The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-09-12
WHEN
THE HOLY PILGRIM BAND.
Obenshain and the Religion He Is
Preaching in Illinois.
The Rev. John St. Paul Rayburn, the I'm
ported High Priest-Some of the Ridicu-
IOus Pretensions of These Impostors.


SPRINGFIELD, ILL.,, Sept. ia citizen of
Schuyler county, who has arrived in this
city on legal business, gives an interesting
account of the religious excitement and
scandal at Erwin, in that county, which has
been created in connection with the minis
trations of the Rev. c. A. Obenshain.
This Obenshain is burly, uned-
ucated fellow, about forty-fve years old, and
some two or three years ago was an active
missionary for the Perfectionists or Holiness
people, and preached for time at a small
town called Williamsville, in Sangamon
county. He had a wife and four children,
but it is stated that he gave himself up to
the work of his church so zealously that
want soon began to stare his family in the
face. He managed to feed on the best that
was going, for his pastoral duties seemed to
be mainly confined to family visitation. His
wife, neglected, needy, and worn with the
cares of her children, appealed to the neigh
bors for help and was sent to friends in an
other part of the State.
Soon after this Obenshain left Williams
Vile. He was next heard from at Erwin,
small town on Crooked creek, Schuyler
county, near the Brown county line, con-
siderable distance back from the railroad.
Here his perfectionism developed in mild
mixture of free-lovism and Mormonism,
under the title of the Holy Pilgrim Band.
In a short time he had over hundred mem
bers enrolled, and his meetings were often
crowded. He preached and exhorted every
Sunday and Wednesday, and devoted the
intervening time to personal proselyting
in the neighborhood The number of his
followers grew and during last winter, an
assistant arrived whom Obenshain
IL
Ray burn, of Scotland, the High Priest
of the Holy Pilgrim Band in Europe The
two joined their forces, raised some $4,000
to build a church and succeeded in adding
several more to their number by conversion,
or. as they termed it, "holy enlightenment"
During Rayburn's stay the conduct of the
band became very offensive to the better
classes in and about Erwin, and some time
in July last some of the rougher element of
the community. taking the lawless view of
the opposition that was growing up, assailed
the temporary tabernacle of the pilgrims in
the night and wrecked if. For this ten per-
sons were arrested held to answer and last
week fined in the Circuit Court
In the meantime Rayburn left, and direct
ly after two veritable Mormon missionaries
arrived to hold up Obenshains hands.
With the advent of these another
innovation came into their so-called forms OF
worship Rayburn was now a deity and in
in all their songs of praise where the name
of God appeared, that of Rayburn was now
substituted. Obenshain took on new airs
and pretensions. He now wrote his name
and called himself the Rev. Cabed Anderson
O. Ben Shain. The pretension of healing the
sick by the laying on of hands, by prayers
and interpretations and by amounting with
oil, became part of the religion, and the
interest extended further out into the coun-
try and south into Brown county.
Then o. Ben Shain began to see visions and
to receive divine commissions. Ore of these
was to instruct the faithful Pilgrims to ded-
icate all their worldly possessions to God,
and this infatuatlon is said to have helped
the two Mormon missionaries to several
hundred dollars in cash and some personal
pelf The infatuation of the female follow
er became thing of public scandal, and the
particulars as related to your correspondent
are utterly unfit to be written.
Meantime, the work of constructing new
tabernacle went on. The building was one
of the most pretentious in the county-by
far the most pretentious i'll Erwin. 1t had
large audience room, a so-called prayer
room, living apartments for the pastor of the
flock, Kitchen pantry, dining-room, cellar,
smoke house, well and cistern. Bedrooms
were also arranged up stairs for the accom-
mediation of Pilgrims who might come that
way from distant places and find it impossi-
BILE to obtain accommodations in the town.
The building was nearly COM
pleteo, ana was aWaiIlhg uedlcaulon, as
soon as Rayburn, the high priest, should ar
rive, or send the proper commission to o. Ben
bhain. But about midnight last Friday
night, an explosion was heard and the popu-
lation of the little town was reused to find
the tabernacle in a wreck and in flames 1t
had been blown up, and that is all that is
known about it. O'Ben Shain had been
sleeping in the building for some time and it
is believed the plot was planned to entrap
him; but he appears, on this occasion, to
have been lodging for the night with some
of the fold. No arrests had been made up to
yesterday afternoon, but the officers of the
law are looking into the case, and if the
guilty parties can be discovered they will un-
doubtedly be punished. The people how
ever, generally are congratulating them
Ielves that this will probably break the back
dOBen Shainism in Schuyler county.