The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-05-07
ADVENTUROUS.
Waiting for tn Crack of DOOm-Healing
the Sfck-Feet Washing-The Last sup
per-Watching the Midnight Clock
Bitter DisappOintment-W Weeping and
WaiIing-ExtraOrdina Scenes.

| scenes
Chicago Tribune, April 81.
The Tribune gave yesterday a neces
sarily brief account of the collapse O
the Adventist folly at midnight. TIL,
thunder storm, which came up early il
the evening, and which brought sucl
dismay to many who we're secretly pur
turbed, carried the assemblage to an es
tatic pitch of feeling. They eagerly
peered through the windows, and be
came iubilant as the storm swept along
and the lightnings flashed. 1t was
during this excitement that a woman
who had sought out the Adventists an6
joined herself to them that day, asked
Elder Thurman to heal her of a neural
gic complaint that was affecting hel
with great pain. Laying his hands on
her head in a reverent way, he said
81 say unto you in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
| Ghost, be thou made whole" And
Immediately, according to the woman's
profession, the pain left her, and she
began praising God.
At 8 O'Clock, the table being set and
all made ready, they sat down. The
cefemony of feet-washing was first in
ORDER. The chairs were placed with
their backs to the table, so that the
gaze of the men and women was turned
away frome one another. AS these
ceremonies antecedent to the supper
had reached until after 8, the Advent
lists were pretty hungry, and fell to
with a good will. Little children who
had fallen asleep during the foregoing
exercises awoke, and betook themselves
to active exertion, and the assembly
| put on picnic appearance.
Under the nineteenth head Some
interesting conversation with those who
love Jesus"-each, beginning with the
man sitting to the left of Elder Thur
man, rose, and made some remarks.
They were all characterized by tone
| of depression and a nervous assertion of
continued faith. When it came to
THURNIAN's TINE,
it was not yet u o'clock, but despair
was visible on his face, and his voice
was deep and solemn. He began by
speaking of the ardent longings he had
| cherished for the coming of Christ.
Even if he himself were lost he wanted
| to see Gods elect. His voice fell into
| the measured sing-sOng IN which he IN
| tones his prayers, ana became inexpres-
| sibly mOurnful as he went on.
81 confess that l begin to feel sad,
and my heart sinks within me. [ have
no time fixed at which [ expect to see
! the Lord, except midnight. But did
expect that he would appear at Jerusa-
| lem when it was four o'clock in the
afternoon here, and then expected the
sign of the Son of Man. I will not
| despair to the rising sun, but how can
l extend the prophetic dates longer than
midnight, cannot see. 1t has been
my study for thirty-two years, and.
| again and again, and yet again, have l
examined all the prophecies to zee
whether there could be any mistake,
| but [ could find none. The same
| prophecies that show that Jesus is in
| deed the Christ point to His second
| advent tonight. St. Paul says: But
| ye, brethren, are not left in darkness,
that that day, should oyertake you as a
| thief Yet, if this night fails, [ am
unable to see for my life, after much
mature deliberatiOn, how mortal man
can ever find 1T out. [ have not followed
the traditions of men. [ have proved
by chronology, by astronomical obser-
vatiOn. | am quite unable to see how
have been mistaken.
elf, after all, [ have deceived you,
will you pardon me? VIII you forgive
me? [ have done the best I could,
God knows. 4 have finished my
course, have kept the faith [ thank
my God for that. have done what I
could, I can do no more. [ have felt
the burden of you upon my heart, for
l felt that l carried you in the arms of
my admonitlon. Here bis voice
faltered and trembled. [ wanted to
present you to Jesus. [ can bear the
burden no more. [ leave you in the
hands of God"
While he was speaking, sobs and
groans went up continually from the
| assemblage. Many of the women
wept bitterly. Most of the little ones,
wearied with the protracted vigil, were
! asleep lying on the shawls and wrap
pings that had been placed in the cor
ner. The men looked wistfuI and sad,
| but it was not yet II, and some hope
/ still lay in the narrow circuit that the
minute hand of the clock had yet to
traverse. A tall, gray-haired man be-
gan to speak in a tone of encourage
ment, and expressing the love and ven
GRAFTON which they all cherished for
| Brother Thurman. Thurman, who, in
| his desolation, still kept on by sheer in
ertia in the groovein which he had moved
| along, announced mechanically-"An And
when they had sung a hymn, thus IN
dicating the time when 1t was necessary
to sing in order to initiate the Last
Supper of Christ. The hymn, Long
we've been waiting for Christ to come,
was then sung i'll a dolorous way. The
clock still lacked a minute or two of
II, and it was watched as criminal
might watch the approach of the hour
of his execution.
THE MINUTE HAND TOUCHED TWELVE,
and a deep groan ran through the
assembly. The disappointment seemed
to strike into Thurman's heart far too
deep for tears. There was a self
abasement in his manner as he rose,
and in the same monotOnous intonation,
but with a tremuloUs voice said:
Brethren, lean on my arm no longer.
My reckoning is all up. I leave you
in the hands of God It is as much as
I can do to struggle on for my
self. will try to do the best I can.
If there is any more light to be had,
will search for it. I bid you all fare
we'll"
Then followed a pitiful scene. Wo-
men wrung their hands in bitter anguish;
strong men buried their faces and wept
and groaned. The violent descent from
ecstatic Joy to terrible disappointment
bruised and crushed their spirits.
Thurman sat still and murmuring as if
dazed and stupefed with the greatness
of his calamity. The work of his life
time had fallen to nothingness. The
firm footing of his faith had suddenly
slipped from under him, and the horrors
of darkness encompassed him. OF diff
ferent calibre from his followers, his
grief could not find vent in demonstra-
ton of feeling, and nothing assuaged
the bitterness of disappointment. Some
of them tried to say kind and comfort
ing things to him, but he seemed to
heed nothing. Still adhering to the
programme as the fixed thing that yet
remained to him, he rose to pronounce
THE BENEDICTION.
Continuing with tremendous voice he
said a: Oh Lord, we came according to
Thy word. Hast Thou not said that Sin
the time appointed the end shall be 2
o Holy Parent, hear the prayers of
Thy people. Come, o Lord Jesus,
come quickly All will come to desola-