
enforced conversion of course produced
violent opposition. and this was epaid
by the Maurerites with open plunder
and ill-usage as well as by threats of
death. AS they numbered, including
the women who bore arms, determined
band OF over fifty adults, there was no
hope in the individual resistance of
scattered settlers; and In few days the
unconverted inhabitants of the district
were all seeking shelter in Porto Allegro,
while their hemesteads were stripped
and laid waste by the orders of the
prophecies. Volunteers were now en-
rolled to the number of one or tive COM
papies, but it was thought better to wait
for the arrival of the government troops
who were asked for, than to attempt an
advance into the bush unaided for the
fanatics were familiar with the ground,
and were known to be better armed
than their adversaries, and prepared for
a desperate defense.
In July the expected forces came
provided with field-guns and rockets,
and a general advance was made, but
Will GAbIbu0 CAuGlOus Dy
the 18th, however, the ftnatics were
driven in on a position they had care
fully intrenched round large house, of
which they had formed a keep. The
light guns, as we'll as the rockets, en-
tirely failed to dislodge them, and it
was only after very prolonged skirm-
ishing that the works were carried with
a rush The defenders then fell back
on their keep, and when this was fired,
from il, with some loss, into the
bush behind, in which they had secretly
another strong position. For
the time it was not thought well to fol
low them to their new fastness. In re-
connoite. ing it on the 21st and 26th
there were two more severe skirmishes
and, though in each of these Maurer's
followers had the advantage, the Ger
man volunteers being on one occasion
abandoned by the troops who should
have supported them, the number of
the sect had now been gradually worn
down by repeated casualties. One pris- |
oner was taken who revealed the fact
that fewer than twenty of the desperate
band were Left. On the I'd of August
their last stronghold was surrounded, !
and carried by overwhelming numbers,
though with considerable loss to the as |
The demand made previously |
that the Maurerites should lay down |
their arms was sternly rejected, and |
they died fighting to the very last, the |
herself being actually bay |
0neted through the body of one of her |
devoted followers, who was striving to |
screen her, while she encouraged the |
rest not to yield. Only Hans George |
Maurer and one other of the band, |
Jacob Fuchs, were missing, who are
to have deserted their COM
Danions before or during the assault. |
It adds an additional touch of horror to
this catastrophe TO know that the young
children they had had with them are
not accounted for, and t. hear that it
was reported that they were ali slain
not many days before by Jacobina's
g story which is supported
by the fact that the body of one has
been discovered with its throat cut close
TO the miserable hut which was the
prOphetess' last shelter. The havoc
caused by the extinct sect during its
short sway over the outlying settle
ments is so serious that it Is stated that
it will take years TO restore the colony
to the prosperity it was enjoying before
this extraordinary outburst of fanati
cism brought misery on its MEMBERS
London Ne1Os.
Female Taste.