The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1876-09-07
THE CoBB1TEs.
Account Of Deluded Sect at Gum Spring, Ar
kansas. Who, infatuated, Cut Man to
Pieces with Long Knives--The Party
is Arrested After Bloody At
fray, while Cobb, the Leader,
Escapes to the Woods.
Escapes to the Woods.

The Globe-Democrat has letter
from Kensett, Arkansas, detailing
some of the atrocities committed by
religious sects called Cobbites, at a
place named Gum Spring, White coun-
ty. Itappears that an old man named
Cobb rules the community, and is re-
garded by his followers as Jesus, aud
obeyed accordingly. For some time
past singular noises have been heard
at Gum Spring by persons passing
there, and a few days ago G. ID. Hum
phreys. of Searcy, and Mr.. Blake, Of
El Paso, determined to ascertain the
cause of them, and clear up the mys-
terry. They therefore visited the To-
cality, and, as they were passing hut
from which issued strange sounds, a
man named Dover, one of the Cobbites,
accosted them and said God was in the
hut, and invited them to enter and see
him. They alighted from their buggy,
and Humphreys was at once seized by
four men aud Blake by four women.
Blake broke loose from his captors and
ran about one hundred yards, when, on
looking back, he saw the men cutting
Humphreys to pieces with long knives.
He fastened to the town and reported
the case, and party of citizens at once
started for the scene of the murder.
On their arrival at the Spring they
found that Humphreys had been killed.
His head was cut off and stuck on a
fence paling A boy riding by had
been compelled to get off his horse and
bow to the head three times and utter
prayer.
There was parley between the lead
er of the citizens, L. c. Black, and Do
yer the Cobbite, during which the lat
! ter took Humphreys head from the
fcuce and shook it back and forth, and
replaced it on the paling, at the same
time ordering the citizens to leave. AT
last Dover aud his crowd advanced OH
Black and his party in menacing
Manners and the latter fired upon them,
killing two men and wounding anoth-
er the remaining four men, four wo-
men and two children were arrested
and taken to jail, also other Cobbites
were arrested and taken to Searcy.
There was great excitement am ong
the people, and lynching was threat
ened. Next day preliminary exam
ination was held, and the parties re-
leased. They talked necessarily about
their religion, and there seemed but
| little doubt that they were all crazy
from the effects of religious excitement
and starvation.
Later adyices say q coroner's inquest
was held on the body of Humphreys
and the jury returned a verdict that
L. b. and j. NJ. Dover, Thomas Gainey
and John and Elizabeth Nelson are
guilty as principals of the murder of
Humphreys. and John Lee and Glenn.
Dover are guilty as accessories. l.. b.
Dover and Thos. Gainey were the two
men killed by the posse that made the
arrests. Old Cobb escaped to the TIM
Der, and at last accounts had not been
captured. 1t appears Cobb came from
Michigan where he taught his atroci-
Gus doctrines until driven out. He
first settled in Southwestern 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, Arkansas, and induced
few more ignorant people to join
them.
The accounts received do not give
any adequate reason or cause for the
attack upon Humphreys and Blake,
but the Cobbiles seemed TO have been
wrought up to high degree of relig-
ious excitement or frenzy, and were
urged OIL by old man Cobb, who had
taught his deluded followers that he
was not only Christ i'll person, but he
uttered DEGREES of God himself, and
that anything they did was devoid of
sin.