The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-09-15
FANATHCIsNI.

An old Man Sets H imSelf up
as Christ and Gathers a few
FOllOwers-TheY Murder q
Mann and set hIs Head On a
PIeket-ln a SkirmISh two
are Killed and one wounded
Arrest Of the Crazy OuIIt.
st. Louis, Sept. 2.-The Globe
Democrat has a letter from Ken
sett, Ark, detailing some atroci-
ties committed by a religious
sect, called Cobbites, at a place
named Gum Springs, in White
county. 1t appears that an old
man named COBB rules the COM
munity, and is regarded by his
followers as Jesus, and obeyed
accordingly. For some time past,
singular noises have been heard
at Gum Springs, by persons pass
ing there, and tour days ago G.
D. HUMPHREYS and a Mr.. Blake,
of Elpasso, determined to ascer-
tain the cause of them, and clear
up the mystery. Tney therefore
visited the locality and as they
were passing hut from which is
sued strange sounds, man nam
ed Dover, one of the Cobbltes, &C.
costed them and said God was in
the hut and invited them to enter
and see him. AS they alighted
from their buggy, HUMPHREYS
was at once seized by four men
and Blake by four women. Blake
broke loose from his captors and
ran about 100 yards when on
looking back he saw the men cut
ting HUMPHREYS to pieces with
long knives. He FASTENED to
town and reported the case and q
party of citizens at once started
for the scene of the murder. Or
arriving at the spring they found
HUMPHREYS had been killed anC
his head cut off and stuck on {
fence paling. A boy riding BY
had been compelled to get off hi:
horse, bow to the head three times
and utter 3 prayer. A parley en-
sued betweed the leader of thu
citizens, T. G. Black, and Dover
the Cobbite, during which the lat
ter took Humphries's head from
the fence several times and shool
it back and forth and replaced i
on the paling at the same tim,
ordering the citizens to leave. A
last Dover and his crowd advanc
ed on Black and his party in {
menancing manner and the latte
fred upon them killing two, mel
and wounding another. The re
naming four men, four Womel
and two children, were arrested
and taken to Searcy. There wa
great excitement among the pGo-
pie and lynching was threatened
} Next day preliminary examina
, tion was held and all parties re.
leased. They talked incoherentl,
about their religion and ther
seemed to be little doubt that the,
were all crazy from the effects Q
religious excitement and starva
ton.
Later advices say that ceror
ners inquest was held on the bod
of HUMPHREYS and the jury re
turned q verdict that L. b. and j
, NJ. Dover, Thomas Gainey, Johl
and Elisabeth Nelson were guilt,
as principals of the. murder @
Humphries, and John and LIE
Dover and Clementine Dove
were guilty as accessors. L. E
: Dover and Thomas Carney wer
the two men killed by the poss
that made the arrests. Old Cob
= escaped to the woods and at las
accounts had not been captured
It appears that Cobb cam
from Michigan, where he laugh
his atrOcious doctrine, till drive
out. He first settled in Southeas
Missouri; where he made a fe1
converts, and, as is said, offere
: up infants as sacrifices. He wa
: driven away from there and, wit
. his fanatical followers, went {
White county, Arkansas, and in
= duced few more ignorant peopl
. to join them. The accounts n
, ceived do not give any adequat
reason or cause for the attack NJ
on HUMPHREYS and Blake and tn
murder of the former, but th
Cobbites have been wrought u
3 to a high degree of religious e.
i element and frenzy, and wei
3 urged by the old man Cobb, VIII
! had taught his deluded follower
/ that he was not only Christ
person, but that he uttered tt
DEGREES Of God himself, and tn.
? anything they did was devoid (
/ sin.