Delaware gazette and state journal., 1884-01-24
aTH Il LIST SUPPER.o
Death shortly After Impersonating
the Saviour aud MocEtng the Last
Saeranant

Death shortly After Impers0nating
the Saviour and Mocktng the Last
Sacrament.
Jenkintown, near Philadslphia, has
just been the scene Of al unusually im.
pressive and asing funersl, the oircum.
stances OF which are as follows: On
Monday week Lemuel Thomas, with
IL Other men, had gathered at d hotel in
that place to partake OF banquet.
Everyone WAS in good health and
spirits. Before they SAT down one of the
guests suggested tnst Thomas, who was
the Oldest man present, should offer up a
prayer. This he did amid the laughter
and jests OF those present.
Alter they had been seated short time
one of the men said that the reunion, on
account OF their being 13 present, wss
suggestive of the Last supper. This was
received with yells OF delight, and
Thomas presently proclaimed that he
was the Saviour, and charged one OF the
roysserers with being Judas Iscariot. 1t
ID claimed that he next broke some bread
in pieces and distributed it, with glesses
of beer, among the guests IN mockery OF
the last Sacrament.
In the midst of the feast, while the Is
men were eating, drinking and shouting,
Thomas uttered terrible oath, and Inads
use of some blasphemous expressions that
shocked even his comrades. They all
started up with amazement at his words,
when soddenly he grew pale, aud put
ting his hands 10 his head complained OF
pain. IL was not until II o'clock that
this occurred, and thesupper had opened
shortly after 3. "I'm iIaid it's my last
supper, after all" he noaned.
He afterwards complained OF pain like
blow upon the head aud OF being weak
| aud fsellng as II on the verge Of the grave.
| ieH mOrrirgs alter the least he was
| found dead III hts bed. A horrible smile
| played over the testures and his eyes
%er- starting out ot their sockets se if,
| said woman relative il describing 1t
sfterward, she hai seen something awful
and died While staring at it.
An inquest showed that Thomas died
of paralysis of the heart.
THE STORY DENIED.
The IA surviving neIhbsiB Of the sup
| per party which Lemuel Thomas al
| tended al Cottmsn's 3 Hall, III Jeukintown,
Christmas eve, three nights before
| his death, met On Saturday night in
| bhp banlt Ilhup W ulEbuSb llShlb vi ulh-
covering and Furnishing the author of the
story printed in newspapers that he had
been guilty Of the ptasphsmy OF per.
| sonating the Saviour and administering
| mock sacrament at the occasion in ques-
| tion. Eaoa denied the story in strong
terms ana pointed to the facttIat IL were
present st the supper in cOniulatiOu
| Of tho statement that II wsB d lasphen.
| GUS Imitation OF the l. sst Supper. The
| foundation of tine story was that Thomas,
who was the Vue elderly man il the
| party, was asked TO ana did pronounce
| grace III reyerential manner. He was
regular attendant at the Jenkintown
Methodist Church sid T. Lear friend OF its
| pastor, the Rev. G. Buckley Burns, who
denied Saturday night the statement that
| Thomas was All hsbitual SCI tfer. The
story was brought two weeks ago to
Charles Hastings, a clerk in the Jsnkin-
town post office snd correspondent of the
HatbOro Adusrtissr, by q known ehemy vf
Thomas, tie desired Mr. Hastings to
send IL TO the HatbOro and Philadelphia
papers, which the latter, upon ihvestiga-
| tion, refused to do. -=--=5