Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-09-08
Gum Springs, which is on the main road
leading from Searcv to Little Rock

Gum Springs, which is on the main road
leading from Searcy to Little Rock.
During the last few days the attention
Of passers-by has been attracted by
strange noises, and, this fact being con
veyod to the citizens of Searcy, on Tues.
day last Mr. G. ID. Humphreys, of Searcy,
and Mr. Blake, from El Paso, in this
county, determined to visit Gum Springs
and see what was going on. The strange
noises were heard as they reached the
locality. On driving past the hut they
were accosted by Mr.. Dover, who claimed
to be one of Gods people. Mr.. Hum
phreys proposed that they should turn
back and see what was wanted. They
did so, and were invited into the hut,
Dover asserting that God was in there.
Humphreys remarked, as he got out of
the buggy, that if God was in there he
wanted to see Him. AS soon as they
stepped from the vehicle Humphreys
was seized by four men and Blake by
four women. The latter succeeded in
breaking away, but the former was unable
to do so. Blake ran about 100 yards,
and, on looking back, saw the men cut
ting his companion to pieces with long
hulNtS. ilt Ut OuGC SbdIltu lOI bOWu
and reported the terrible occurrence to
the citizens. A force was at once raised
and started to the rescue. On arriving
at the spring fearful sight met their
gaze. The Cobbites had decapitateJ
Humphreys and stuck his head on a pal
ing A boy who was riding by was com
PEELED to get off his horse and bow to
the head three times. He was also made
to pray, and then told to hurry away or
the bowels of the earth would open and
swallow him. When the posse arrived
MIR. T. @. Black, the leader, shouted to
Dover to come forward. The latter
wanted to talk the matter over. He
picked up Humphreys head at intervals,
caught it by the hair with both hands,
shook it back and forth, and then re-
placed it on the fence, ordering the
crowd, with menacing gesture,
to 60 away. The Cobbites then
commenced to jabber in their
own peculiar way at a furious rate. Mr..
Black did everything in his power to
calm them, without avail. Dover and
his crowd then started toward Black with
no good intent, and his posse fired, kill
ing two men and wounding one. The
remainder, four men, four women and
two babies, were arrested and taken to
jail. While in custody they talked about
their Jesus, meaning Cobb, asserting that
he would come and rescue them. Wednes-
day morning preliminary examination
was held; they were all released and re-
turned to Gum Springs. They talked in
cessantly about their religion and gestic-
ulated constantly. There is no doubt
that they are all crazy from the combined
effects of religion and starvation. Men,
women and children are as gaunt as a
pack of famished wolves. L. B. Dover
and Thomas Gainley were the two men
killed by the posse that made the arrest.
Old Cobb escaped to the woods and at
last accounts had not been captured.
1t appears that Cobb came from Mich
igan, where he taught his atrocious doc
trines until driven out. He first settled
in Southeastern Missouri, where he made
few converts, and, it is said, offered up
infants as sacrifices. He was driven
away from there, and with his fanatical
followers went to White County, Ark,
and induced few more ignorant people
to join them. The accounts received do
not give any adequate reason or cause
for the attack on Humphreys and Blake
and the murder of the former, but the
Cobbites seem to have been wrought up
to high degree of religious excitement
or frenzy, and were urged on by old man
Cobb, who had taught his deluded fol-
lowers that he was not only Christ in
person, but that he uttered the DEGREES
of God himself, and that anything they
did was devoid of sin.